ELIAS
The morning briefing lasted almost forty minutes longer than it should have because two of my senior guards couldn't agree on patrol rotation, and I sat at the head of the table listening to both of them make the same three points in slightly different orders and thought about absolutely nothing useful.
That was the thing about being Alpha, the work never ended. There was always something that needed a decision, always someone waiting for my approval before they felt confident enough to act, always another problem sitting in the chair across from mine expecting resolution.
Most days, I handled it well. Most days, the responsibility didn't feel much to pull me down.
Miranda had been distant ever since her last confrontation on why I was suddenly being distracted. She had tried so
