own, N

and, not as a courtesy. Just as a fact, clean and direct, like

en carrying me since the altar and the adrenaline that h

else, without excess, without performance. He folded his hands on the table and looked at

id, "I killed a man who

tart there. I kept my expre

stayed even throughout. "My Beta at the time had been feeding me false information about the Eastern Reach for months. Building a case for annexation that served his own interests. I went into that meeting with cor

d the silenc

nt of my entire court. She said I would never know peace in my own skin until I made right what I had made wrong." His jaw tightened,

to them, that specific fear that came not from cruelty but from someth

teriorating m

ger to complete, and the wolf that comes through is not entirely the one I trained for twenty years." He looked at me directly. "Within another year, po

s not just a political problem. It was a dea

this," I said. It wa

sn't have to do anything. Proximity is enough. Consistent proximity over several months, beginning before birth if possible." He he

h that fo

do I get

ed. "Resources. Warriors if you want them. Intelligence on Roland's movements and vulnerabilities." Another pause, wei

decided to

noticed. Precise with language in the way that people w

otection. While carrying another Alpha's child. In a court full of wolves

es

ng me Roland's des

ols. What you build with

areful red ink. The dates. The notations. The weeks of intelligence ga

But dangerous and untrustworthy were not the same thing, and t

ven days old and already the

at the altar. The complete abs

t me to say no and walk back into

e conditio

wai

made sure every word landed clean. "If I stay, I stay as a warrior. I train with your people, I earn my place, and

ence st

outh. Not quite a smile. Something that had fo

d," he

s hand across

one breath longer t

rked territory and shook the hand

ip was

expected t