(Raiden POV)
Twilight casts the world in shades of purple and blue, the last golden rays of sunlight catching on dew-damp petals of night-blooming jasmine that line the walkway.
I pause at the garden's edge, watching Siena through the latticework of a rose-covered archway.
The severance ritual looms just hours away.
My last chance to speak truthfully, to find words for feelings I've always expressed through action rather than language. The thought sends a tremor through my hands that I quickly clench into fists.
Alphas don't tremble. Alphas don't fear conversations.
I step through the archway, deliberately scuffing my boot against the stone to announce my presence.
Siena's head lifts immediately, her amber eyes finding mine with unerring precision. The scent o
