Page 49 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

"I've consolidated more power and wealth in a decade than most will achieve in a lifetime," he said without arrogance, simply stating facts. "And yet, I take mood stabilizers with my morning coffee and occasionally hallucinate patterns in chaotic situations that later prove prophetic. The business press calls it intuitive genius. My psychiatrist calls it functional psychosis."

Serenity found herself fascinated despite her guard being up. There was something mesmerizing about his honesty, about the casual way he dismantled social norms.

"You don't intend to change," she observed.

"Why would I?" His eyes gleamed. "My neurochemistry has made me extraordinarily wealthy and powerful. More importantly, it makes me see solutions others miss. Themedication merely... dampens the noise when it becomes counterproductive."

"Most people consider sanity a prerequisite for trust," she pointed out.

"Most people are idiots," he countered flatly. "They trust appearances, social norms, empty promises—all of which can be easily manipulated. I offer you something more valuable: transparency about my particular brand of insanity. Though some say my insanity would take a chill pill with an Omega in our line of orbit. Never tried it though."

Something about his words resonated with a truth she'd always known but never articulated. The world's definitions of sanity had always seemed arbitrary to her, especially in the cutthroat power dynamics of The Society.

Then there’s the hint of discrimination that even an Alpha is forced to face. That with an “Omega” the Band-Aid to his insanity will be removed and the wound healed because he’s deemed “normal and balanced” to society’s standards for Alphas.

Ridiculous.

"I don't expect you to change," she found herself saying. "In fact, I think I'd be disappointed if you did."

His eyes darkened with something that resembled hunger.

"Glad to hear it, little royal,” he whispers with a hint of awe. I swallow the lump forming in my throat, deciding to change the subject.

"Tell me about this alliance with your pack. Like…how you guys balance yourself in this society," she said. She may be asking a redundant question but it would give her more information on their dynamic. At least until she meets all three at once and sees it with her own eyes. "Because three Alphas typically want to kill each other, not collaborate."

A predatory smile crossed his face. "We each bring something essential to the table. Darius controls the shadow networks—the underground information channels and enforcement mechanisms that keep The Society's inner workings hidden from the outside world. His family has been fear incarnate for generations."

"And Ronan?"

"Legal genius with a ruthless streak that would make Machiavelli blush. The man can find loopholes in contracts that were specifically written to prevent loopholes. He creates frameworks that appear benign until they've completely entrapped his targets. Think of him as our shield against the legitimate business world and legal system. His real knack is of course, in the field, but he’s had to lay low for a few reasons. He’d surely explain them to you."

"And you?" Serenity asked, watching his expression carefully. “It’s not like I didn’t listen to your role in the pack dynamic before, but I want to know more about how you contribute to the balance outside of finances.”

"I'm the visionary," Lucian said without a hint of modesty. "I see patterns and connections others miss. I predict movements in markets, in power structures, in human behavior. I'm also uniquely... uninhibited by conventional morality when circumstances require direct action."

She has to stop herself from smirking as it dawns on her what he means by that.

"You're saying you're the one who kills people when necessary," she translated bluntly. She expected Ronan to be the one to fulfill that role but I guess not.

He neither confirmed nor denied, simply watching her with those penetrating amber eyes.

"I solve problems by whatever means are most efficient."

"And what problems are you solving by allying with me?" she asked, unable to keep the skepticism from her voice.

"Your father's murder, for one," Lucian replied immediately. "The power vacuum his death created in The Society, for another. And finally..." his voice softened almost imperceptibly, "fulfilling a promise to a man who saw value in me when others saw only danger."

"And you?" she pressed. "Aside from everything you’ve said that makes you want to fulfill this agreement, what do you get out of protecting a newly orphaned Omega?"

His eyes flashed with something primal and possessive that made her inner Omega stir in response.

"I get you," he said simply, the words falling between them like a gauntlet.

Heat bloomed across her skin, unbidden and unwelcome. She fought to keep her expression neutral but knew from the subtle flaring of his nostrils that he could smell her body's traitorous response.

"I'm not a commodity to be traded," she said, her voice steady despite the flush she knew was visible on her cheeks.

"No," he agreed. "You're a partner. An equal. That's what makes this arrangement unprecedented in The Society's history. Three Alphas willingly sharing power with an Omega, recognizing her inherent value beyond her biology."

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