Alaric's hands lingered on my shoulders for a moment before he leaned in and kissed me, a soft yet lingering kiss that made me wish we had just a few more minutes together. But there wasn't time—there was never enough time.
"I'll see you later," I murmured against his lips, then pulled back, giving him a final smile before turning to leave the office.
As I stepped out into the hallway, the familiar rush of duty swept over me. My mind shifted gears as I made my way to the training grounds, where the recruits were already gathered, waiting for the magic class to begin. This was one of the few things I still insisted on doing myself—teaching the younger members of the pack how to harness and control their magic. It was too important to delegate, or so I kept telling myself.
