Alina’s POV

The mansion glittered like a dream that night — chandeliers raining gold light over marble floors, violins humming softly in the background, and the scent of expensive wine curling through the air. To anyone else, it looked like a celebration. To me, it was a battlefield wrapped in silk.

Ares stood beside me at the top of the grand staircase, dressed in black. His suit was sharp, his hair slicked back, his expression carved from ice. You’d never know that just a few weeks ...