Chapter 19:
Alexander's POV
The silent plea through the bond hit my chest like a physical blade.
I was sitting in my study above, staring at territorial maps and council reports, trying to drown out the constant, dull ache pulsing beneath my collarbone. But then, a sudden, sharp spike of pure, primal terror and raw physical agony pierced through the mark—a breathless cry that carried my name straight up through the floorboards.
Nancy.
My wolf surged forward before my rational mind could stop it, dragging me out of my chair and driving my heavy boots down the damp spiral steps of the East Wing cellars.
For years—decades—I had kept my dark bloodline locked behind an iron door in my mind. The forbidden vampire magic inherited from my grandfather was a secret so closely guarded that not
