Rowan flinched, eyes dropping instantly to the polished floor, his entire posture folding inward. Cold sweat prickled at the base of his neck. Not from fear of being punished, he'd faced worse, but from sheer disbelief.
Darius had spoken into his mind.
The Alpha. The Iron Thorn. The man who never answered back.
Rowan had spent the last four years offering mindlink updates, briefings, warnings, never once had Darius replied. Not even during that one ambush in Romania, when they'd been outnumbered and Rowan had begged for backup. Not even when Darius's sister had gone missing and Rowan had tracked her for three days straight.
But now?
Now Darius spoke.
Because of her.
Rowan bowed his head lower, hiding the storm in his expression. Of all the times for him to listen, he thought bitterl
