Alderon's POV
There are moments when a man realizes he has already lost—
not because he was defeated in battle,
but because every path left open to him leads to blood.
I knew this was one of those moments the instant Elowen closed the door behind her.
The lock sounded too final.
The chamber felt smaller, the air heavier, as if the walls themselves leaned inward to witness what was about to be taken from me.
Somewhere beneath this palace, Maria was chained in darkness.
And here I was—trapped in silk and threat.
Elowen peeled the tunic from my shoulders, her palms gliding over bare skin, warm and insistent. She pressed closer, her full breasts straining against the crimson silk, nipples hardening visibly through the thin fabric as it molded to her curves. Her perfume enveloped me—heavy jasmine and musk, thick enough to drown in. Lips brushed my collarbone, then my throat, a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses that demanded response.
