Alexei’s POV

It had been a month since she woke with that terrifying gasp, and since then, she hadn't made a single move to truly rejoin the world.

My mother eventually convinced me to go back to work. She insisted I fulfill my Alpha duties and run the company, promising she would watch over Novel and call me the second she stirred. I drowned myself in the office. I attended meetings I didn't need to lead and went to events I used to despise, all to make the agonizing hours pass faster. My hair grew long, and a thick beard masked my face, I didn't have the heart to shave...