“But,” I continued, “you should ask him.”
Roman looked at me like I had just suggested something ridiculous.
“Ask him?”
“Yes.”
His expression shifted into something close to mild panic.
“I don’t think that’s necessary.”
I folded my arms slowly.
“Oh?”
Roman gestured vaguely toward the packhouse in the distance.
“He’s the Alpha,” he said. “He’s probably just… busy.”
“That may be true,” I said calmly. “But you can still ask.”
Roman shook his head quickly.
“No, it’s fine.”
And there it was.
That instinctive retreat.
I had noticed it before.
Roman avoided one-on-one interactions with Alexander whenever he could. It wasn’t obvious at first glance—Roman was respectful and he listened to instructions—but whenever the opportunity came to approach Alexander directly, he found a way a
