"I will do it for you, Anastasia."
Erica's voice cut through the room with an eagerness that felt too sharp, too deliberate. She usually addressed me with distance, even resistance, but the moment Elliot was present, her tone shifted like a subordinate wolf trying too hard to appear useful before a dominant Alpha. I could feel the change in her scent—forced politeness layered over ambition. She reached for the teapot before I could respond, her movements quick, almost defensive, as though securing proximity to Elliot mattered more than anything else in the room.
I let her take it without argument and settled beside Elliot again. The space around him always felt different, like the air itself adjusted its pressure to accommodate his presence. I picked up a handful of cherries from the bowl and offered them to him casually, trying not to overthink how natural it had become to sit this close.
"Here."
