"Alpha," she purred. "You have returned at last, i began to fear you would spend the night training."
His jaw clenched, irritation flashing sharp and quick in his chest at his unexpected and unwanted guest. "Lyra."
She rose gracefully, smoothing the fabric of her gown, her blue eyes glittering with a mix of hope and determination. She had been beautiful once to him, perhaps, when they were children. He had admired her father, Beta Taron more than any man other than his own father, and because of that, he had always treated Lyra with courtesy. Respect for bloodlines, respect for history. But over the years, her beauty had curdled into vanity, and her admiration for him into something sharp, desperate, and unbecoming.
Vale shut the door behind him, his expression hard. "What are you doing here?"
