Chapter 1
In the heart of a modern, restless city lived a wealthy dynasty of bureaucrats—men and women who guided politicians, commanded the army, and quietly ruled from the shadows. Their influence was absolute, their grip unchallenged. Yet no one knew their greatest secret: generation after generation, they did not age. Their beauty never faded, and their wealth only grew.
Avizare, son of Aravos of the Tonitru family, arrived on the night of his father’s fifty-sixth birthday. The celebration filled the grand hall of Tonitru Industries, a monument of glass, steel, and power.
“We’re here, young master,” the driver said.
Avizare adjusted the cuff of his sleeve as the guard opened the door of his Porsche. He stepped out with calm authority, walking as though the company already belonged to him. Conversations faltered. Guests turned, stunned by his presence—his tall, finely muscled frame, broad shoulders, and long brown hair falling neatly to his shoulders. His golden eyes, sharp and searching, scanned the hall, already looking for his father.
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Avizare nodded to his father. Aravos returned the gesture, his expression as severe and unyielding as the one his son had inherited.
His mother, Selena, patted Avizare’s shoulder lightly. “You’ve arrived late again, my son.”
“Blame your niece, not me, Mother,” Avizare replied calmly. “After all, you’re the one who keeps sending her to my room.”
Selena smiled knowingly and lifted her glass, taking a slow sip of wine.
“You should meet the general,” Aravos said at last. “He is a man we will need.”
“All right,” Avizare answered.
Moments later, a young woman with golden-blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes adjusted her gown and walked straight toward Selena. “Hello, Aunt.”
Selena’s smile softened as she kissed her cheeks. “You did well, Zella. You always do.”
“Thank you, Aunt,” Zella replied.
Selena leaned closer, her voice low and teasing. “Soon, I will announce you as my daughter-in-law. Until then… keep him.” She winked.
“I will, Aunt,” Zella said softly, then leaned closer. “But first… tell me, how old is he really?”
Selena laughed under her breath. “He is two hundred and fifty-six years old now.”
Zella laughed with her. “Humans are so foolish to believe him.”
“They believe because we never show our true faces to the public,” Selena replied calmly. “Once one of us reaches a hundred years, we announce their death. The media is told that the son of the Tonitru family has taken over as the new leader. We’ve been repeating this cycle for centuries.”
Zella nodded in understanding.
“Only the chief of the army knows the truth,” Selena continued. “But since the previous general’s death, the new one has become… a problem. That is why your uncle invited him tonight.”
Her eyes swept over the grand hall, the laughing guests, the glittering gowns. “And as for the rest of the guests,” she added with a faint smile, “they are all werewolves—just like us.”
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Later in the evening, Zella joined Avizare at the bar. He was quietly sipping his drink, his posture relaxed yet distant.
“So,” she said casually, “what is your plan for tonight? Since we never finished what was left undone before coming here.”
Avizare turned his golden eyes toward her. “Have you ever searched for a mate, Zella?”
“I did,” she admitted. “I waited fifty years. But when nothing happened, I let the idea go. Now I’m content with you—especially since you haven’t found your mate either. Some werewolves choose their own partners, like my parents did. Later they divorced… and found others for themselves.”
Avizare smiled faintly. “The idea of a mate is boring to me as well. How can someone spend five hundred years with the same person and still call it love?” He laughed, dry and sarcastic.
“I wonder the same,” Zella said softly. “But when I look at your parents, I’m surprised. They are fated mates.”
“Yes,” Avizare replied, glancing across the hall. “And their love hasn’t aged at all. Look at them.”
Zella followed his gaze and smiled.
They went to a private room in a nearby hotel.
“Why a hotel?” Zella asked quietly.
“Home is far,” Avizare replied shortly.
The door closed behind them. Words faded as they kissed, moving together until the world narrowed to warmth, closeness, and breath—until only silence and the rhythm of the night remained.
