ALPHA Elias POV
Everyone in the pack understood that Lyra had only just been freed from the abuse she’d endured. They didn’t judge her for staying quiet, for keeping her distance. They gave her space because they remembered what it was like to survive cruelty. Every single one of them—including Lenore—had once needed time to heal.
Looking back, I realize now that I gave Lenore too much attention when she first arrived at the pack. I treated her with kindness and gave her trust too easily. That was my mistake. I didn’t see how it fed into her obsession. She started pushing away every female who got close to me, always trying to stake some invisible claim. But this time, she crossed a line she couldn’t come back from. This—this was unforgivable.
I kept staring at her tear-streaked face, b
