Leona's POV
Only a brief, polite busy tone remained on the other end of the line.
I stared at the phone screen for several seconds until it dimmed, reflecting my tired face back at me.
"So?" My father stood by the window, arms crossed, his tone casual but his eyes clearly waiting for my answer.
I shrugged and tossed the phone onto the sofa.
"Elizabeth answered," I said. "She said Alpha's busy… but he'll get back to us."
My father let out a barely audible snort and turned to face me. "Classic diplomatic language."
"Yeah," I nodded, though my lips didn't even twitch. "Translation: he's not interested."
A brief silence filled the room, broken only by the faint crackling of the fireplace.
"Why do you think that is?" he asked.
The image came back to me almost automatically—those conte
