Chapter 12: Temporary Mate
(Grace's POV)
The room was dim, lit only by the faint moonlight streaming through the wide balcony windows. Shadows danced along the luxurious furnishings, highlighting the opulence that surrounded us.
I lay frozen, tangled in silk sheets that felt more like chains than comfort. Alexander’s form was still beside me, his broad chest rising and falling steadily.
I stared at the intricate patterns carved into the canopy above the bed, trying to will my racing heart to calm. But the events of the night refused to leave me.
His touch still lingered on my skin, warm yet so unbearably distant. I had wanted it to mean something—it had always meant something to me—but I knew better now.
His golden eyes, fierce yet filled with confusion, flashed in my mind. The
