Chapter 111

• Only she could make me smile like this, I closed my eyes briefly, letting her warmth ground me. There would be no rest for me tonight; I had too much on my mind. While she slept, I would plan. I’d already sent word to my generals to be prepared for a show of force. The clans needed to be reminded of what it meant to stand before a Lycan King. They thought they could push me? They were about to learn just how grave that mistake would be.
• But for now, I stayed still, listening to her steady breathing, memorizing the peaceful expression on her face. Moments like this were rare in my life, and I intended to savor every second. Because when dawn came, the mask of the king would return. And the world would see no trace of this softness she alone could bring out in me.
• Alera shifted again, her arm curling around my waist, and I let out a deep breath, burying my face in her hair for a moment. My wolf purred in satisfaction. She was mine, marked, claimed, and safe. As long as I breathed, no one would ever take her from me.