-ALEXANDER-
The heavy oak door clicked shut behind her, the soft thud echoing in the vast, silent expanse of my chambers. Or perhaps it was just the sudden, jarring absence of her scent that made the air feel thin, almost suffocating. That intoxicating blend of rain-soaked earth, wild jasmine, and something else – something uniquely *her* – that stubbornly clung to the very fabric of the room, to the sheets on my bed, to my own skin.
I stood there, rooted to the spot, my back to the opulent throne, fists clenched so tightly my knuckles ached. A lapse in judgment, a momentary weakness, fueled by… by what, exactly? Her unexpected defiance? The infuriating fire that burned in her emerald eyes even as fear flickered within them? The way her body had felt against mine, a perfect, unnerving f
