Seduction

**Dimitri**

Things were starting to fall apart. Since our argument, Angel and I had barely spoken. The tension between us was palpable, and it seemed that every day a new crack emerged, pushing us further apart. I knew I needed to fix things with her, but at the same time, there was a silent war going on inside the mansion that we couldn’t ignore. Amara and Kael continued to play their games, and now it seemed they were about to make their next move.

I was alone in my office, trying to focus on patrol reports and details of the latest movements of Kael’s wolves. The tension in my shoulders increased with each page turned, and my head throbbed with the weight of so many unmade decisions. Everything seemed to be on hold, as if I were on the edge of something catastrophic that I couldn’t quite see clearly.

A soft knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. Before I could respond, the door opened, and Amara entered with the confidence of someone who had been invited. She closed the door behind her, a calculated smile playing on her lips as she slowly approached.

“I hope I’m not interrupting, Dimitri,” she said, her voice soft, almost seductive. There was something in her eyes, a predatory gleam that made me wary.

“Amara,” I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral, but with a touch of distrust. “What do you want?”

She stepped closer, stopping by my desk and letting her hand rest casually on the scattered papers. “I wanted to talk. It seems like you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. We all have, really.”

I couldn’t tell if it was genuine concern or another one of her games. “It’s part of the job,” I replied coolly, trying to make it clear I wasn’t interested in playing along.

Amara smiled, leaning slightly, enough for her sweet, cloying perfume to reach me. “You carry too big a burden for one man, Dimitri. And I feel like there’s something else bothering you. Maybe something to do with... Angel?”

Hearing Angel’s name from her lips sounded like a provocation. I straightened in my chair, trying to hide my growing discomfort. “My relationship with Angel is none of your business.”

She laughed softly, as if I had just told a joke. “Oh, Dimitri, everything here is my business. We’re all in the same game, and what affects you and Angel inevitably affects all of us.” Amara circled the desk, coming even closer to me, her fingers lightly tracing the wooden surface, almost as if she were drawing her own plans there.

I could feel the tension rise in the air. There was something dangerously charming about Amara, something she wielded like a sharp weapon, disguised as sympathy and understanding. “If you came here to suggest you know what’s going on between Angel and me, save your breath,” I said, my tone turning sharper.

She raised an eyebrow, undeterred. “I’m not here to judge. In fact, I want to help. I know how hard it is to keep everything under control, especially when things start to fall off track. You’re strong, Dimitri, but even the strongest need support... someone who understands them.”

There was an intensity in her words that was hard to read. Amara was dangerous, but there was a hint of truth in what she said. My hesitation, my fears of making mistakes, were affecting everything around me. But I couldn’t afford to give in, not to her.

“If you think you know me better than I know myself, you’re mistaken,” I responded, standing and meeting her gaze, refusing to back down. “You can play your games, Amara, but I’m not a piece on your board.”

She laughed again, but there was a calculating gleam in her eyes. “Do you really think we’re not all pieces, Dimitri? The difference is that some know how to play better than others. Think about that.”

She slowly backed away, her steps light, but each one carried a weight that made it clear this wouldn’t be the last time we confronted each other. As she left the office, the air became less oppressive, but the discomfort lingered. Amara was a danger I couldn’t ignore, and now she was trying to turn the tension between Angel and me to her advantage.

I sat back down, trying to focus on the papers before me, but Amara’s words still echoed in my mind. I knew I needed Angel by my side to face what was coming, but every new provocation, every move by Kael and Amara seemed to be pushing me even further away from her.

It wasn’t just about power or control anymore; it was about the cracks forming beneath the surface, slowly widening, threatening to swallow everything whole. And as night approached, it became clear that the true enemies were not just the ones we could see, but also the doubts and fears they were cultivating within us.