Caspian stood there as she continued walking inside the palace like it was her own.

"Why are you here this time? Zay isn't home. Darius already told you, didn't he? Then why did you come?" Caspian's voice was sharp, but she didn't flinch.

She smiled widely at him instead, the kind of smile that made his skin crawl. Like she was a psycho enjoying his discomfort.

"Hey, don't mind me. Didn't Zay tell you? He already gave me permission to stay here." She yawned, stretching like she owned the place. "Actually, I'm so tired today. I don't want to fight with you. Just relax, okay?"

She patted his shoulder like he was a child, then brushed past him toward a room down the hall—the guest room. Caspian didn't know that. She knew every detail of the palace. And she used it to provoke him. It was fun, watching him squirm.

When she disappeared inside, Caspian sank back onto the couch and stared at the floor blankly. Elara sat beside him, trying to calm him.

"Don't worry. That's not her room. She's just taking advantage of her brother's absence."

Caspian fidgeted with his fingers, eyes fixed on the marble tiles.

"I know… but it still hurts." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I can't even stop her from entering my own palace."

He glanced at the door Amanda had just closed. Night had already fallen outside.

"But I'll tell Zay to get her out. She's too annoying." He paused. "But… when did he come?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Buzzzz… Buzzzz…

Elara's phone vibrated on the table. She checked the screen. Her mother.

"Hello?" She glanced at the clock and froze. It was already night. She hadn't even realized.

"Elara, I sent the driver. Come home with him," her mother cut in, not waiting for a reply before ending the call.

Elara looked at Caspian. He was still waiting for Zayden, eyes hollow. But she couldn't stay. It was a rule of Draykorr Palace that no one stayed out after nightfall. Even her father had to be home before dark. In mafia families, night was when targets got hit. So she knew that she couldn't stay here long.

"Uhm… brother-in-law," she called softly. Caspian snapped out of his thoughts and looked up.

"Huh? What is it?"

"My mother called me back. I can't stay here." She twisted the phone in her hands as she watched him nervously. "You'll be alright on your own, right?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Caspian gave her a small, tired smile and nudged her toward the door. "I'm sorry, your mother must be worried about you. Go, go. Don't think about me."

Elara stood when he insisted and walked to the door. Then she stopped and looked back. "I'll call brother and remind him to come early." She waved and then vanished into the dark night.

Caspian nodded, watched her go, then glanced at the clock. The time was already later than usual, the time when he came.

"He must be busy," he murmured in the empty palace.

He curled into himself on the couch, waiting for him to come so he could sleep peacefully. He waited until his eyes drifted shut because of sleep. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock; it was already midnight. He lay on the couch while drifting into sleep. At least… that's what he felt.

---

Amanda opened the guest room door. The palace was empty. She knew that all guards were on different missions, so they couldn't come early. She scanned the hall and spotted Caspian asleep on the couch.

She crept closer. Waved a hand over his face. No reaction. A smirk appeared on her face as she curled her lips and called him on the phone. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, I—"

She froze while talking when she saw a shadow on the floor. Someone stood behind her. She spun around just in time to dodge Caspian's hand as it slashed toward her face.

Her eyes widened in horror. But Caspian wasn't seeing her. His eyes glowed, unfocused, like he was possessed. She looked at his eyes; they were the same as his. Something shattered in her heart as horror spread in her eyes.

Thud!

The slap landed before she could react. Her phone slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor. She stumbled back, pressing a palm to her stinging cheek.

She didn't understand what was happening to him. But she knew those symptoms. She'd seen them before.

Suddenly, Caspian took a few steps toward her. She stepped back, and then he collapsed on the floor. His body hit the floor with a dull thud, and he went limp.

Amanda's breath caught. She gasped hard. The flashbacks she had long forgotten slammed back into her. It was the same. Everything was the same. He was a monster… but what about the person in front of her?

Her hands started to tremble. She didn't look back. She ran to the guest room and locked the door behind her. She didn't have the courage to face him again.

"No… impossible. It ended with him. It's impossible," she whispered, sliding down the door until she crouched on the floor.

Life had a cruel way of dragging you back to the same point.

---

*Outside the City — Abandoned Canal*

Zayden stood in the shadows as two trucks rolled into the canal. The air smelled of rust and diesel.

He raised two fingers. The guards nodded and held their positions.

The trucks were almost past them when a single shot by Zayden cracked through the silence. The lead tire of the truck exploded. The truck swerved, metal screaming as it crashed into the canal wall.

Before the smugglers could recover, Zayden moved from his position. He didn't wait for anyone as he reacted before they even noticed.

Everything was blurry. One punch shattered a man's jaw. A knife flashed through the darkness—blood sprayed across the truck door. He caught a bat from one smuggler mid-swing, snapped the attacker's wrist, and sent him flying onto the road.

The guards watched the scene, amused. They were stunned by his power because not even one guard had helped him, and he had already knocked half of the men down. This was Zayden. They had heard about him a lot, but it was the first time they saw him this ruthless.

He tore through them single-handedly. He cracked their bones and dropped them like they were nothing. In less than two minutes, the canal went silent.

The last smuggler dropped his gun and raised his hands, shaking. Zayden grabbed him by the collar.

"Where are the omegas?"

The man pointed to the back of the second truck. Zayden kicked the man as he fell there with a thud. A few guards took him. Guards opened the door. But what they saw inside didn't surprise them because they were used to it; it was just another day of survival for them. Zayden followed them as he looked inside.

There were little omega boys and girls. They were chained. Some children had bruises on their bodies. They were huddled together like they were afraid of him.

Zayden's expression didn't change. But his guards saw his hands tighten into fists.

He turned to his men. "Get them out. Take them to the safehouse." He turned to leave when something tugged at his pant leg.

He stopped and looked down. A small omega boy stood there, barely tall enough to reach his knee. Big, dirt-streaked eyes stared up at him without fear. The boy asked while looking at him:

"Are you… the brown night Ghost?" the child whispered. "The one who beats bad people?"

Behind him, the other omega children pressed close. One girl clutched a torn blanket and whispered to another, "He's the night brown Ghost… the one Mama said comes when the bad men come." Another boy nodded fast, eyes wide. "He kills monsters. I saw him." They all looked at Zayden like he was some kind of superhero.

The boy at Zayden's side had the same stubborn tilt of the chin as Caspian. It hit Zayden harder than any bullet as he remembered his love.

He crouched and lifted the child up, holding him carefully. And he smiled at him as he answered, "You can call me that," Zayden said, voice low. "But don't worry. Bad guys won't reach you again."

The children whispered prayers for him at his sides. He heard them but ignored them because he was used to them. The child in his arms looked at him with wide, surprised eyes. "So you are really the Brown Night Ghost." Zayden didn't care. He handed the child to the guard who stepped forward and took the boy from Zayden's arms. The little omegas didn't remove their eyes from him until the guard closed the black car door and he vanished from their sight. Engines roared to life, and the convoy rolled toward the safehouse—the one they built only for those they rescued.

As his guards finished their tasks, Zayden stood there in the wreckage, blood dripping from his knuckles. Some guards were still taking glances at him with admiration, and fear flickered in their eyes.

But Zayden ignored everyone, like always. It wasn't even one percent of what he had. He hadn't just knocked them down. He'd reminded everyone why he was Draykorr's nightmare.

---