Alexander POV
It was just after dawn when Raymond burst into my quarters uninvited, breathless, and wild-eyed.
I had barely gotten my boots on. Eliana was still sleeping in the next room, her breathing shallow but steady, her body still recovering from the aftermath of the Crescent Challenge. I’d stayed up half the night pacing between her bedside and the balcony, too on edge to sleep, too afraid to miss something.
Ray slammed the door behind him. “He knows.”
I straightened. “Who?”
“Alpha Caleb.”
The name hit like a punch to the sternum.
I had to brace my hands against the table.
Raymond continued, “He sent a message through one of the trade couriers. Disguised in code, but I recognized his signature. And I triple-checked the translation. It’s her he’s talking about… Eliana.”
I cl
