Chapter 82

ALEXANDER’S POV The moment I heard the news, a slow, satisfied smirk curled at the corner of my lips. Eliza had defeated Michael Brown with a single move. The soldiers of the Mystic Corps, men who once doubted her, who once whispered behind her back, now stood in stunned silence, staring at her with newfound respect. My wolf rumbled in approval and I couldn’t help but feel proud. I always knew she was strong, that she was more than capable of proving herself. But now, they knew it too. Yet, the triumph was bittersweet. She had asked for distance. The mere thought made my hands tighten into fists. It had been days since I last touched her, since I last felt the warmth of her presence beside me. And it was all because of the rumors. The whispered accusations, the looks, the way my own soldiers speculated about our relationship—it had pushed her away. I missed her. I missed the fire in her eyes when she argued with me. I missed the way her body fit so perfectly against mine when we stood