21

ALINA

Something heavy was pinning me down when I first woke up. At first, my half asleep mind chalked it up to a dream or maybe the weight of the covers. I tried drifting back to sleep, not fully registering the discomfort. Then it moved.

Panic flared through me. Fear crawled up my throat.

I sat up quickly, heart pounding. Everything froze when I saw the source was a figure beside.

I wasn’t alone in the bed, which wasn’t the case when I went to sleep. And the weight hadn’t been a dream or my imagination. It was a hand. A large hand.

His hand.

The hand of the Wolf Slayer himself.

Alexander was lying beside me, still and composed, his arm draped over my waist like it belonged there. His presence hit me like a brick to the chest. And it wasn’t just that it was him, but that he had been holding me in his sleep like I was something precious. Or his.

Technically, it was his bed. His house. His rules. Still, I couldn’t breathe.

A soft gasp slipped from my lips before I could stop it. The sound echoed too loud in the still room. I quickly pressed my mouth shut, hoping he hadn’t heard. Hoping he would just… keep sleeping.

No such luck.

His eyes snapped open, landing right on mine with unnerving precision. There wasn’t a trace of grogginess in his gaze. It was sharp and aware. If I hadn’t just watched him sleep, I would have thought he’d been awake the whole time.

Or maybe he was awake. Maybe he’d only closed his eyes and caught me watching him like some creep.

At least I hadn’t done anything weirder like reach out to touch his face to see if he was real. Thank the moon I hadn’t lost that much sense.

“Do you stare at every man who ends up in your bed?” he asked.

His voice was deeper in the morning. Raspy. It rumbled through me like a low vibration that curled in my stomach and tickled my toes. He raised a brow, his lips tugging into a slow smile that made my chest tighten in the worst way.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

I looked away quickly, cheeks burning. Only then did I realize I had still been staring. Like a total weirdo. I dropped my gaze to my hands and began fidgeting with my fingers, hoping the floor would swallow me whole.

He chuckled softly, and I had no idea what was so funny. I didn’t dare ask. I didn’t want to annoy him. He was unpredictable. Dangerous. You never knew what would set him off.

“Or has no man ever been there before?” he added.

I remained quiet, sitting stiffly like moving too fast would trigger something in him. Fear clung to me. Not because he’d raised his voice or made a threat. Just because it was him.

Alexander didn’t have to do much to remind people what he was capable of. The air around him alone screamed danger.

He didn’t just wear cruelty like a crown, he was cruelty. And he didn’t even blink when people crumbled in front of him.

“Ohhh…” he drawled, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Did your little lover never share your bed?”

His tone was light but the look in his eyes was downright murderous.

I swallowed hard.

I opened my mouth, but no words came. Only images. Blurry, fragmented flashes of that night at the bar. A familiar face I wish would change. A voice I never got a name for. Confusion. Fear.

My throat closed up, my eyes stinging with tears I refused to let fall.

“Get dressed,” he said suddenly, swinging his legs off the bed and standing up.

I was still frozen in shock when his eyes dropped to me expectantly. There was no kindness in them. Just that silent dare. Like he was waiting for me to defy him.

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I scrambled out of the bed and rushed into the bathroom, the panic clinging to me like a second skin.

The water ran over me as I stood under the shower, lost in thought. That strange feeling in my chest only grew heavier. Uneasy. I kept getting distracted, images flooding in and out of my mind. The memory of his hand on my waist. The weight of his gaze. The sound of his voice.

The kiss the other day. That made me pause more than anyone. What has he meant by that?

Why did he do it?

Then the realization hit, he was probably still outside.

I shut off the water in a panic and rushed out of the bathroom.

He wasn’t there.

Relief crept in for a second before a knock sounded on the door.

I didn’t even get a chance to speak before it creaked open and Claude walked in, like he owned the place.

I bit my lip hard, trying to hold in the frustration boiling in my chest. Claude was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He wore fake smiles and soft tones, but I knew what he was.

He was no better than his brother. The only difference was that Claude dressed his evil, smoothed the edges, and made it harder to spot.

Alexander on the other hand wore his evil proudly, like a badge. His heart was so black, you couldn’t tell the difference from his hair.

They were all the same underneath.

Laughter suddenly erupted from him, loud and unrestrained. I blinked, startled, unsure what had just set him off. My hand lifted to my hair instinctively, wondering if I’d missed something in the mirror. Soap? Something on my face?

“I’ve heard people call my brother heartless, but that… that was a new one,” he chuckled, still not over it.

My eyes narrowed in confusion. What was he talking about?

I hadn’t spoken.

Had I?

My mouth parted, ready to ask, to plead with him not to repeat whatever I might have said out loud. But how could he know what I was thinking?

“No, that was just too good,” he went on. “Mind if I use it? Don’t worry, I’ll give you credit.”

I was already shaking my head before he finished speaking.

He tilted his head and gave me that look. The one that asked if I was sure I wanted to say no to someone like him. I couldn’t exactly argue. Not with someone who could snap me in half and smile through it.

So I took the safe route. Nodded. Mumbled, “It’s fine.”

His grin widened.

“Darkness himself sent me to come get you,” he said, gesturing toward the hallway. “Are you two going on a little honeymoon? Maybe a private getaway?”

I didn’t answer.

Didn’t get the chance to before he added, “Ugh, I’m jealous. I really need to find a woman to keep me entertained. Or at least distracted.”

He winked. I didn’t know what that meant. So I just lowered my head and stayed silent.

But then I felt it. The shift in the room. The drop in temperature. That bone deep chill that crawled under the skin and made your instincts scream.

He was coming.

The room dimmed, not from the light, but from the weight of the presence approaching. His darkness didn’t need shadows to exist.

Claude’s smile faltered for just a second.

I was right.

Alexander carried his black heart everywhere he went.

And when he entered a space, even the air turned darker.