Aeron POV
The hall buzzed with muted conversations as the final preparations for the ceremony were underway. I stood near the front, speaking with the other Alphas, my senses on high alert.
Despite the formalities, my mind was only half-focused on the discussions around me. The other half was consumed with thoughts of Elaine.
I had felt her presence long before I saw her. The sweet yet intoxicating scent of flowers and honey lingered in the air, drawing me toward the hall's entrance like a moth to a flame.
My heart beat faster, anticipation thrumming through my veins. And then, as if on cue, she walked in.
Elaine was different. She wasn't like the others in the room, flaunting wealth and power. There was a quiet strength about her, a resilience born from a life that had likely been
