The air inside the Alpha’s office was suffocating. It wasn’t just the heavy scent of dominance that clung to the walls, or the way the sunlight failed to soften the room’s severity as it filtered through the tall windows. No—what made it stifling was the presence of the people gathered within.
Alpha Efrein sat behind his massive desk, posture rigid, the weight of his authority radiating with every measured breath. Luna Beatrice stood tall beside him, her expression unreadable but her eyes sharp, carrying that same quiet judgment Elaine had grown up under.
Her parents were there as well—Beta Richard and Lucille—sitting stiffly, their gazes cast downward as though the polished floor might offer answers they didn’t dare look for in their daughter’s eyes.
Near the window, bathed in the soft
