Darien's pov

I sat at my desk, staring blankly at the papers in front of me. But I wasn't seeing them. I was seeing Claire's face, her eyes blazing with anger and hurt as she stood in front of my desk.

I felt a pang of guilt and regret as I realized I had hurt her again. I had been avoiding her, trying to keep my distance, but it was clear that wasn't working.

I sighed and rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. I didn't know how to deal with this, how to balance my duties as alpha ...