The Blackwood Tower penthouse filled the top three floors of the city's most exclusive supernatural address. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered breathtaking views of Tenebrous City, still healing from last night's unprecedented blackout. Marble floors gleamed, expensive art covered the walls, and every surface spoke of old money and older magic.
Liam Taylor hated it on sight.
"Your bedroom suite is upstairs," Julian said, watching as Liam took in the space. "I've cleared half the closets and had the cleaning service prepare—"
"Where's my lab going?" Liam interrupted, setting down the box of delicate tools he'd insisted on carrying himself.
Julian blinked. "Your what?"
"My study. My workspace." Liam pointed to the stack of boxes now filling the pristine entryway. "I'm not giving up my research just because I'm being forced to live here."
A muscle ticked in Julian's mouth. "This is a residence, not a tech startup."
"It's about to be both." Liam's green eyes flashed with familiar defiance. "Unless you want me experimenting with unstable magic-tech fusion in the bedroom?"
Behind them, Daniel made a choking sound that might have been repressed laughter. Even the professional moving crew seemed to be holding their breath, feeling the tension between their employers.
Julian stepped closer, using his height advantage to loom over Liam. "This is my home. You don't make the rules here."
"Our home," Liam corrected gently, not backing down an inch. "By council order, remember? Or should we call Senator Blackwood to explain the arrangement?"
Silver light flickered in Julian's eyes. After last night's disaster at the restaurant, they were both being careful to keep their magic in check. But the Alpha energy rolling off him made the air heavy with pressure.
"The east wing library," he finally growled. "It's isolated enough that your experiments won't interact with the building's wards. But if you blow anything up—"
"I know what I'm doing." Liam turned to the movers. "Everything marked 'Lab' goes to the east wing. And please be careful with the crystalline cores – they're worth more than this entire building."
Julian's eyebrows shot up at that casual show of wealth. It was easy to forget that Taylor Technologies' advances had made Liam nearly as rich as the old families. Nearly.
"I'll help supervise the lab equipment," Daniel offered, clearly trying to defuse the situation. "Those cores can be tricky if you don't know what you're handling."
"Thank you." Liam's smile for Daniel was real, which only irritated Julian more. "At least someone here understands the value of progress."
The next hour was a dance of territorial talks disguised as moving logistics. Liam insisted on personally organizing his lab space, changing the elegant library into something that looked like a cross between a tech startup and a magical research facility. Julian watched in increasing dismay as sleek equipment invaded the traditional space, magical cores pulsing with that distinctive green energy.
"The bedroom is through here," Julian said when they finally made it upstairs. "The closet on the left is yours, and I've had the bathroom stocked with—"
He stopped. Liam had frozen in the doorway, looking at the massive bed that dominated the room. Right. They were supposed to share a bedroom, to keep appearances. Last night's events had almost made Julian forget that fact.
"I'll take one of the guest rooms," Liam said stiffly.
"No." Julian's reaction was automatic. "The council expects—"
"The council can't dictate where I sleep." Green sparks danced along Liam's fingers. "I'm not sharing a bed with someone who thinks he owns me."
Julian's Alpha roared to life, reacting to the challenge in Liam's tone. "This isn't about ownership. It's about presenting a united front to avoid chaos in the supernatural community. Or did you forget what happened last night when we lost control?"
Liam flinched slightly at the memory. The blackout had taken hours to fix, and stories were already spreading about what it meant. Two powerful magical beings whose magic was so incompatible it crashed the city's power grid? Or so suitable it overwhelmed all normal magical barriers?
"Fine." Liam stormed into the room, dropping his personal bag by the left side of the bed. "But we're setting ground rules."
Julian crossed his arms. "Such as?"
"No Alpha orders. No trying to control my schedule or my work. No interfering with my company or my studies." Liam ticked things off on his fingers. "I come and go as I please, I maintain my own space in the lab, and you never, ever try to use our mate bond to influence me."
"We don't have a mate bond yet."
"And we won't, if I have anything to say about it." But Liam's scent spiked with something that wasn't quite anger, and they both felt their magics stir in reaction.
Julian pushed his Alpha back under control. "Any other demands, princess?"
"Don't call me that." Liam's eyes narrowed. "And yes. I want unlimited access to the building's power grid for my experiments. And your word that you won't spy on my work."
"You're asking for a lot of trust from someone you accused of murder last night."
"I accused your father of murder." Liam's voice softened slightly. "You... I'm still deciding about."
The statement hung in the air between them, heavy with implications. Julian found himself studying Liam's face – the hard set of his jaw, the intelligence in his eyes, the light dusting of freckles that somehow made him look both younger and more determined.
"I'll agree to your terms," Julian finally said. "On one condition."
"Which is?"
"You have to attend all formal events with me. Council meetings, business functions, social gatherings – we show a united front in public." Julian stepped closer, close enough to see Liam's pupils dilate slightly. "And you let me teach you how to handle your power around other Alphas. Last night showed you're vulnerable to Alpha influence, even if you fight it."
"I'm not vulnerable to anything." But Liam's protest lacked its usual fire. They both remembered how he'd swayed when Julian's Alpha voice caught him off guard.
"Training," Julian urged. "Or no deal."
They stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Their magics rose automatically, silver and green energy testing each other's limits. But this time they didn't clash – instead, the powers twined together almost curiously, like cats circling before choosing whether to fight or play.
"Deal," Liam finally said. "But teaching goes both ways. You need to learn about magical creativity too. The old families can't keep ignoring modern progress."
Julian surprised himself by nodding. "Agreed. We start tomorrow."
A knock at the door made them both jump, suddenly aware of how close they were standing. Daniel entered, looking sorry.
"Sorry to interrupt, but we have a situation downstairs. Someone leaked pictures of last night's restaurant incident to the supernatural press. They're calling it the 'Power Couple Blackout' – the story's going viral."
Liam groaned. "Let me guess – they're painting me as the unstable Omega who can't control his magic?"
"Actually." Daniel's lips twitched. "Most of the news is about how unprecedented it is for an Omega to match an Alpha's power. You're becoming something of a figure for progressive supernaturals."
"Wonderful." Julian rubbed his temples. "That's exactly what we need – more attention from both sides of the traditionalist-progressive divide."
"Oh no," Liam's voice dripped sarcasm. "People might understand Omegas aren't just decorative accessories for powerful Alphas. How terrible."
Before Julian could answer, another wave of magical energy washed through the building. But this time it wasn't from either of them. This power felt ancient, heavy with destiny and warning.
Aria's voice seemed to whisper through the walls: "The pieces match. The board is set. But remember – not all bonds are formed by choice, and not all decisions lead to freedom."
The cryptic warning faded, leaving them looking at each other in the suddenly heavy air. Outside, storm clouds gathered over Tenebrous City, as if the very sky was reacting to the tension building below.
"Well," Liam broke the quiet first. "At least living here won't be boring."
Julian found himself fighting back a smile. No, life with Liam Taylor would be many things, but boring wasn't one of them. The question was: would they survive what that excitement might bring?
Somewhere in the city, other players watched the building storm and made their moves. Victoria Kane's perfectly manicured fingers traced newspaper articles about the Power Couple Blackout, her ice-blue eyes calculating. Senator Blackwood added another file to a secret safe, this one marked with both the Blackwood and Taylor family crests. And in her chamber of visions, Aria watched threads of fate weave together into designs even she didn't fully understand.
The game was changing, the players were moving, and the storm was about to break. But for now, in the penthouse above it all, two powerful beings circled each other like magnets fighting their own attraction, neither willing to admit that their forced proximity was awakening something that felt dangerously like fate.
For better or worse, home would never be the same again.