Alessia:
My legs felt like they were made of stone.
Every step through the forest dragged against exhaustion that went deeper than my muscles. Fear had burned through me too fast, too hard, leaving only the dull ache that followed panic, the kind that made you want to sit down and disappear.
Alexander didn’t rush me.
He walked beside me, just close enough that I could feel his presence, just far enough that I didn’t feel cornered. No Alpha pressure. No command in his posture. Just… steady.
It was unsettling.
And strangely calming.
The silence stretched until my breathing evened out, until my hands stopped trembling.
“What was it really?” he asked quietly. “What scared you so much about staying in that room? You knew that I wasn’t going to hurt you, at least, I want to believe that
