128. Crumbling Soul

|| Alaric’s POV || The days blurred together, each one indistinguishable from the last. I sat in my study, the dim light of a single lamp casting long shadows across the room. Papers were strewn across my desk—reports, patrol schedules, and requests from pack members—but I couldn’t bring myself to focus on any of them. My mind was elsewhere, trapped in a haze of sorrow and regret. The bottle of whiskey on my desk was nearly empty, the amber liquid offering a fleeting escape from the pain that gnawed at my soul. I poured myself another glass, the sharp burn of the alcohol doing little to dull the ache in my chest. My wolf, Hunter, was restless, his howls echoing in my mind like a constant reminder of what I had lost. ‘She’s gone,’ Hunter growled, his voice filled with despair. ‘Our Luna is gone.’ I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I fought back the tears that threatened to spill. Lilac was my everything—my light, my hope, my reason for fighting. And now, she was gone