Addie’s sharp nudge at my back spurred me forward, her impatience a stinging prod against my hesitation. With Jack and Seraphina still smarting from Nate’s swift rebuke, the banquet hall’s collective gaze converged on this corner, a spotlight I longed to avoid. If not for Owen’s safety, the urgent need to uncover his hospital’s location, I’d have abandoned Addie to her schemes. As eager guests pressed toward Nate, their voices threatening to drown me out, I drew a deep, grounding breath. Delay could cost me this fleeting opportunity—another might not come easily. Bracing myself, I spoke, my voice slicing through the clamor. “Honored Wolf King, good evening.”
Nate’s brow arched, his face a study in guarded intrigue, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. I’d dodged his invitations these past d
