Chapter 8

Alpha Kellan stood in the doorway, his gaze softening as he watched Ava sleeping soundly in his chair. Despite the weariness etched on her features, there was a peacefulness about her that tugged at something deep within him—a sense of vulnerability that he couldn't quite shake.

As he studied her sleeping form, a rare smile crept onto his lips, its presence unfamiliar yet strangely welcome. At that moment, he couldn't deny the quiet admiration that stirred within him, a begrudging acknowledgment of Ava's resilience in the face of adversity.

With a gentle sigh, Alpha Kellan approached silently, careful not to disturb her slumber. As he stood beside her, a tenderness he hadn't known he possessed washed over him, a fleeting glimpse of a softer side he rarely allowed himself to show.

Brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret for the harshness with which he had treated her earlier. In the quiet of the room, with Ava's steady breathing filling