Alexander’s POV

I lie reclined in my office chair, staring blankly up at the ceiling’s faded tiles as my chest tightens with rage and regret. My thoughts spin with the discovery Quilla reported from the woods. That filthy bastard was on my land, prowling through my territory, breathing my air, and I didn’t know.

We tracked his scent southward, a faint trail quickly lost, but now I realize he must have doubled back. Hours before abducting my mother, he was right here, under ...