ROMAN
I had survived six years of believing Ruby was dead, but seeing her alive destroyed me all over again.
The moment I caught her falling from that staircase—when her body pressed against mine, warm and alive—something inside me broke. The careful walls I'd built, the grief I'd packed away, the guilt I'd learned to live with—all of it came crashing down like a house of cards.
She wasn't dead. She was Leo West's sister, Vanessa.
I stalked back into the council chambers, my mind racing. Everyone was settling in for the second half of the meeting, but I couldn't focus. My eyes kept drifting to her across the room as she whispered something to Leo. Her brother. My rival.
The Moonstone Alpha caught my stare and narrowed his eyes protectively. I held his gaze, refusing to back down. If he thought I would walk away from my mate again, he was sorely mistaken.
"Alpha Vance, your thoughts on the proposed northern territory adjustments?" Elder Miriam's voice cut through my thoughts.
