Alpha Baron POV
I sat in my study, the heavy oak doors closed behind me, shutting out the low hum of voices in the corridors. Preparations for the coronation were already being whispered about in every corner of the estate. Servants ran back and forth, advisors lingered like shadows, and yet here I was, stuck in the middle of something far more delicate—my son and his wife.
I leaned back in my chair, fingers drumming against the armrest as I waited. Bryan had always been punctual, disciplined, and respectful. But Irene—ah, Irene was another matter entirely. Proud, sharp-tongued, raised in privilege, and still carrying the arrogance of being her father’s daughter. She had married into this family, but she hadn’t fully understood what it meant. Not yet.
The door creaked open. Bryan walked
