Chapter 222: Alexander

Reese A stray. That’s what he’d called her. A fucking stray. As if Serena Matthews had been a dog wandering the street or a cat seeking affection—like she wasn’t a living, breathing human being whose life he’d sliced out of existence without a flicker of hesitation. A girl who probably laughed, who dreamed, who deserved to see tomorrow. He’d tossed her aside like she was disposable. And that word. That damn word. It stuck inside my skull like a parasite. Roman hadn’t moved since I said it. He sat perfectly still, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor as if it might confess something to him. His jaw flexed once. Twice. Then nothing. Silence so loud I could hear his thoughts gnashing against each other. The clock on the wall ticked. Ticked again. Ticked louder. Then, finally— “We’re going to New Hope tomorrow, Reese.” His voice was low. Controlled. Too controlled. The kind of calm that meant violence was two breaths away. “We’re going to find out what Jace knows. Then we go to Blackw