CHAPTER TWENTY
The soil is cool and moist beneath my fingers, a stark contrast to the stifling existence I've left behind, even if just for a while. Here at River Run, life thrums with a different rhythm—one that doesn't march to the beat of Mark's commands or expectations. Freed from the ornate yet suffocating title of the Alpha's wife, I feel like I'm taking my first true breath in ages. And it smells like earth and growth.
"Try planting the seeds a little deeper, Isla," Alex suggests, his voice laced with warmth, coming up beside me in the community garden. He crouches down, his hands expertly pushing the dirt aside to demonstrate. "They need to be snug in the earth so they can germinate properly."
I mimic his movements, the earth yielding to my touch as I tuck the small seeds into t
