Xavier
I'd become a shadow of myself.
A heaviness and constant ache settled in my chest. Time blurred into a bleak landscape of numbness. I didn’t care about pack business, about the wealth I’d amassed, about anything.
I felt my mind shutting down, even as I forced myself into a mask of command for others. I threw myself into tasks, anything to keep my mind off the wreckage of my life, assuring the elders that I was fine while, deep down, I was crumbling.
My new Regional Alpha status, which should have been a source of strength and pride, now felt like a cage. I hated it. The whispers followed me everywhere. People had witnessed the scandal. They were probably gossiping behind my back, pitying me, mocking my foolishness. The power and respect I received from everyone in my orbit all fe
