The silence in the ballroom was suffocating.
Gillian stood where he had been placed—kneeling, back straight, hands resting awkwardly on his thighs. Sweat glistened at his temples despite the cold, his eyes darting everywhere except where they should have been.
Kael let the quiet stretch.
It wasn’t accidental. It was deliberate. Every second pressed down harder than the last, until Gillian’s breathing grew shallow.
“Tell me, Gillian,” Kael said at last, voice smooth and dangerous,
“Have you heard anything about trespassers?”
Gillian swallowed.
“N-no, Alpha. Starfangs has been quiet.”
Kael tilted his head slightly.
“Interesting. Because men don’t vanish quietly.”
Gillian flinched.
“Missing guards,” Kael continued calmly.
“Uninvited wolves sniffing around my lands. And a group
