At first, it had seemed almost harmless, subtle, even—how Seraphine had gradually pushed him into a role he never imagined himself playing, turning him from a commanding Alpha into someone who had to worry about things as ordinary as meals, routines, and whether a child had eaten enough to stay full through the night.
No matter how much Ravyn tried to convince himself that he could handle both worlds without friction, the truth was that balancing that unexpected responsibility with the weight of leading an entire pack had been anything but easy.
Because being an Alpha demanded control, authority, and a certain distance that kept emotions from interfering with decisions, while Bryan… Bryan required patience, presence, and a kind of softness Ravyn had never been taught to carry.
