Chapter 52: Protective Instincts
(Aurora's POV)
My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. The tremors started as soon as we stepped out from the council meeting, the adrenaline wearing off, leaving raw fear in its place. I clutched the fabric of my dress, willing the nervous energy to subside, but nothing worked.
Alex’s behavior—his unstable power, his fevered desperation—played on a loop in my head. The way his wolf Asher had snarled and radiated an uncontrolled aggression made my blood run cold. He'd never been this reckless before.
"Aurora?"
Marcus’s voice interrupted my spiraling thoughts, soft but commanding enough that it cut through the haze. When I turned to glance up at him, his golden eyes were locked on me, dark with concern. He stood just a step away, close enough for his wolf
