Ezekiel’s POV
"You should be in bed, Luna Scout."
The words cut through the dead air of the corridor, heavy and uninvited. Scout flinched. Her shoulders, hunched tight under a faded wool shawl, snapped straight. She spun around, her heels clicking against the cold terrazzo floor.
I kept my smile broad, easy, and warm. I let it crease the corners of my eyes. The sympathetic Alpha. The loyal family man. It was a mask I wore better than my own skin.
"Alpha Ezekiel." Her voice was a thin, watery rasp. She tried to wipe her face with the back of her sleeve, but the wet tracks of tears still shimmered under the harsh fluorescent lights.
"You are wandering the halls after midnight," I said, taking two slow steps toward her. I kept my hands visible, open and relaxed. "A dangerous habit for an
