Alpha Kael’s POV
The entire pack stood in silence, dressed in black. The weight of mourning pressed down on everyone like a thick fog. Elena’s burial had drawn every wolf in the territory, and the air felt heavy with grief.
Aria stood beside me, her long black gown moving softly with the evening breeze. She looked calm, serene, unreadable. I envied that calmness because inside me, a storm was rising.
My eyes drifted across the crowd until they landed on Leo. His stare was sharp and accusing. I looked away immediately. I knew why he suspected me. He had been at my door that night, had overheard fragments of my conversation with Aria, words that sounded like murder when taken out of context. Now that Elena was dead, suspicion had hardened into certainty.
But I ignored hi
