(Alexander's POV)The rain kept pounding, relentless and cold. Each drop felt like it was cutting into my skin, but I didn’t care. My eyes stayed locked on her—Aria. She was standing right there, just a few steps away, but it felt like a chasm had opened between us. That gap had been growing for five years, and now it felt uncrossable.Her silver hair clung to her face, wet and messy in the rain, but she looked... ethereal. Except her violet eyes weren’t filled with warmth, or hope, or the quiet trust I used to see. There was hesitation there. Fear.And then I saw them.The marks.Derek’s mate marks glaring at me on the pale skin of her neck. Fresh.My wolf howled inside, baring its teeth, claws ready to tear, but it couldn’t reach her. The mate marks were a declaration of possession, of dominance, and they were like a punch straight to my gut. I froze, unable to move."Aria..." The word broke from me, shaky and raw.She flinched at the sound of my voice. My chest tightened pai
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