"I'm alright, you can let me go now," Aerys said, her voice barely above a whisper. Thankfully, he gently set her on the floor and reached for a towel, his tone tinged with a hint of warning, "This won't happen again. Let's not make a habit of it." Wrapping the towel tightly around herself, she winced at the movement, "I slipped, hardly a heroic rescue." His expression darkened, "It's been two years since I've been intimate, Aerys. Consider yourself rescued...from me." Her mouth dropped open, both stunned by the unexpected depth of their exchange and captivated by the intensity she knew lurked beneath his alpha exterior. Life had never promised discipline or order for Aerys. After graduation, she imagined a life serving as a prison warden's subordinate, like so many others. But then, an unexpected opportunity arose. A challenge was presented – to become a Phonoi, a lethal assassin, under the command of the legendary Alpha Thorran. This path would test her stubborn spirit and potentially lead her down a forbidden path, one that involved a complex relationship with the very man who held her fate in his hands.
