Alpha’s Mate burdens

 The voice spoke again, softer this time. "To be the Alpha's Mate is not simply to share in the power, but to share in the burdens of trust and duty. Tell me, Luca, what is it that you truly hold dear? Is it your own strength? Or the vow of allegiance that bonds you to your Alpha?"

 My throat clenched. I had spent my life defining my allegiance, choosing to stick with Aria even when the world worked against us. But now, with the echoes of betrayal and sacrifice ringing in my ears, I felt the weight of the question. I closed my eyes and let the memories flood me—of battles fought side by side with Aria, of the quiet times when her hand in mine had meant more than any victory, of the promise we had made in the dark of despair we would never let the pack fall apart.