Sinful Serenity (Emberwick #1)

Chapter One

KONFLICT KORVEN

Iwas pissed.

Standing in the middle of Emberwick’s council chamber, my heart was hot as hell. Serenity Veylor was on my right, acting innocent while my family’s blood was still fresh. In front of us, four families were waiting to see what the last two left from this war would do next.

Judge Marquette cleared his throat. “Konflict Korven. Serenity Veylor.”

He called our names straight, letting us know exactly what time he was on. I didn’t turn toward Serenity. I could feel how nervous she was, even though she tried to hide it.

“The families you come from have fallen. You two are what’s left of your houses.”

He let the silence sit on our shoulders until it turned heavy.

“Traditionally, the council does not intervene in inter-family conflicts. Every family has sovereignty. But this time, the destruction has reached a point where the council cannot ignore it. Both leaders of your houses are gone, and with them went the stability this organization has relied on for decades.”

I kept my eyes on him, even though everything inside me burned with the urge to do what I was supposed to do before the other families stepped in.

We all knew the first rule of this organization: no one interfered when two families went to war.

Sovereignty was absolute. That rule had been set in stone since the city was founded, decades ago.

Emberwick sat on the west coast of Canada, right on the edge of British Columbia.

It was built to look like Vancouver, with big ports and busy streets.

On paper, it followed Canadian laws like any other city.

But in reality, Emberwick had its own rules.

The city was closed off, hard to get into, and the laws of the outside world didn’t mean much here.

Everything belonged to the Big Six—the six families who founded the city and split the power between them.

None of that mattered tonight. All I could focus on was her standing next to me.

Serenity took a shaky breath. I heard it, even though she tried to be quiet.

Pain always had a sound if you listened close enough.

I didn’t feel shit. Her people emptied mine.

Her father murdered my mother in cold blood while I was running toward her, too late to save her.

I wanted Veylor blood buried so deep the swamp couldn’t spit it back out.

“Konflict.” Judge Marquette turned to me. “You take your father’s chair as head of the Korven family, effective now.”

A weight pressed into my chest as reality hit faster than I had time to brace for it. I always knew this day would come, but not at thirty years old with my family lying cold in the ground behind me.

Marquette didn’t give me space to answer before he shifted to her.

“As for the Veylor seat, the council has always been made up of patriarchs. Without a surviving male heir, that seat will remain open until a worthy family earns the right to claim it.”

Her shoulders pulled in a fraction. Enough to show the pain was real.

And I still didn’t give a fuck.

I finally let my voice loose, heated from the inside.

“You can do whatever you want with those seats. I don’t give a shit about any of that. All I want is her head. She’s still breathing, and that’s a problem. I’m not leaving a single Veylor alive.”

Judge Marquette’s eyes snapped to me with steel in them.

“Konflict, you’re going to calm the fuck down.

And you’re going to do it now. We are not here to entertain your rage.

Both your families dragged each other into hell.

And regardless of how much you hate her name, her bloodline earned its place at this table decades ago.

We aren’t throwing that history into a ditch because you’re angry. ”

Pulling breath into my chest, I was ready to spit fire right back at Judge Marquette, but he shut me down with one hard stare that froze every word behind my teeth.

“Whether it burns your throat or not, you’re the head of a founding family now. You don’t get to stand here acting reckless, barking and snapping because your blood’s still hot from last night.”

My jaw throbbed. “Her bloodline earned nothing but a bullet.”

“Enough,” he snapped, hand slamming the table making the wood shake.

“Both of your families chose war over sense, and you nearly burned this city to the ground in the process. We’re not letting that cycle start again.

We refuse to sit back and watch the same disaster repeat itself.

Veylor may have fallen, but we are not killing the last surviving heir because you want to finish swinging your father’s grief.

Serenity stands. She remains Veylor blood.

And whether you like her or not, her survival prevents something worse. ”

I stared at him, heat rising up my spine. “What’s worse than a Veylor breathing?”

“The Veylor’s have cousins scattered across three provinces and territories across Canada. They hear Serenity’s been executed, they’ll come back for blood—yours and ours. We won’t let this city drown again because you’re too stubborn to let this go. The war ends. Permanently.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “So your solution is what? Chain me and her in a room until one of us stops breathing?”

“Not quite.”

Something cold slid through my gut.

“You’re overstepping,” I warned. “Interfering in a conflict between families isn’t your lane. Never has been.”

“That rule died a few hours ago, when you killed Vince Veylor.”

My fists clenched. “Still not your call.”

“With only two people left from two families, it is now.” He didn’t waver. “The council has already decided.”

The words dragged the room into one long, suffocating beat.

“You two will get married.”

Everything in my chest caved in at once.

“Fuck no!” I snapped, stepping forward before I realized I’d moved. “I’m not marrying a Veylor. I don’t care if she’s the last one standing. Her father murdered my mother in front of me. I put him in the ground for it. But she’s still breathing, and you think I’m gonna tie my name to hers?”

A flicker of pain tightened Serenity’s posture as she flinched. My glare pinned her anyway. I wanted her to hear everything I couldn’t stop feeling.

“Nothing on this earth will ever push me to claim a Veylor as mine. I want that entire line buried. Marriage isn’t happening. I want her head.”

The Hollister patriarch leaned forward.

“You don’t have a choice, boy.”

My fists clenched so tight my knuckles cracked.

Marquette and Hollister weren’t giving me any room to breathe.

I glanced over at Draven and Crowhurst, thinking maybe they’d help me face these two old men who clearly didn’t give a damn about what was best for the Korven’s.

Honestly, I had no idea what Crowhurst was really thinking, but I hoped Draven—my best friend and ally in this council—would take my side.

But I was shocked to see they were all in agreement this time.

“If you refuse, the council will wipe out everything tied to your bloodline until the Korven name is gone from this city. That’s the price for telling us no.”

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“You will marry in two days. Or you will die with the rest of your bloodline,” Hollister said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

That was it. They were forcing me to marry the daughter of the man who killed my mother, and I didn’t get a say in any of it.

Serenity was frozen beside me, her hands twisted together as the council stood.

I stepped toward her, letting every ounce of hate bleed through my stare until she dropped her gaze to the floor.

“Don’t think this saves you. This little circus doesn’t mean shit. I’ll still take your head. Every Veylor is going in the ground. Word of a Korven.”

I didn’t wait for an answer. Didn’t want one.

I pushed open the chamber doors and walked out, heat running up my spine.

Anger burned in my chest as I drove to the Korven estate, the road dragging me deeper into this mess.

Chaos was all around, a reminder of how that night ended and how I had to handle everything by myself now.

There was no time to grieve. I had to step up and make sure the Korven name still meant something, still had respect and fear, even when everything else was falling apart.

“Are you going to do it?” Krash, my right hand, asked. “You really marrying that Veylor girl?”

“They’re not giving me any choice,” I replied, my face twisted with anger.

“And what pisses me off most is I can’t even touch her as long as she’s got my name.

Nobody messes with a Korven, not even me.

But there’s one motherfucking rule they can’t break, because it’s old Emberwick law: Any marriage that isn’t consummated within a year dissolves on its own.

So I’ll let this year rot away. When the rule takes her off my name, I’ll finish what her father started and end this war the way it should have ended. ”