Chapter 21: Leftovers
Alex
I spent the whole night of Christmas Eve in the old hunter’s hut. I stayed curled up tight on the broken wooden cot, shivering beneath the stranger’s heavy coat. Outside, the wooden roof creaked softly every time the wind blew. I could hear the snow tapping against the thin walls like gentle fingers trying to get inside.
The most surprising thing was that no one came looking for me.
There were no guards shouting orders into the trees. There were no maids sent to drag me back to the palace by my arm. There was no Alpha demanding that I show him obedience. For the first time in many years, the silence belonged only to me. I was completely alone, and for a moment, I didn't have to be a slave or a curse. I was just a person in the dark.
I slept in short fragment
