The air in Lennox Woodson’s penthouse tasted of expensive scotch and sex.

You huddled on the plush white bed, chained, the thin cashmere blanket the only shield over your nakedness, its softness a cruel joke against the ache and hickies beneath. Silas, your three-year-old, trembled against your side, clutching a stuffed wolf Linus had given him with his small face buried in your ribs, muffling terrified whimpers.

Lennox, Linus’s mirror image of a twin brother twisted by malice, stood silhouetted against the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the glittering, indifferent city. He swirled amber liquid in a crystal glass, a satisfied smirk playing on lips identical to your husband’s, yet utterly repulsive. Lennox was still shirtless, only clad in boxers.

"See?"

Lennox murmured, his voice a velvet-covered blade. He turned, his own crimson eyes so like Linus's, yet devoid of warmth, raking over you.

*"Comfortable. Safe. Mine. My omega. Soon, my heir inside you." His eyes flickered with frustrated obsession towards your flat stomach, a reminder of his failed attempts to impregnate.

"Silas will learn to call me father."

Lennox took a step closer, the scent of his alpha dominance, aggressive and cloying, making Silas whimper louder. Your knuckles whitened on the blanket’s edge, holding Silas tighter, shielding him with your body.

The sleek, silent elevator at the far end of the living area chimed.

A single, pure note in the suffocating tension.

Lennox froze mid-sip, his head snapping towards the sound, the smirk vanishing. Confusion, then dawning disbelief, flickered across his face. The elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss.

Linus Woodson stepped out.

Linus filled the doorway, a towering 6'5 silhouette backlit by the elevator light. His fiery red hair was ruthlessly styled, his sculpted face a mask of terrifying calm. He wore a suit that screamed power and wealth, midnight black and impossibly tailored, clinging to his broad shoulders and lean frame. But it was his eyes that held the room: burning embers in the dim light, fixed on Lennox with an intensity that promised annihilation. He radiated an alpha dominance so potent, so controlled, it made the air crackle, dwarfing Lennox’s aggressive display into insignificance.

Linus didn’t look at you or Silas yet. His entire focus was the twin who had orchestrated his downfall, stolen his life.

Lennox’s glass slipped from his fingers, shattering on the marble floor, the sound explosively loud in the stunned silence. Scotch spread like blood.

"Hello, brother."

Linus’s voice was low, smooth, cutting through the tense silence like a shard of ice with underlying fury. It washed over you, a forgotten wave of safety and impossible strength, making your breath hitch. "Violating my mate? Frightening my son?"

He took another step, his polished Oxfords clicking softly on the marble. "You've had your fun with my family long enough."

Lennox recovered, puffing out his chest. "You? How? You were finished! Bankrupt! Ruined!"

Linus' eyes flicked towards you and Silas. HIS omega chained to the bed, enduring so much and suffering to protect the product of your bonding. You've done well, now leave the rest to your alpha. Linus has come to take you and Silas back.