96. The Contenders

|| Lilac’s POV || The moment I looked up and saw Alaric standing before me, the world seemed to slow down. His presence was magnetic, commanding the space around him with an effortless grace. His sharp grey eyes locked onto mine, filled with a quiet intensity that made my heart race. He was dressed in a tailored black suit that hugged his broad shoulders perfectly, the faint scent of pines and earth enveloping me like a warm, familiar embrace. It was a scent that had become synonymous with safety and something deeper, something I wasn’t ready to name yet. “Alaric,” I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper. His name felt like a secret, something sacred that only I was allowed to say. He smiled, a slow, knowing smile that sent shivers down my spine. It was the kind of smile that made me feel like he could see straight through me, past all the walls I had built, straight into the heart of who I was. “You look stunning,” he said, his voice low and intimate, as if the words were meant on