Evan
The hall smelled of tension and sweat, faintly metalic from anticipation. Every Beta in the room had their eyes on me, waiting for a c***k in my composure.
Darius was the first to break the silence. Bold, arrogant, dangerous in his own right. “Alpha hier,” he said voice smooth but loaded with challenge, “we’ve served you loyally, but some of us worry about your refusal to claim a mate. Leadership falters without balance.”
I didn’t flich, I didn’t even bother to look at him. Calm. Cold. Everything in my body screamed control, but my wolf… my wolf was pacing beneath the surface, restless, itching at the restraint I maintained.
He was wrong, weakness is not refusing a mate, weakness is letting someone else dictate the pack’s future.
“I am aware,” I said, my voice low, deliberate. “
