Chapter 5 — The First Cut[Part 1]
1030 Words
The formal request arrived before lunch.
It's not an email. Not a text.
A physical envelope lay on the silver tray by the front door when I came downstairs—thick, ivory paper stamped with a dark wax seal.
The seal wasn’t Adrian’s.
The wolf’s head was different. Sharper. The eyes are carved like slits.
Vale.
“Luna?” one of the house staff said uncertainly, hovering nearby. “This was delivered by courier. For the Alpha, but they addressed it to you as well.”
Of course they had.
I smoothed my expression and picked it up, thumb brushing the edge of the seal.
For a moment, I stood right there in the foyer of Adrian’s tower, with its polished stone and curated art, and thought about burning it.
Dropping it into one of the sleek glass fireplaces and watching the wax curl and blacken.
My wolf didn’t like that idea.
She wanted to know what was inside.
So did I.
I turned the envelope over, checking the back. The handwriting was precise, masculine, and expensive ink.
To: Alpha Adrian Carmichael, Luna Carmichael.
From: Alpha Cassian Vale.
There is no hint of smugness.
There is no threat on the outside.
All the danger was implied.
I carried it to Adrian’s office.
He was already inside with his beta when I reached the door, voices low, serious. I knocked once and stepped in before he could tell me not to.
Adrian sat behind his massive glass desk, sleeves rolled down now, tie in place. His Beta, Marcus, stood to the side, tablet in hand.
Both of them looked up.
Adrian’s brows drew together. “Luna. We’re in the middle of—”
“A request from Alpha Vale,” I said, crossing the room.
That got his attention.
Adrian held out his hand. I placed the envelope in it.
He broke the seal without ceremony and read quickly, eyes moving in sharp, controlled passes.
His jaw clenched.
“What does it say?” I asked.
He ignored me.
Marcus watched Adrian’s face. “Alpha?”
Adrian exhaled through his nose and passed the letter to his Beta. “He wants to discuss the disputed Rivergate holdings and—” a muscle ticked in his cheek “—he’s requested Luna’s presence for the meeting. As co-chair of the Carmichael Foundation.”
My name is Cassian Vale’s mouth, formal on paper.
A deliberate move.
“He has no right to dictate who attends our meetings,” Adrian muttered.
I swallowed. “He asked for me by title.”
Adrian’s gaze snapped back to me. “He’s provoking. Trying to rattle us. You’re not going.”
“Why?” The word slipped out quieter than I meant.
He stared at me like the answer should be obvious. “Because he’s dangerous, Luna.”
“So are most Alphas,” I said before I could stop myself.
Marcus’s eyes flicked toward me, then away, mouth tightening.
Adrian’s tone dropped a degree. “Cassian Vale is worse. He doesn’t respect borders, treaties, or bonds. He destroys packs when he smells weakness.”
My wolf stirred. *He smelled something,* she whispered, remembering amber eyes on a dark balcony.
I shut her down.
“Then don’t show him weakness,” I said. “Let him see I stand with you.”
The room went very still.
For a second, I thought Adrian might be… impressed.
Instead, his mouth thinned. “This isn’t your arena.”
“He made me his arena when he sent that,” I said, nodding at the letter in Marcus’s hand. “Ignoring it makes us look afraid.”
Marcus cleared his throat, speaking carefully. “There is a point, Alpha. Refusing outright might signal we’re unsettled. We could agree to the meeting but control the terms. Neutral ground, heavy security, short agenda.”
Adrian’s fingers tapped once against the desk.
He didn’t like being advised.
He liked even less that both his Beta and his Luna had just said the same thing.
Finally, he looked back at me. “You’re not speaking in the meeting. You’re there as a formality.”
“Of course,” I said.
A lie. He heard it and chose not to call it out.
Adrian turned to Marcus. “Set it up. Neutral conference level at the Council building, one hour before the evening session. No media. No extra wolves. Just core parties.”
Marcus nodded, already typing.
Adrian shifted his attention back to the papers on his desk as if the matter were settled.
Dismissed.
I didn’t move.
He noticed eventually and glanced up, irritation flickering. “Was there something else, Luna?”
Yes.
There was always something else.
You left me alone during my heat. You put her in my robe. You laughed with your “family” while your bond went dull on my skin.
I said none of that.
Instead: “You didn’t ask if I was comfortable with it.”
He frowned. “With what?”
“Meeting him.” I kept my tone even. “Or having my name in his mouth.”
Jealousy flashed in his eyes so fast that most people would’ve missed it.
I didn’t.
“You’re my Luna,” he said. “Your comfort is my responsibility. But your role is to support what’s best for the pack.”
“Is that what last night was?” I asked quietly. “What was best for the pack?”
His gaze hardened. “Don’t start this again.”
“You’re the one who never started it,” I said, unheard, and turned to leave.
“Luna.”
The Alpha command edged his voice.
I stopped at the door, shoulders tight.
“Wear the black dress from last quarter’s summit,” he said. “The one the Council liked. And don’t let Vale think for a second you’re impressed by him.”
I didn’t trust my voice, so I didn’t use it.
I stepped out of the office and shut the door behind me, the soft click louder in my ears than a slam.
My wolf paced restlessly.
*You already are impressed,* she accused.
I ignored her.
Mostly.
- Writer
