I could hear my own heartbeat.
I sat before the tall mirror in our suite, my fingers trembling just slightly as I smoothed them over my hair, trying to tame it into something worthy of the room I was about to enter.
The Alpha meeting.
Even thinking the words made my stomach twist.
Behind me, Kael was already dressed, already prepared to face the world. I could feel him without turning around— the way the room itself seemed to bend toward him. Black fabric molded to his frame like it was made for no one else, severe and elegant, power woven into every seam. His weapons were hidden, but I knew where they were. I had learned the lines of him by heart.
He looked like an Alpha should.
And I looked like his.
The dress I chose hung from my body like a quiet promise. Black as well—not in mo
