Irina’s POV

My entire body went rigid.

The voice was male. Light. Almost cheerful.

Not Nicolas.

I stared at the door. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt.

Who—?

"I promise I’m not scary," the voice continued. Still light. Friendly, even. "Well, maybe a little scary. But in a charming way?"

A pause.

"That came out wrong."

I didn’t move. Couldn’t.

My feet had rooted themselves to the floor. Every muscle locked up tight.

The mate bond was quiet. No alarm bells. No screaming danger.

"Okay, let me try again." The voice sounded closer now. Right against the door. "My name is Andrei. I’m the gamma. I heard there was a new face around here and thought I’d come say hello."

"I brought ice cream," Andrei added. "Chocolate. The good kind. From that place on Fifth Street that charges way too much but tastes amazing."

Why would anyone bring me ice cream?

"Look, I know this is weird," he continued. "Strange man at your door at night. Very suspicious. But I promise I’m harmless. Mostly harmless. Like... seventy percent harmless?"

I took a step toward the door. Then stopped.

I stood frozen for another long moment.

Then my hand moved to the door. Almost without my permission.

My fingers found the handle. Turned it slowly.

The door cracked open. Just a sliver.

I peered through the gap.

A man stood in the hallway. Younger than I expected. Maybe late twenties. Light brown hair that looked like he’d run his hands through it too many times. Warm hazel eyes.

And he was smiling. Just... friendly.

He wore casual clothes. Dark jeans. A gray t-shirt. Nothing formal or intimidating.

In one hand, he held two pints of ice cream. In the other, two spoons.

"Hi," he said. His smile widened. "I’m Andrei. You must be Irina."

I didn’t answer. Just stared at him through the crack in the door.

He didn’t seem bothered by my silence. Just held up the ice cream containers.

"Chocolate and mint chip. Wasn’t sure which you’d prefer, so I grabbed both." He tilted his head slightly. "Can I come in? Or we can stand here in the hallway. I’m flexible."

My throat worked. Trying to form words.

"I—" The sound came out hoarse. "Who sent you?"

"Nobody sent me." His expression turned serious. "I came on my own. Heard you’d arrived. Thought you might want some company. Or at least some ice cream."

He paused.

"Ice cream makes everything better. Scientific fact."

I stared at him for another long moment.

Every instinct screamed danger. Screamed to slam the door and hide.

But something about him felt... safe.

My hand moved to the door again. Pushed it open wider.

Just enough for him to enter.

Andrei’s smile brightened. "Excellent choice."

I backed away as he entered. Put distance between us.

He didn’t comment. Just closed the door behind him and moved to the seating area—a small couch and two chairs arranged near the fireplace.

He settled onto the couch. Stretched out his legs. Completely relaxed.

"This is a nice room," he said conversationally. Set the ice cream containers on the coffee table. "Sofia did a good job setting it up. She has an eye for this stuff."

I stood near the bed. Arms wrapped around myself.

Not sitting. Not relaxing.

Ready to run if needed.

Andrei patted the couch cushion beside him. "Come on. Sit. The ice cream’s melting."

I didn’t move.

He sighed. Grabbed one of the containers and a spoon. Opened it.

"Okay, I’ll start." He took a bite. Made an exaggerated sound of pleasure. "Mm. Yeah. That’s the good stuff."

He held out the other container toward me. "Sure you don’t want some?"

My stomach twisted. I’d just eaten dinner. Forced it down mechanically.

I took it. Sat down on the edge of the chair farthest from him.

The container was cold against my palms. I stared down at it.

Mint chip. Green ice cream with dark chocolate pieces mixed in.

I dipped the spoon in. Brought it to my mouth.

Cold. Sweet. The mint flavor exploded on my tongue.

It tasted good. Really good.

I took another bite. Then another.

My shoulders slowly lowered. Just a fraction.

"Good, right?" Andrei asked. He wasn’t looking at me. Just eating his own ice cream. Casual. Non-threatening.

I nodded. Realized he might not have seen it. "Yes."

My voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Sofia told me you had dinner with the alpha," Andrei continued. Still not looking at me. "How’d that go?"

I took another bite of ice cream. Let the cold melt on my tongue while I searched for words.

"It was... fine."

The lie tasted worse than the mint.

Andrei made a soft sound. Not quite a laugh. "Fine. Right."

He finally looked at me. His expression was gentle. Understanding.

"He can be intense," he said quietly. "Nicolas. Especially when he’s trying not to be."

I didn’t know how to respond to that. So I just ate more ice cream.

"I’ve known him a long time," Andrei continued. Set his container down on the table. Leaned back against the couch. "Since we were kids. Before everything went to hell."

He folded his hands behind his head. Stared up at the ceiling.

"He’s not good with people. Never has been. Gets worse when he actually cares about something."

My spoon paused halfway to my mouth.

Cares?

"I know that probably sounds crazy," Andrei said. Like he could read my thoughts. "Given everything. But it’s true."

He looked at me again. His eyes were warm. Kind.

"He marked you. In front of everyone. That’s not something he’d do lightly."

My hand tightened around the spoon.

I didn’t want to talk about the marking. About what it meant. About how wrong everything felt.

Andrei seemed to sense my discomfort. Changed direction.

"So," he said, his tone lighter. "Tell me about yourself. What do you like to do? Hobbies? Interests?"

I blinked at him.

Hobbies?

I couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked me about hobbies.

"I..." My voice trailed off.

What did I like to do?

Used to like reading. Before books became a luxury I couldn’t afford. Before every moment was spent just trying to survive.

"I used to read," I said quietly. "A long time ago."

"Yeah?" Andrei’s face lit up. "What kind of books?"

"Stories." I stared down at my ice cream. "Fantasy. Adventure. Things that weren’t real."

Things that let me escape. Even if just for a little while.

"We have a library here," Andrei said. "Huge one. Third floor. You should check it out sometime."

"Maybe," I whispered.

Andrei nodded. Didn’t push.

We sat in silence for a while. Him relaxed on the couch. Me perched on the edge of the chair.

The ice cream in my container was starting to melt. I ate it faster.

"Can I ask you something?" Andrei said suddenly.

My entire body tensed. "Okay."

"The rumors," he said slowly. Carefully. "About you and Maxim. About you... pursuing him."

My stomach dropped.

The spoon clattered against the container. My hands started shaking.

"I—" I couldn’t breathe. "I didn’t—"

"Hey." Andrei’s voice was gentle. "Hey, it’s okay. I’m not accusing you of anything."

He leaned forward. Elbows on his knees.

"I just wanted to say... I don’t believe them."

I stared at him. Couldn’t process the words.

"You seem like a very reserved person," he continued. His eyes were serious now. Focused. "Shy. Scared. The alpha probably terrified you, didn’t he?"

I nodded. Couldn’t help it.

"Yeah." Andrei’s expression softened. "That’s what I thought. Looking at you now... the way you answered the door. The way you’re sitting there like you’re ready to bolt any second."

He shook his head.

"That’s not the behavior of someone who spent months throwing herself at an alpha. Who pursued someone relentlessly."

His words hit like stones dropping into still water.

Rippling outward. Disturbing everything.

"So those rumors," he said quietly. "About you seducing Maxim? About you wanting it?"

He held my gaze.

"They’re not true, are they?"