Alera’s POV
I walked back to my room, my mind spinning with thoughts.
The Lycan King is back.
And now what?
Back to the same routine. The same expectations. The same invisible chains that bound me to this fate.
But something felt different this time.
The look on his face when he returned wasn’t the usual one. His eyes weren’t just cold—they were lethal. A deep, dark hostility swirled within them, a gaze that could make anyone tremble. It wasn’t just exhaustion or battle scars. It was bloodlust.
I inhaled deeply, trying to steady my thoughts.
Lira had tried to make me understand.
“The burdens he bears make him the way he is.”
But why did that explanation make me feel even more restless? I didn’t want to understand him—I wanted to forget him.
Yet here I was, heart pounding, wonder
