Loneliness had always been his companion, but this time it hurt more than ever. All Alaric wanted was to let it go. And he did.
Dark, angry clouds choked the sky above Pine Ridge Lodge, swirling ominously. It wasn't raining, but the air was heavy with moisture, the scent of ozone thick enough to taste.
Alaric stood shirtless and barefoot on the rooftop, his eyes glowing silver, crackling with power as lightning coiled above his head like a crown.
No one had truly loved him. Not his parents, for whom he always had to beg for attention. Not the girls, who approached him only because he was a cardinal Alpha. Even in the end, Julia had chosen Roman, the fun, handsome one, over him, the dorky one.
And then there was Violet, the one girl who accepted him despite his flaws. But even she had been taken away, leaving him to wonder if he was destined to be alone after all.
