Alexei's POV

The room was heavy with the scent of lavender and the salt of unshed tears. My heart hammered against my ribs, a dull, aching thud, as I watched Novel. She was coiled tightly on the silk duvet, a small, trembling figure lost in a sea of blankets. Seeing her like this….. broken, sobbing into the pillows, tore at my soul. I hated it. I was her Alpha, her protector, yet I felt powerless against the grief that had swallowed her whole.

As I reached out to brush a stray hair from her face, my mind began to spiral into dark, jagged places. A poisonous thought took root: was...