-ALEXANDER-
The days had blurred into a hard, cold stretch of work. I had kept my distance from Lilian since that last night in my chambers. My wolf still snarled at the memory of her defiance, her anger, her exhaustion. But underneath that fury, a complicated knot of feelings churned. The bond, hot and demanding, was still there, but her words, her brokenness, had struck a strange chord. I needed her to be strong, to survive in this world I had pulled her into. And part of me, the part I hated to admit, didn't want to see her truly broken. So, I pushed her away and buried myself in the endless duties of an Alpha King. It was easier than facing the storm she stirred in me.
My days were filled with the pack business. Borders to secure after Drex's attack, rogue wolves to track, disputes b
