Aurora pov

I had spent some hours with Ricky, who turned out to be surprisingly nice to me, when Alpha Manuel finally called for me. My stomach tightened with nerves as I hurried back to his office, silently hoping he hadn’t changed his mind.

I paused at the door, lifted my hand, and gave a firm knock. When no sound followed, I twisted the knob and pushed the door open slowly.

“Come, sit,” he said, his voice steady and unreadable.

I stepped inside, my hands fidgeting against my ...