Alexander:
By the time the hall emptied and the last of the music faded into the corridors, the night had softened.
The ceremony had gone better than I allowed myself to expect. Hope hadn’t cried. The pack had accepted what I needed them to accept. Even the tension with the hunters had settled into something watchful rather than explosive.
And Alessia… my beautiful Alessia, she had stood at my side through all of it like she had been born for this life.
Now, finally, we were alone.
The doors to our quarters closed behind us with a quiet finality. The fire had already been lit. The room was warm, the candles low, the noise of the pack distant.
Hope was asleep in her crib, one small fist curled near her cheek.
Alessia moved to check on her first, of course. She brushed her fingers li
