***Katherine’s POV***
The dining hall was alive with morning chatter, clattering plates, and the scent of roasted meat. Katherine entered without hurry, her head high, her smile polished into perfection. As always, the air shifted when she crossed the threshold—eyes turning, voices faltering.
She relished it.
The wolves might not have known why they reacted this way—why their spines straightened, why their voices dimmed, why a ripple of silence spread outward with her steps—but Katherine did. A whisper of her siren blood laced her presence, subtle and sweet, pulling attention like the tide pulled the moon.
“Good morning,” she said lightly, her tone warm, musical. Dozens of shoulders eased. Wolves smiled back at her. None noticed the spell woven in her words.
But when her gaze landed o
