Chapter 53: Join the Pack
(Aria's POV)
Sarah clung to Alexander’s arm like her very life depended on it. Her soft doe-eyed look was well-practiced, as was the way she radiated humble submission through the pack bonds.
It was a facade perfected over years of manipulation.
Sarah raised her delicate chin, forcing herself to look as though she belonged. “I would be honored,” her voice trembled, feigned vulnerably. “To formally request my acceptance into the Silverbrook Pack.”
The words hung heavy in the air. Gasps rippled across the hall, followed by a tense silence. The room grew still except for the quiet chaos of incensed whispers threading through the pack bonds.
“What audacity!” a gravelly voice muttered, barely connected through the bonds.
I straightened my back, forcing my
