Three years later…
EMMALINE
I wake to cold sheets.
My hand reaches across the bed before I’m fully conscious, searching for warmth that isn’t there.
Alexander’s side is empty, the pillow still holding the faint indent of his head but long since cooled.
He left before dawn. Border dispute. Something about territorial lines and pack politics that required the Alpha’s physical presence. He kissed my forehead in the dark, whispered that he’d be back in three days, and I’d mumbled something that might have been “be safe” before sleep pulled me under again.
Now, in the gray morning light, I wish I’d woken up properly. Held onto him a little longer.
I push the thought away and sit up, running my hands through my tangled hair. It’s just three days. He’s handled worse. We both have.
Still,
