The silence that followed Caleb’s command was more profound than any sound. It was a vacuum, sucking the air and the warmth from the tent. Kael remained on his knees, a statue of ruin, his body locked in a trembling submission that had nothing to do with will and everything to do with instinct. The raw, primal authority of a true Alpha had stripped him bare, leaving only the cowering wolf beneath the tattered cloak of his kingship.
Caleb held his position for another long moment, letting the humiliation sink into the very earth beneath Kael’s knees. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he returned to his seat beside me. The pressure in the tent eased, but did not vanish. It was like a storm receding just beyond the horizon, its presence still felt in the electric charge of the air.
“The
