(Elena's POV)
His scent enveloped me – pine needles and winter wind and raw power. The same scent that had driven me wild that night in the darkness. My wolf, dormant for so long, stirred restlessly at the contact.
Mate, she whispered sleepily, before falling silent again.
The kiss lasted only seconds, but it left me burning. When Alexander helped me straighten up, I couldn't meet his eyes, my face flaming. Around us, wolves whispered and stared until Alexander's sharp glance silenced them.
"Alpha King," I gathered my courage, "I need to speak with you."
He nodded, leading me to his study. The room suited him – dark wood and leather, everything radiating quiet power. But before I could make my case about my father, Alexander spoke.
"How did you do it?" Alexander's voice held command, his Alpha power pressing against my skin.
"What do you mean?"
My heart thundered in my chest as he continued, "I've never heard of such amazing healing catalyst."
He stared at me with sharp eyes, as if he wanted to see through me.
Such a simple thing – just pure water in an ornate bottle, but it had become my shield, my excuse. The truth about my purification abilities burned in my throat, begging to be spoken.
Never tell anyone, my father's voice echoed in my memory. Some gifts are too dangerous to be known.
I forced my face to remain neutral, though my pulse raced. "It's my father's creation and has never been made public." The lie came easily after years of practice, but something about deceiving Alexander made my stomach twist. Or maybe it was just his proximity, his scent stirring memories of that passionate night.
His eyes narrowed, studying me with an intensity that made me wonder if he could somehow sense the deception.
But he didn't ask any more questions. I breathed a sigh of relief and asked softly, "Alpha King..."
But before I could finish, Alexander spoke. "Thank you for saving Ryan." His voice was softer than usual, but his next words cut like knives. "But I cannot help your father. His crimes... they're not just against your pack. They threaten our entire society."
"He was framed!" The words burst out of me, desperate and raw. "Please, if you'd just look into it—"
"Where's your evidence?"
Those three words shattered what remained of my hope. But looking at him sitting there, powerful and unreachable behind his massive desk, I couldn't just give up. Not when my father's life hung in the balance.
"Please," I moved closer, my voice barely above a whisper. "Trust me. Just look into it. That's all I'm asking."
"Trust you?" Alexander remained motionless in his chair, his expression unreadable. "How can I trust someone who just lied to me?"
The words hit me like a physical blow. My heart plummeted as cold fear gripped my chest. Had he seen through my deception about the healing? About my purification power? I fought to keep my expression neutral, but panic clawed at my throat.
"I didn't..." The denial died on my lips as his eyes locked with mine, seeing too much.
"Nothing?" His voice was dangerous, distant – the voice of an Alpha King who'd caught someone in deception. "No lies about that 'catalyst' you used on Ryan? About your supposedly dormant wolf?"
The truth pressed against my teeth, begging to be spoken. My unique ability to purify corruption, the power my father had warned me to keep secret since childhood. Too dangerous, his voice echoed in my memory. Too many would kill for such power, little moon.
Unable to lie but unable to tell the truth, I did the only thing I could think of – I stepped forward and grabbed his arm, a desperate plea in my touch.
Alexander's eyes darkened at the contact. He raised his hand, and I flinched slightly, but his touch was gentle as his rough fingers brushed my cheek. It was only when he wiped away the moisture there that I realized I was crying.
The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken things. Through my desperation, I could still feel that pull toward him – the same magnetic attraction that had drawn me that night in the darkness.
"I can't act without proof," he finally said, his voice rougher than usual. "You must understand that."
"Then help me find it!" I took another step forward, but exhaustion from the healing made the room spin. My knees buckled.
Alexander moved with inhuman speed, catching me before I could fall. His hands on my waist were warm, steady, sending electricity through my entire body. We were suddenly so close I could feel his breath on my neck, could smell that intoxicating scent that had haunted my dreams.
"Did you do that on purpose?" His voice was hoarse, accusatory, but his hands didn't release me. If anything, they tightened possessively.
The question sparked something reckless in me. I thought of my father, dying in that cell. Of Ethan's threats and cruelty.
If I had to use my body as currency to save my father, wasn't Alexander the better choice? At least with him, the attraction was real. At least with him, I felt something other than revulsion.
Gathering every ounce of courage I possessed, I turned in his arms. His eyes had darkened, pupils dilated with desire he couldn't quite hide. Slowly, giving him every chance to stop me, I slid my arms around his neck.
"What if I did?" I breathed the words against his ear, feeling him shiver. "What if I said yes to everything you've been trying not to want? Would you help me then? Would you look into my father's case?"
His breathing grew heavier, his hands flexing on my waist as if fighting the urge to pull me closer. I felt his control wavering, saw it in the way his pupils dilated until only a thin ring of amber remained.
Taking advantage of his momentary weakness, I let my fingers trail down his neck, feeling his pulse race beneath my touch. The air between us grew thick with tension and unspoken desire.
"Don't you want this? " I whispered, boldly pressing closer until I could feel his heart thundering against my chest. "I know you recognized me too..." My lips brushed his ear as I spoke, and I felt him shudder.
His grip tightened almost painfully, but still he held himself back, every muscle tense with restraint. When I dared to look up at his face, the raw hunger in his expression made me gasp. For one endless moment, I thought he would give in – thought those tightly controlled boundaries would finally break. His head dipped slightly, his lips a breath away from mine.
Then his expression shuttered. Those strong hands that had been holding me so possessively now pushed me gently but firmly away. When I looked up at his face, the mask of the Alpha King was firmly back in place.
"Don't," he said quietly. "Don't offer something so precious for political gain. You're worth more than that."
The kindness in his rejection was worse than if he'd been cruel. It spoke of respect I hadn't earned, of care I couldn't afford to want. Tears burned behind my eyes as I stepped back, my arms falling limply to my sides.
"Am I?" My voice cracked. "When my own mate rejected me? When my pack turned against me? When even you, the Alpha King who supposed to protect us, won't help me save an innocent man?"
Something flashed in his eyes – pain? Regret? – but his voice remained steady. "Desire is not enough to make me violate my principles, Elena."
And there it was. The final nail in my father's coffin. Even Alexander, with all his power and authority, with all the chemistry sparking between us, wouldn't help.
"Thank you for your hospitality," I managed to say, though each word felt like glass in my throat. "I'll leave tomorrow."
Alexander said nothing, and each second of silence felt like another nail in my father's coffin. I turned to go, fighting back tears that threatened to fall.
Each step toward the door felt heavier than the last, weighted down by crushed hopes and the lingering warmth of his touch.
Just as I reached the door, his voice stopped me. "Go see Benjamin. He can keep your father alive in prison."