Julian’s Point Of View
I sat in the dark for a long while after Dex’s voice finally fell silent in my head. Or maybe I just stopped listening.
It didn’t matter. She was gone. Dead. Out of my life.
The ache wasn’t real. The guilt was just weakness. And weakness got men like me killed. I was going to be Alpha soon. I had no room for ghosts, regrets, or broken things in my future.
My father was dead.
Ayla was dead. Good. One more loose thread cut clean. Then… Knock knock. I didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. The door opened anyway, slow and steady, like the person behind it knew better than to ask permission.
Anton.
Beta Anton stepped inside like he owned the place, silver at his temples, thick around the shoulders, his jaw forever set in that permanent, smug confidence men like him wore like armor.
“My Alpha,” he said with a grin that made my skin crawl. “Or, rather… soon to be.” I gave him a brief nod. Not a greeting, an acknowledgment. Nothing more. He strolled further inside, boots clicking
