ELLIE’S POV
Sunlight slanted through the slats of my window shutters, stitching golden lines across the floor. My throat felt dry and tight, as if my own dreams had strangled me in sleep.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, boots slipping on the stone floor, and wrapped my scarf around my throat. It felt like safety. But I’d tasted what lay beneath it—I couldn’t undo that now.
A knock at the door—a soft tap, but it carried purpose.
I sat up straight.
“Come in.” My voice was calm, just too calm.
Alpha Jovani entered, his stride quiet but confident. In the morning light, his eyes glimmered like black onyx turned silver at the edges. He didn’t sit. He just stood there, hands in his cloak pockets.
“Good morning,” he said.
I nodded.
He hesitated. “Would you… mind if I sat?”
I sw
