DIANA
I went straight for the drinks. I needed it.
I poured carefully, steady enough that no one would notice my energy was off. When I lifted it to my lips, the taste was sharp and comforting.
Only then did I look back at them.
Alexander stood there with his new mate near the center of the space.
Faye... I had known about her, of course. News traveled, even to places I had tried to bury myself in. A Luna from Silver Hollow. An alliance turned bond.
Seeing it was different.
The way Alexander leaned slightly toward her as she spoke, listening with an attentiveness that caused ache in my chest.
He looked… settled, and that unsettled me.
I had expected time to move him forward, but not like this. I had imagined duty, obligation, a careful arrangement that filled the space I left behi
