**Alexander’s POV**

“Why can’t I sleep?” I muttered, my voice low, my feet pacing the study room, the mansion dark around me, the clock ticking past midnight.

My heart raced, my hands clenching, my mind stuck on Megan, on her begging me to wait when I tried to touch her. Her boundaries gnawed at me, my chest tight, my need to control her battling something new, something soft, making me restless.

“Sir, you need rest,” Lila said, her voice soft, her figure in the hallway as I ...