Zayne’s POV
The Alpha wing has always been quiet.
Not peaceful, too quiet like a blade resting against skin. Every corridor here was built for control, for power, for isolation. No laughter ever lived in these walls. No warmth. Just duty carved into stone. Until tonight.
Aurora walks beside me, her steps hesitant, her fingers curled into the sleeve of her sweater like she’s afraid the world might pull her apart if she lets go. She doesn’t ask where we’re going. She doesn’t fight me.
That hurts more than if she had.
“This is the Alpha wing,” I said, my voice rough in the silence. “No one enters without my permission.”
She looks around, her eyes wide, taking in the massive doors, the guards who bow their heads and turn away. “Why bring me here?”
“To protect you," I responded.
The wor
