C16 ALEXANDRU POV

Alexandru – Point of View

“They say all good boys go to heaven, but bad boys bring heaven to you,” Alina sings as I drive, and I try not to groan.

“Come on, Leens, change the song. Please.”

“It’s automatic, just what they do,” she sings louder, laughing as she props her leg on the dash.

“Legs off the dash,” I say, and Mom chuckles from the back seat.

We’re on our way to Midcity, heading home, and I’m starving. But more than that, there’s something I haven’t been able to shake since last night.

“I love Camille’s place,” Alina says. “She and Peter really made it beautiful. Doesn’t even feel empty like it should.”

My hands tighten on the wheel.

“I think I’ll spend more nights there,” she adds, and Mom laughs.

They stayed over because I was too tired to drive after the Alpha meeting. I offered my place, but Mom always says it’s “too big.” I think they just prefer someplace that doesn’t scream me.

“How was the meeting, Alexandru?” Mom asks.

“You were gone overnight,” Alina chimes in. “What’s happening?”

I keep my eyes on the open road. “Fights are breaking out among other Packs. Challenges for leadership, rogue attacks. The Green Claw Pack in L.A. called a summit. They’re claiming a new danger is rising, and pushing for unity. ‘Together we can win,’ something along those lines.”

“We’re the strongest Pack in the U.S.,” Alina says. “We don’t need to unite with anyone.”

I glance at her. “The world is bigger than our territory. Yes, we’re strong, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use help. That said, it might just be paranoia. As far as I know, there’s no new danger… unless the Romanians are planning something. But they've been quiet lately. Last I heard, they threw a party, celebrated some marriage. Maybe they’ve moved on.”

“They haven’t,” Mom says coldly. “They’re cunning, manipulative foxes. They’ll come. And when they do, we’ll be ready.”

I glance at her, remembering how she lost her sister and father in the last war.

“We’ll be ready,” I promise. “And they’ll pay.”

We pull into my parents’ driveway. The yard’s getting overgrown again, I make a mental note to take care of it soon. I park in the garage, and we get out. As I help Mom with her bags, that gnawing unease returns.

I shake it off.

Inside, the scent of home hits me. I smile despite myself. I grew up here. Had my first kiss here, with Adaline.

The smile dies.

Even my childhood is tainted with her.

“Over here!” Dad shouts from the backyard, and I laugh softly.

I let Mom and Alina go out first. I can handle a lot, but not my parents kissing in front of me.

I head upstairs to my old room. It’s been a while since I stayed overnight, even though I live just twenty minutes away. As I push open the door, nostalgia hits me harder than expected.

Strange. I’m already home. So why does it feel like I’m still longing for something?

I change quickly, then walk out back.

“Dad,” I greet.

“Luc,” he says, putting down the shears. “The girls said your stomach was growling so loud it scared off the birds.”

I laugh. I always liked how he calls them “the girls,” like he and I are “the boys.”

“You look good,” I tell him.

He shrugs with a smile. Being a werewolf keeps him young, but he still takes care of himself.

“Come on, let’s sit,” he says, tugging my arm gently. I follow him to the bench at the edge of the yard, where the sunset paints the sky in shades of fire.

“How are you, Luc?”

“Fi -” I start, then stop. “Actually, I’ve been having these… bad feelings.”

“You think something’s wrong with Aurora?”

I nod. He knows me too well.

“Mates can sense when something’s wrong,” he says. “Even when rejected, the bond doesn’t sever completely, does it?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Your Adaline might be in danger,” he says. “But remember, she chose to leave. You can’t go against her will.”

“She’ll come back,” I say quietly. “I know it.”

“She has a werewolf for a father and a witch for a mother. One of the reasons she never shifted could be because the wolf and the magic inside her are fighting for dominance. We’ve never had both coexisting in the same body. It’s… unprecedented. Parts of her might have been repressed all this time.”

I listen, holding my breath.

“But repression can’t last forever. And with what I saw on the news last week... I think her powers are beginning to surface. It breaks my heart you’re not there to help her.”

“How sure are you it was Addie?” I ask, referencing the New York incident.

“Let’s hope it was. Because if it wasn’t her, then there are powerful witches around her. And mate or not, you are her weakness, and she yours. That could be dangerous.”

I grit my teeth. If it’s Addie, maybe she’s safe… from them. But not from herself.

“She’s powerful,” he says. “She can protect herself. If it comes down to it, she’ll survive.”

I nod, silently praying he’s right.

“You could check on her,” he adds, standing and heading back inside with a fatherly smile.

I walk to the kitchen. “I’m taking a walk to clear my head,” I tell Mom.

“Don’t be late, dinner’s in twenty,” she says, and I smile as Dad joins her, chopping carrots like they’re newlyweds.

__

I head into the café, still lost in thoughts of Adaline. I order beignets, distracted, and walk out, straight into someone.

“Shit, sorry,” I mutter, steadying the figure with my hands.

“I’m okay,” a soft voice says. I glance up, and freeze.

A red-haired woman.

“I apologize,” I say, ready to walk off, until she says, “The Lycan in the flesh.”

I stop cold. Look her over. “Go away, Seer.”

Seers have a habit of misleading people. Manipulating outcomes. I don’t have the patience.

She laughs. “I prefer clairvoyant.”

I turn, walking away.

“I heard you were a gentleman,” she calls. “At least offer me a doughnut.”

I hand her the last piece of the beignet, hoping she’ll disappear.

“You look exactly as they said, ruggedly handsome, roughly powerful.” She eats, eyes glittering.

I say nothing, heading back the way I came.

“Your mate, on the other hand -”

I freeze.

Slowly, I turn back.

“Speak, Seer,” I growl, baring my fangs as I grab her by the throat. My claws rest on her skin.

“Careful, Lycan,” she whispers with a smile. “Kill me, and you’ll never know.”

I release her, eyes glowing neon.

She draws a slow breath, then begins:

“A great evil is coming.

A hybrid the world has never seen.

They will bear the strength of sun and moon,

The power of day and night.”

I stare at her, blood running cold.

And for the first time in a long time,

I feel fear.