Riley released a low, scornful breath as Aliona spoke, his Alpha presence thickening the air around him. "Anastasia Tillman?" he repeated slowly. "The daughter of that policewoman… interesting."
A sharp glint surfaced in his eyes, instinct tightening like a predator recognizing old prey.
"The mother was already an obstacle," he muttered through clenched teeth, "and now the daughter is becoming an even worse one."
The memory behind his words wasn't distant—it was carved into his past like a failed hunt. Years ago, he had orchestrated the kidnapping of Elliot when the boy was only six, a calculated strike meant to remove a future Alpha before he could fully rise. But the plan collapsed when a female police officer intervened, sacrificing herself to pull Elliot out of that death trap.
That single act had altered everything.
Riley never accepted that failure.
