The room went quiet around Brecken’s message.
Not silent.
Quiet.
There was a difference.
Silence was absence.
Quiet was a living thing. It breathed, watched, waited, and sharpened itself against whatever truth had just entered the room.
Darius stared at his phone.
I stared at Darius.
The message glowed between us like a blade laid flat on dark wood.
You should have let the arrow land, Alpha. She is already making them forget who you are.
No signature.
No threat written in blood.
No theatrical villainy.
Just one sentence designed to slip beneath armor and find the wound.
Brecken knew exactly what he was doing.
That irritated me more than the threat.
Darius reached for the phone.
I caught his wrist.
His eyes snapped to mine.
“Do not answer,” I said.
His jaw hardened. “I w
