ALEXANDER
As Faye stepped back into the room, I was standing at the balcony, watching the faint glow of moonlight spill over the trees. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was her…her smell already did the job, and then the sound of her steps, light and familiar, always gave her away.
She came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head against my back. Her palms pressed gently against my stomach, her favorite place to be when she thought I was upset.
“Hey,” she murmured, her voice soft against my
shirt.
I turned slowly to face her. “Where were you?” I asked, keeping my voice calm, though the words came out serious. “I looked for you around the hall…you weren’t there.”
She leaned into me, looking up with that small, disarming smile that usually melted every bit of annoyance I had. “I went for a walk,” she said lightly, tracing the line of my jaw with her fingers. “Then I ran into Sage. We talked for a bit… I guess I lost track of time.”
My eyes narrowed slightly…not in anger, but in quiet disapproval. “You shouldn’t have left without telling me,” I said, my tone low.
She nodded immediately, contrite. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Before I could say anything else, she rose onto her toes and kissed me…soft at first, almost apologetic. That’s when I noticed she was barefoot, her toes curling slightly against the cold marble floor. Without her heels, she barely reached my chin.
The warmth from her lips caught me off guard. My hands, which had meant to stay still at my sides, found her waist almost automatically. I pulled her closer, but not completely…just enough to make her reach a little higher, to make her work for it.
Her hands slipped up my neck and into my hair, fingertips brushing the back of my head. I could feel the quiet apology in her touch, the unspoken plea for me to stop being angry.
I pulled back just slightly, letting my forehead rest against hers. “You think you can disappear for an hour, then kiss me and make it better?” I asked, my lips curving into a small, teasing smirk.
Her breath hitched, and she smiled, eyes glinting with amusement. “Is it working?”
I let out a low chuckle, brushing my thumb along her cheek. “Not yet, you’ll need to do more than that,” I said, deliberately slow, enjoying the way her lips parted a little at my tone.
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She tilted her head, studying me. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“I’ve heard that before,” I murmured. “Usually from you.”
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She laughed quietly, and I felt the sound vibrate between us. That laugh…it always got to me.
Her hands were still playing with my hair, soft and absentminded. I caught one of her wrists. gently and kissed the inside of it. “Barefoot, lost track of time, wandering off to talk,” I said against her skin. “You’re really testing me tonight, Luna.”
She smiled up at me, her cheeks flushed. “And yet, here you are, still holding me.”
I looked down at her, smirking faintly. “Oh, I’m holding you, alright,” I said, tightening my grip slightly at her waist, “but don’t mistake that for forgiveness.”
Her lips curved as if she knew exactly what I meant. She rose again, brushing a soft kiss against my chin. “Then what is it?”
“A reminder,” I said quietly. “That next time, you tell me before you disappear.”
She hummed, her smile growing as she pressed her head against my chest. “Yes, Alpha.”
The way she said it…playful and gentle…made something inside me soften completely. I sighed, finally letting go of the small irritation that had been simmering. My fingers traced the curve of her back as I whispered, “You drive me insane, you know that?”
“I try,” she murmured.
I chuckled, resting my chin on top of her head. “Yeah,” I said softly. “You’re doing a damn good job of it.”
For a moment, she said nothing, and we both just stared at each other.
Then her smile faltered. Barely noticeable at first…just a flicker. But then it vanished completely. Her pupils widened, and the color drained from her face.
“Faye?” I said, frowning.
She didn’t blink. Her eyes had fixed somewhere on my chest, like she was staring through me. She took a step back.
“Faye,” I said again, more firmly, taking a step toward her.
Her lips parted, trembling slightly. Then she whispered, “Alexander…” Her voice cracked, sharp and small. “You’re bleeding.”
I blinked, startled. “What?”
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She took a shaky step forward, her hand flying to my shirt. “You’re…oh my God… Alexander, you’re bleeding!”
Before I could respond, she was already reaching for me, her fingers gripping the front of my shirt. She yanked at the fabric, panic breaking through her voice. “Where is it coming from?
You’re hurt…”
I caught her wrists. “Faye, what are you talking about?”
She didn’t stop. She tore free and pushed my hands aside, running her palms over my chest, my shoulders, my arms…desperate, frantic movements. “There’s so much blood…how are you still standing?”
I glanced down. My shirt was clean. No blood, nothing. But she was trembling, breath coming in short, uneven bursts, her hands still moving frantically across me as though she could find the wound by touch alone.
“Faye, stop…”
“No! Don’t…don’t move!” she said sharply, her voice shaking. “You’re bleeding, I can see it, I…” She pressed her hand to my side, her fingers splaying against my ribs. “It’s here, it was right here! There was so much…” Her voice cracked, and she looked up at me, her eyes wet. “It’s on my hands.”
She held her palms up…trembling, empty, but she stared at them like they were coated in
crimson.
A strange cold ran through me. I grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “Faye. Look at me. There’s no blood.”
She blinked rapidly, her breathing erratic. “But I saw it. I saw it, Alexander. It was on you, dripping down your shirt…I felt it.”
”
“Faye,” I said again, trying to steady my voice, though unease was starting to creep in. There’s nothing here. Look.” I took her hands gently and pressed them flat against my chest. “ Do you feel anything? Any cut, any blood?”
She froze. Her fingers pressed against me, her breathing slowing just slightly as her mind tried to catch up with what her eyes were telling her.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “It was there a second ago. You were…”
Her voice faltered. She looked down again, confusion clouding her features. Her eyes darted over my shirt, over her hands, searching for a trace of what she’d seen. Nothing.
I frowned, studying her face. “You’re pale,” I said quietly. “You’re shaking…just take a deep
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breath.”
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“I saw it, Alexander.” She looked back up at me, desperate now. “You were bleeding right in front of me. I…” She swallowed, voice breaking. “I thought you were dying.”
The words hit something inside me…her fear wasn’t feigned. It was real…oo real.
I cupped her face, forcing her to meet my eyes. “Hey, hey. Look at me. I’m fine. You hear me? I’m fine.”
She blinked hard, as if trying to clear her vision. Her eyes flicked back to my shirt again, then to my face, her voice dropping to a whisper. “It’s gone.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. It’s gone.”
“But” Her brow furrowed. “It was there. I saw it as clearly as I see you now. The smell, the color, everything. It felt…real.”
I studied her quietly for a long moment, my own pulse beginning to slow as the realization started to sink in. “Faye,” I said slowly. “What exactly did you see?”
She hesitated. “It…it was blood. All over you. Like you’d been attacked. There was so much, I thought…” She stopped, biting her lip hard as tears pooled in her eyes.
And then, as terrifying as the thought was, it clicked.
I exhaled slowly, my thumb brushing over her jaw. “Faye,” I said carefully. “Your gifts…I think they’re surfacing.”
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