“Wait...what?” He snorted, the sound loud enough to make me hold the phone a little farther from my ear. “You? What are you talking about, Alexander? That’s the funniest thing you’ve said all year.”
I didn’t respond.
He kept laughing, unbothered, genuinely amused. “No, really. You? The great Alpha Alexander Blackwell? Come on, what’s the punchline?”
Still, I said nothing.
That was when his laughter faltered. I could almost hear the shift in his tone...the confusion creeping in as the silence stretched. “Hold on,” he said, quieter now. “You’re serious?”
I exhaled slowly, resting my forearm against the railing of the balcony. “If something were to happen to me,” I said again, evenly this time, “I want you to promise me you’ll take care of Faye and Irene.”
“Alexander...what the hell are
