I should have stayed back. I should have slammed the door behind Aiden and let him carry the weight of Mara’s illness on his too-broad shoulders.
But I couldn’t. Even after everything. Even after the humiliation, the punishments, the isolation, and the cold indifference......something about the way the guard had spoken... something about the sudden shift in the Alpha’s expression when he heard Mara’s name......it made my heart clench.
And without thinking, without waiting for an invitation or permission, I followed.
He didn’t say anything when I fell into step beside him. Didn’t glance at me. Didn’t even scowl like he usually did when I was within breathing distance.
He just kept walking, his strides long and purposeful, cutting through the night like a blade.
The guards moved ahead o
