Damien's POV
The sun hadn't fully risen when I stepped into the training arena. Cold dew clung to the earth, mixing with the scent of crushed dirt and sweat. The scent grounded me more than I'd like to admit. I hadn't slept. Couldn't. My mind had been a battlefield all night, torn between duty and something far more dangerous. Her.
Zendaya.
Even her name scraped something raw in my chest. I wasn't supposed to feel this way. Not now. But I did. And it was a problem.
I shut the thought before it could bleed through the cracks forming. I was Alpha. I didn't get to grieve. I didn't get what to wanted, something I can never keep safe.
"Formation," I barked. my warriors feet slammed against the ground, in position. Enzo flanked by my right and Lucas to my left.
Both are sharp enough to stay silent. They knew the storm boiling just beneath my skin.
Then she arrived with her. Zendaya walked beside Angel, shoulders squared, back straight.
