The Blackthorne compound loomed like a cage, its towering walls casting long shadows beneath the waning moon. Layla felt the weight of every step as she entered the main hall, her father’s summons heavy in her chest. The room was already filled with pack members, their expressions ranging from curiosity to thinly veiled disdain. The air was thick with tension, the scent of dominance and scrutiny making it harder to breathe.
At the head of the chamber, Alpha Gideon Blackthorne sat upon his throne-like chair, his piercing eyes locked onto her. The moment she stepped forward, his gaze hardened, his disappointment curling like a whip around her. His fingers drummed slowly against the armrest, a calculated rhythm that sent a shiver through her bones.
“You’ve been seen with Stormborn,” Gideon’
