Brielle
Ryder crossed the room like he had all the time in the world. He stopped at a careful, formal distance away from me, close enough to talk, and far enough that nobody could call it improper.
"Miss Harrington," he said. His voice was lower in person than I'd expected, like he never had to raise it to make people listen.
"Alpha King." I held his gaze and didn't blink first. Not because I was trying to prove something, but because looking away from a man like him felt like handing him something to use against me.
There was a small pause. Then he said, "You run well."
"Thank you. I train regularly."
His eyes moved over my group for a second, the way anyone in his position would, sizing them up. I watched him notice how Sena and Dov stood around me and the way they'd shifted closer
