The sound of Rhea's breath breaking did not fade into the night, for it struck something far deeper than the moment itself, and Alessandro felt it not as noise but as a fracture within the bond that tied him to those who stood under his protection, and in that instant the air around him changed, tightening, darkening, as though the very night recoiled from what rose within him.
His head lowered slightly.
Not in defeat.
But in restraint.
A restraint that lasted only a heartbeat.
"You touched my pack."
The words came low.
Rough.
Carrying something beneath them that had nothing to do with control and everything to do with instinct, and as Alessandro lifted his gaze toward Cassian, there was no calm left within it, no measured distance, only something raw, something ancient that pressed against the surface.
Cassian regarded him with quiet interest, his posture unchanged, his expression almost thoughtful as though he had been waiting for this exact moment.
