Jolie pov

"Later." He kisses my forehead. "Right now, we're just Jolie and Ryder, not Luna and Alpha."

"Just us." I repeat, letting the words settle. "I like that."

"Good." He hands me more coffee. "Because you need to remember you're a person first, Luna second. If you lose yourself in the role, you'll burn out. I've seen it happen to alphas who let pack responsibilities consume their identity."

"Is that what happened to you?" I ask gently. "After Aria died?"

He's quiet for a moment. "Yeah. I ...