Page 113 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow

I glance at the clock. 8:00 PM. Almost as if on cue, the doorbell rings.

I set my cup down, smoothing my hands over my sweater before making my way to the door. My heart beats a little faster as I open the door for Alex.

When he steps inside, it feels like the air is just that bit more charged. It always does with him.

We don’t speak right away. We just stand there.

Alex’s eyes hold mine, deep and unreadable, but warm. He doesn’t smile—not in the way most people do—but his expression is soft, something steady and sure. My chest tightens.My mind goes over all the different moments that have led us here. From him just being a mysterious janitor, to how he saved my life multiple times. I’ve saved his. We have been through things that should have broken us. And yet, here we are, standing in my doorway, staring at each other.

The silence stretches, but it isn’t awkward. And then, without thinking, I ask, “Would you like some tea?”

A flicker of amusement crosses his face. “I’d love some.”

I nod, turning toward the kitchen. I feel his presence behind me as I pour the tea. When I bring him his cup, he takes it with a quiet “thank you,” his fingers brushing mine for the briefest second. The touch is fleeting, but my skin burns from it anyway.

We sit at my dining table, the only sound for a moment the quiet clinking of ceramic as we sip our tea.

Finally, I speak. “How are things at the kingdom?”

Alex exhales, setting his cup down. “The kingdom is moving forward,” he says. “Since Valerian’s death, everything has been… settling.”

He pauses, his jaw tightening slightly, as if the weight of everything still lingers in his bones. “I’ve spent the last month holding trials for the council members who sided with Valerian. The ones who betrayed the kingdom.” His voice darkens slightly. “They’re all facing justice now.”

I watch him carefully, noticing the way his shoulders tense just slightly, the way he drums his fingers absently against his cup.

“Is it hard?” I ask.

His gaze lifts to mine. “What?”

“Judging them. Knowing they betrayed you. Knowing they would have let you die.”

For a moment, he says nothing. Then, finally, he leans back, exhaling slowly. “I thought it would be,” he admits. “That itwould make me want revenge.” He pauses, his eyes shadowed. “But it didn’t.”

I frown slightly. “Then what did it make you feel?”

He looks at me, there’s something vulnerable in his expression.

“Tired,” he says. “It made me feel tired.”

The words hit something deep inside me. I understand them in a way I don’t think I could have before everything happened. There’s a kind of exhaustion that isn’t just about lack of sleep. It’s deeper. It’s something that settles in you, something you carry no matter how much time passes.

I reach for my cup, taking a slow sip, giving him space to breathe. And for a while, we just sit there, drinking our tea in the quiet.

Alex leans back in his chair, his fingers loosely wrapped around his cup of tea. His gaze is steady, contemplative. He exhales softly, then looks at me. “And what about you?”

I blink, slightly caught off guard. “Me?”

His lips twitch in something that’s not quite a smile. “Yeah, you. How have things been with the company?”

I straighten a little, my fingers tightening slightly around my cup. “Good,” I say, and it’s the truth. I hesitate for just a second before adding, “There’s been a lot of changes, though.”

Alex doesn’t look away. He waits, patient, attentive, like he always is when we talk.

I take a breath. “I had three board members arrested.”

His brows lift, but he doesn’t interrupt.

I press on, my voice steady. “They were high ranking members, powerful ones. But they were part of the plot to murder my parents. They wanted them out of the way so they could control things.” I swallow. “My private investigator finally got theevidence we needed. There’s no way out for them. They’re facing long sentences. Maybe life.”

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