56

Alpha King Ozar.

I did not expect what I would see when I broke down the door of her chambers. It was just three days ago that I last saw her. Yet, the effect of her sorrow was strange as if it had been years since we saw each other. The tangled mess of her hair, the pallor of her skin, the dark circles beneath her sorrowful eyes – it is an image of despair that rippled my heart.

As the servants match out of the room. I begin to work. My expression is a complex mix of concern and urgency. I cannot let Yeri retreat back into the self-imposed darkness. Yet, every fiber of me is being recoiled from the thought of manhandling her. I need to be firm, but careful.

With a strength born of desperation, I guide her, not push. My arm encircles her waist, more to support than restrain. I can feel the fragility of Yeri’s frame, and the tremors that wracks her body.

Each step towards the bed is a struggle. Her voice is weak but laced with defiance.

"Let me go!" she squeals, her words slur sligh