Alex understood without needing it said that Anastasia stood closest to Francis in lineage and influence, the natural successor within the pack's structure. That awareness alone shaped the way he carried himself around her, because proximity to an Alpha's heir meant opportunity, stability, and recognition within the hierarchy. Beneath that, however, lay his own instincts—ambition mixed with a quieter, more personal desire to remain near her, where his position could be secured not just by duty, but by something more enduring.
