MAXIMUS:
Back in the hall with Ragnar and Jordan. I could feel the dread slipping in — that familiar scent once forgotten, buried under years of betrayal and deceit. My wolf caught it first, warning me, pushing forward, seeking control. It was a pheromone I knew too well.
Matteo.
The name echoed in my mind before the messenger even made it known.
For a moment, my breath stilled. I growled low; I knew this moment would come. Somehow, I always knew he would return… but I had hoped he wouldn’t.
I had told the messenger to let him in.
Ragnar’s head snapped toward me from across the table. “You’re letting him walk in freely after everything? Don’t you think this is dangerous, Alpha?”
“Yes,” I cut in, voice calm. “But my hands are as equally tied, Ragnar. Let’s hear what he wants to say.”
