Chapter 10: The Alpha’s Claim
(Elina's POV)
After nearly five hours of work, I finally finished adjusting the gown for Seraphina and Damon's marking ceremony.
I inhaled sharply, pulling my trembling hands from where they clutched the fitting room curtain. The suffocating air around Seraphina and Damon—melding their scents, their dominance—lingered like invisible chains around my throat.
“Send her the adjustments through Sarah,” I told myself quietly, swallowing down the complicated emotions swarming in my chest. But as I walked out toward the entrance, my legs felt heavier with every step.
Then I saw him. Asher waited in the parking lot, leaning casually against his car like he belonged in a world untouched by the chaos that had just unfolded.
“Elina,” he called, his soft grey
