NATHAN’S POV
They didn’t trust me.
I could see it before a single word was spoken, in the way they stood just slightly too far apart from one another, in the way their eyes moved between me and the exits as if calculating distance, as if measuring risk instead of committing to presence.
Alphas. Each of them powerful in their own right, each of them accustomed to command, to being followed, to not having to answer to anyone. And yet here they were, gathered in a place that didn’t belong to any of them, standing in silence like wolves who understood exactly how dangerous this moment was but had chosen it anyway.
That alone told me enough. They were already uncertain. Already dissatisfied. Already looking for something Damon hadn’t given them. Good. That made this easier. I didn’t rush
