Alpha Lir POV
The heavy oak door of the penthouse clicks shut, sealing Zara safely inside the opulent suite. For a long moment, I stand in the quiet, carpeted corridor, my forehead pressed against the polished wood. My heart is a jagged rhythm against my ribs.
I can still smell her. The scent of winter mint, mountain rain, and old parchment—the intoxicating aroma of the fated bond I tried so hard to tear out of my own chest five years ago lingers on my skin, mocking me despite the memory of her affair with Silas.
She pointed a blade at my heart. She looked at me with eyes full of five years of carefully nurtured hatred. And yet, the moment she lowered that steel, the moment she realized why I signed those containment papers, the fracture in our bond bled with a raw, agonizing warmth tha
