Chapter 244

DEREK’S POV If there was one thing my wolf despised, it was stillness. Alphas were not meant to sit caged behind four walls, watching shadows creep across the floor. And yet… that was Aurelia’s life. Day after day, she kept herself locked away in her room, barely speaking to us. She breathed, yes, but she didn’t live. It was like guarding a ghost that hadn’t yet realized it had died. I could feel it gnawing at me—the itch, the need to do something. To move her. To stir her. To give her wolf even the faintest taste of the air outside. So I tried. “You can’t stay locked up forever,” I told her, gentling my voice in a way I rarely ever did. “Just a walk. Just for a while. You’ll be fine. I’ll protect you.” It wasn’t a command, though every part of me wanted to make it one. It was a promise. And after long minutes of hesitation, she agreed. And for a while, she stayed within my line of sight, her presence tethered to mine. My wolf stirred with restless approval. Maybe I could shift, just f