----Lorenzo---
Disrespect was a dangerous disease.
One wolf could infect the rest. A single smirk, a careless word in front of the others—it might seem small, but left unchecked, it could spread through a pack like rot.
That was why I couldn’t let it stand.
The moment Sindy left the lounge—her chin high, her fury blazing bright enough to set fire to the room—I turned on my heel and strode back to the dining hall. The pack quieted instantly at my return, eyes snapping to me, posture shifting. They knew the scent of my temper.
And the wolf who had spoken to her—Matthias—sat exactly where I expected him, lounging in his chair as if he hadn’t just crossed a line that no wolf in Cold Ridge had ever dared.
“Outside,” I said, my voice flat, deadly.
Conversations died. Chairs scraped back.
