lexande

melia clung to each other, their grief palpable as tears streamed down their faces. Though she had been gone for two days already, tod

ut I found little solace in their sympathetic words. All I wanted was solitude,

ort of my office calling to me like a beacon. I sought refuge in a

, amidst the quiet emptiness, I could mourn in my own way, away from the collective

he bottle, a knock at the door broke the solitude I had sought. Normally, I

, I managed to call o

entarily clearing my blurred vision. As I focused on the figure entering the roo

unk, it felt oddly satisfyi

og of alcohol from my eyes, setting the bo

I know she's been grieving over Frida's death. Her sud

veloping her in a tight hug. I breathe in her scent, clinging to her like she's my lif

aside from her curves filling out and the addition of tattoos. Her outfit-a short-sleeved crop top

notice the multitude of piercings adorning her features-her septum and several more sc

my voice rough with a hint of disbelief. Surel

onchalantly, though her cheeks flush

naked state. I watch as she takes in the familiar surroundings of the room that hasn't ch

at my chest was oddly satisfying, though I quickly pu

ndolences, reaching for my whi

an," Vanessa adds, her nervous fi

oding my thoughts. For twenty-two years, she had been a constant

feelings in the way she deserved. I couldn't love her the way I would

ynamic between Frida and me. She knew as well as I did that she wasn't my

a mate before his passing. Despite my origins as an orphaned rogue with a troubled past, Frida insisted on bring

nship went no deeper than companionship and mutual respect. We made a formidable team as leader

abandon the other. And as time passed, I came to accept that perhaps I didn't have an

tionship, Frida made everything seem effortless and perfect. We had

Vanessa, who had been silently observing me. There was something in

electrify the air between us. Vanessa's reaction was instantaneous, her head snapping

me like a bolt of li

ey in my throat. It was a truth that neither of us had dared to acknowledge, buried benea