The flickering firelight of the briefing room seemed to freeze as the final echo of Commander Jax’s strategic words settled into the heavy air.
King Kaelen had been nodding along with the tactical placement of the southern border legions, his mind focused entirely on the political defense of his crown. But the moment Jax’s gravelly baritone made casual mention of protecting the girls explicitly using the plural form, the King’s entire demeanor shifted.
Kaelen’s head snapped up, his piercing, stormy charcoal-gray eyes narrowing into lethal, highly dangerous slits. The raw, heavy aura of his inner Lycan wolf flared sharply, sending a violent ripple of dominant energy across the volcanic stone table. Kaelen knew only of Valeria. She was the solitary woman tucked away inside his private sanc
