Alec slumped into the corner of the black leather couch, the king of a cold empire momentarily dethroned by his thoughts. The weight of his memories sat heavier than his body, his frame looking carved out of stone—still, unmoving, expression unreadable. He rested his head against the backrest and stared at the high ceiling with a glassy intensity, his bleeding palm forgotten on his lap, fingers twitching faintly from tension.
Salena’s name lingered in the air like poison.
He was no longer sitting in his lavish office, surrounded by technological marvels and polished surfaces. In his mind, he was somewhere else—maybe in a memory, where her laugh echoed softly, where she once touched his hand and swore she’d never leave. He remembered the silk of her hair against his chest, her fingers tra
