Alexei’s POV

After dropping Novel at school, I headed to my office, the memory of her cute pout when I called her

"Little One" still playing on a loop in my mind. I found myself smiling a rare occurrence until Viktor walked in. As usual, my Beta’s presence snapped me back to reality, and the smile vanished, replaced by the cold mask of an Alpha.

“I brought the file on the new guardian for the Luna,” Viktor said, placing a folder on my desk.

“Emilia Torres,” I muttered, scanning the name.

“I don’t recognize her. I thought I knew everyone in this pack.”

“She’s a recent addition,” Viktor explained. “Her...