Chapter 4: The Predators' Ballroom

The grand ballroom of the Aethelgard Plaza was a sea of shimmering silk, expensive champagne, and power. But to me, it felt like a gladiator's arena. The ceilings were so high they were lost in shadow, and the chandeliers hung like frozen explosions of diamond.

​I felt Su Qian’s hand tighten on mine as we stepped out of the private lift. I was standing on a raised platform just behind her, a tactical choice she made so I wouldn't be completely buried by the crowd of giants. Even so, the tallest women in the room still towered over me.

​"Stay close, Yuan," Su Qian whispered, her voice like velvet-wrapped steel. "And remember: you are the moon. You shine because I allow it. Do not let their eyes rattle you."

​As we walked through the crowd, the talking stopped. One by one, heads turned. These were the elite of Aethelgard—CEOs, politicians, and high-ranking military officers. All of them were women, and all of them were at least 190 centimeters tall. The few men present were led on silken leashes or carried like decorative lapdogs, their faces painted and their expressions vacant.

​"Is that... a Succubus?" a voice hissed from the side.

​"A male? I thought they were extinct in the wild," another whispered.

​I felt their gazes like physical needles on my skin. They weren't looking at me like a person; they were looking at me like a rare diamond, or perhaps a particularly delicious steak. My wings twitched under my velvet jacket, and my tail coiled tightly around my leg.

​"Su Qian! You always did have a knack for finding the impossible," a loud, booming voice rang out.

​A woman approached us. She was even broader than Su Qian, wearing a military-style dress uniform that strained against her muscular frame. She stood at a terrifying 205 centimeters. Her hair was cropped short, and a jagged scar ran across her left eye.

​"General Raksha," Su Qian replied, her voice cooling by several degrees. She didn't let go of my hand. In fact, she pulled me slightly closer to her hip.

​"Where did you find him?" Raksha asked, her single eye roaming over my body with predatory hunger. She stepped into our personal space, looming over me. The scent of cigar smoke and old leather washed over me. "He’s exquisite. Those horns... the curve of that tail. He’s a prime specimen."

​"He is not a 'specimen,' Raksha. He is mine," Su Qian said, her posture shifting into something defensive and lethal.

​Raksha laughed, a deep, guttural sound. She leaned down, bringing her scarred face level with mine. I could see the pores on her skin. I smelled the predatory heat radiating off her. "Little thing," she murmured to me, ignoring Su Qian. "Do you like being kept in a cage? A creature like you deserves a desert to fly in. Or a general's bed to rest in. I could offer you much more than a desk-jockey like Su can."

​I couldn't speak. My throat was dry. I looked up at Su Qian, pleading for help.

​"Back off, Raksha," Su Qian’s voice was a low growl now. She stepped between me and the General, her height matching the other woman's intensity. "This is your only warning. Touch him, and I will dismantle your logistics contracts before sunrise."

​The air between them crackled with tension. Around us, the other guests leaned in, sensing a fight between two titans.

​Raksha smirked, straightening up. "Possessive as always. Fine. Keep your toy for now, Su. but remember... beautiful things have a habit of changing hands in this city."

​She turned and vanished into the crowd, but her gaze lingered on me until the last second.

​Su Qian didn't relax. She turned to me, her silver eyes scanning my face for any sign of betrayal. "Did she scare you?"

​"She... she looked at me like I was food," I whispered.

​"Because to her, you are," Su Qian said, her hand moving to the back of my neck, her thumb rubbing the base of my skull. It was a gesture of comfort, but also one of absolute ownership. "Everyone in this room wants a piece of you, Li Yuan. They want to see if you taste as sweet as you look. They want to see if they can break what I’ve claimed."

​She leaned down, her lips brushing my ear. "This is why you stay in the penthouse. This is why you never leave my side. Do you understand now? The world isn't just big, Yuan. It’s hungry."

​I nodded, my legs trembling. For the first time since I arrived in this world, I didn't feel like a prisoner. I felt like a survivor clinging to the only life raft in a sea of sharks. I leaned my head against her side, hiding my face from the hundreds of hungry eyes.

​"Take me home," I pleaded. "Please."

​Su Qian smiled, a dark, satisfied expression. She had won. She had made me realize that my freedom was a death sentence, and my cage was a sanctuary.

​"Soon, my little shadow," she said, signaling for her security detail. "But first, we have to finish the dance. Show them who you belong to. Smile for me, Yuan. Let them see how happy you are to be mine."

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