|| Alaric's POV ||

The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and rusted metal as I pulled up to the abandoned safehouse. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel, knuckles whitening. Elias. The name tasted like poison. He had dared to claim Lilac— my Lilac— as his mate. And now, he was going to tell me why.

The moment I stepped out of the car, the wind howled through the trees like a warning. My wolf bristled beneath my skin, sensing deception in the air. The door ...