“Leo?”
There has never been a thought that he wouldn’t stand at Gideon’s shoulder through good times and bad.
“Through thick and thin.”
Sighing—as if he hadn’t expected anything different, but still wishes he’d gotten a different answer—Gideon whispers, “Here we go,” as he pulls to a stop next to the guard and rolls down his window.
Leo passes the invitation to the waiting Were guard, watching as his eyes go wide.
“Mr. Carnell, sir. Welcome. Please go ahead.”
He doesn’t acknowledge the rest of them, and that is fine by Leo; this is just one hurdle they’ll jump tonight.
As the convoy of vehicles snakes along the lane way, Leo leans forward, taking in the scene ahead. Lamps cast a soft, golden glow every twenty feet, lending the path an almost enchanting quality. For a moment, he lets himself admire it—it’s picturesque. Serene, even.
As they crest a slight hill, Carnell’s fortress looms into view, causing Leo to catch his breath. He’s no stranger to wealth, but this is opulence on another level.
The sprawling estate unfolds before him, with manicured lawns stretching endlessly on either side of the stone drive, each blade of grass trimmed with surgical precision.
But it’s the tall stone walls and the drawbridge that cause Gideon to clench his jaw hard enough that they can hear it crack.
Driving over the actual moat, on a lowered drawbridge, they pass through into a courtyard lined with luxury vehicles and scurrying staff.
“Who builds a fucking castle in Florida? It’s fugly,” Luca whispers.
Incredibly so.
A sprawling gray stone monstrosity, the castle reminds Leo of something he’d seen on vacation with his parents as a teen. It has a large, square-centric design with sprawling wings on either side, and towering turrets—made even more obvious as the entire place is lit up from within, every light on in every room.
It doesn’t get better-looking the closer they get to the front of the queue, either.
At the very last minute, in the seconds before a uniformed valet opens Gideon’s door, the alpha whispers, “Don’t listen to anything I say in there. Remember, I love you, and for fuck’s sake, get out if you get a bad feeling.”
In the next second, a veil of disdainful contempt slides over Gideon’s features, transforming him in an instant.
That earlier coil of dread settles in Leo’s gut as three other impeccably dressed doormen step forward in perfect synchronization, opening the CR-V’s other doors simultaneously, as if they’ve rehearsed it.
Their modest vehicle stands out like a sore thumb among the gleaming luxury sedans and the occasional limousine, but Gideon moves with the poise of someone carried in the palm of The Goddess herself.
The grand entrance looms ahead—several wide steps lead up to front doors that stretch two stories high, propped open to welcome a steady stream of guests.
Immediately, Leo is overcome by the opulence and noise, and despite that he has performed for royalty and on stages in front of thousands, this is something so foreign to him.
The decadence and danger have only sharpened the stark difference in Gideon. He isn’t the alpha Leo knows. Gone is the fluid grace and teasing smirk, replaced by a straight-backed figure with dead eyes.
Chilled by the transformation, Leo is suddenly lonely for his mate, even though he’s standing right there.
Beside him, Luca lets out a quiet whimper, and for a moment, Leo thinks he might do the same.
Gideon doesn’t look back. Without a glance at either his pack mates or the mix of Human and Were guests milling about, he ascends the front steps with an unhurried confidence that feels utterly foreign.
They’re met at the door by a server bearing a tray of champagne. Gideon takes one, but Leo doesn’t need his alpha’s almost invisible head shake to avoid the tray.
What Leo can do is fall behind his mate’s right shoulder, while Luca does the same on the left. Nix stays a little farther behind, and together, they guard their alpha’s back.
The main rooms are teeming with people—a sea of wealth and power, all packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Yet, as their entourage cuts through the opulent crowd, space seems to carve itself around them.
Leo catches glimpses of familiar faces—politicians, high-ranking CEOs, and what he can only assume is the cream of Florida’s elite.
