Chapter 9 White Vixen

I woke to pain, sharp and deep, radiating through every muscle. My body felt as if it had been taken apart and stitched back together with fire. The worst was between my thighs — hot, raw, as though torn and forced to heal in an instant.

When I opened my eyes, I met a pair of amber irises, dark and fathomless.

Arthur wasn't asleep. He lay on his side, bare-chested, watching me without blinking.

Last night's chaos crashed into my mind like floodwater. Heat surged to my face and I shot upright, yanking the blanket around me.

Damn it. That reaction… it was dangerous. It carried a flicker of dependence I had no right to feel.

I crushed it instantly.

He was Arthur — a mafia king who could kill without hesitation. A devil. He was nothing more than a tool to find my enemy.

"You're awake?" His voice was rough, lazy, heavy with the satisfaction of a man who had taken exactly what he wanted. He reached for me.

I slapped his hand away, my stare cold. "Mr. Russell, I don't think we're nearly close enough to be sharing a bed."

He paused, then his mouth curved in a slow smile.

In one fluid move, he rolled over me, his frame caging mine, hands braced on either side of my head.

"Sophia… have you forgotten? You were the one who wrapped your arms around my neck, begging me not to stop."

His breath brushed my face, thick with the scent of him. "This was mutual. And now, you're not just my partner. You're my woman."

His hand slid under the blanket, heat trailing upward until it found the bruises along my inner thigh. His touch made my muscles shiver.

"We have more important matters to deal with."

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay calm.

He studied me for a moment, then gave a short laugh and rolled away.

"Get dressed. My office."

Without waiting for a reply, he disappeared into the bathroom.

Relief washed over me… but my pulse only raced faster.

His office had become a war room. Men moved in and out, faces set in grim focus.

Arthur emerged in a sharp suit, every trace of last night replaced by the cold precision of the man I knew.

"Boss." A tech operative hurried over, pointing at the screen. "We traced it. The attacker ran through over a dozen proxy servers, but the final command came from a local abandoned warehouse."

"Which warehouse?"

"Dockford Quarter, near the docks. According to records, it was shut down ten years ago. Its previous owner was… the Davis Family."

The name hit me like a gunshot.

Davis. The name I'd been running from for a decade… now haunting my life like a ghost that refuses to stay buried.

"The Davis Family?" I forced a mocking smile. "Right… the old mafia clan that got wiped out. Long overdue, wasn't it?"

It was too smooth. Too perfect. Which meant it was a lie.

Arthur turned away from me, his voice flat. "You can go."

I didn't hesitate. I headed for the door. My fingers had barely touched the handle when a force yanked me back. My spine slammed against the cold wall.

Arthur's face was inches from mine.

"Don't lie to me, Sophia." His voice was a low growl, his hand closing around my throat — not enough to choke, but enough to promise danger. "I hate being lied to."

His lips brushed my ear, heat searing my skin. "Every time you lie to me… I'll make you forget your own name. Until the only thing you remember is me."

Fear and something far darker — a twisted thrill — shot through me. My body betrayed me, trembling under his touch.

He released me suddenly, shoving me aside like I was nothing. "Get out."

I stumbled from his office, into the elevator. In the mirror, I saw a woman with flushed cheeks and tear-bright eyes, her heartbeat a wild drum.

He knew.

He had to know something.

In the car, my hands still shook. I reached under the armrest, pressed the hidden latch, and pulled out a device I hadn't touched in years.

Drawing a steady breath, I dialed the number etched into my bones.

It rang once before a voice answered — old, rasping, and familiar.

"It's me. White Vixen."

The name tasted like dust on my tongue, tight and brittle.

"The serpent-tail necklace has surfaced… and the wolves are circling. I need two names. One is Arthur. The other — anyone who survived the Davis Family fire ten years ago."