POV: Lina
The first sign that Aurora no longer lives in a normal apartment is that I have to sign three times to see her.
Temporary wristband, escort to an elevator I've never seen before. It's not even on the internal floor plans.
We descend without music or numbers. Just the sound of the cable and my inner beta saying, this is a safe house or a very sophisticated prison.
The doors open onto an immaculate hallway. It smells of disinfectant... and alpha. Forest, storm, coffee. Dante Noir left his scent on this apartment as his signature.
The guard stops in front of a door.
"Miss Vega is inside," he says. "You have twenty minutes."
Twenty minutes. As if it were a conjugal visit.
"Thank you," I reply, and knock. "If you're naked, let me know."
"Lina," I hear, with a snort, "come in."
I go in.
