LOGINRina nodded carefully. “She… came disguised as a maid. She brought my meal. At first, I was shocked—furious even. But then…” She trailed off, biting her lip. “She fell to her knees, Theo. She wept. She said her father cast her out, that she’s been wandering ever since. She begged for forgiveness. She swore she only came to seek peace.”Theo’s expression hardened. He turned his face away for a moment, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he tried to contain the sudden flare of anger in his chest. When he finally looked back at Rina, his gaze was sharp, almost cold.“And you believed her?”Rina’s brows drew together. “She seemed sincere. Her tears… her words—”Theo cut her off with a bitter scoff. “Her tears are nothing but poison, Rina. You think I don’t know her better than that? That woman is a viper. She cries when it suits her, smiles when it profits her, and stabs the moment you turn your back.”Rina flinched at the harshness in his voice, but Theo didn’t soften. He stepped closer, to
The tray nearly slipped from Samantha’s hands, though she caught it just in time. Without giving Rina the chance to recover, she fell to her knees with a thud that echoed in the chamber.“Please!” she cried, her voice already cracking with tears. “Please, forgive me!”Rina blinked rapidly, her instinctive response rising to dismiss this unwelcome intruder. But before she could speak, Samantha crawled forward, clutching at the hem of her gown with shaking hands. Her sobs filled the room, loud and desperate, echoing against the walls.“I did not come here to cause you pain,” she wept, her forehead pressing against the floor. “I came only to beg. To beg for your mercy! My father—he cast me out when he learned of my shameless behavior back then… how I dared to desire what was never mine. He swore he would never take me back until I had sought your forgiveness. I have been wandering since then, living in shame, with nowhere to call home!”Rina’s lips parted, the protest she had been formin
A faint, satisfied smile tugged at Damian’s lips. Theo, too, felt something stir in his chest—relief, pride, and even a spark of hope. With Matt standing by his side, the burden felt a little lighter, the future a little steadier.Damian’s gaze lingered on the faces bowed before him. Then, with a final glance at Theo, he uttered,“See that my trust in you does not go to waste.”“Good,” Damian said at last, his voice final. His gaze cut across the room once more, searing into every bowed head.“Let there be no more doubts. Theo leads. Jihoo commands. Matt enforces. And I—” his tone dropped, filled with lethal certainty, “I destroy those who forget where their loyalties lie.”No one dared move, speak, or even breathe too loudly.With that, Damian turned on his heel, and the meeting ended in the crushing silence of his dominance—but the mark of his authority lingered like iron chains around their hearts, and his warning echoing long after he left the chamber.---After the meeting conclu
The great council chamber filled quickly, the shuffle of boots and the murmur of uneasy voices echoing beneath the high stone ceiling. Officials, elders, and warriors filed in, each lowering their heads in deference to Alpha Damian, who now sat at the head of the table like a predator on his throne. His aura dominated the room, pressing down on every chest like a physical weight.Theo stood to his right, Jihoo slightly behind, still pale but carrying a spark of determination he hadn’t before.When all had gathered, silence fell like a blade.Damian’s gaze swept the room—sharp, lingering, stripping every man and woman bare of pretense. None dared to meet his eyes for long; those who tried found themselves quickly glancing down, their throats dry.“Speak,” Damian commanded, his tone deep, unhurried, dangerous. “Tell me how this pack thrives. Tell me where it falters.”One of the elders, an older man with gray hair and trembling hands, cleared his throat and bowed.“Alpha… under Theo’s l
“I can feel his power even from here…”“And yet, look at how Alpha Theo walks with him, without fear.”Within the estate, servants bowed deeply as Damian crossed the threshold. His sharp eyes scanned every corner with a soldier’s precision, yet when he turned back to Theo, his voice carried a rare note of approval.“You’ve built a disciplined pack, Theo. Order flows through the people. It shows I didn't choose wrongly.”Theo inclined his head, receiving the praise with steady humility.“We stand strong because we stand together. That is what I believe. And I must say, it is an honor to the people to welcome and see the Alpha who rid them of Queen Lila’s shadow. The people have not forgotten what you did.”Damian’s expression softened just slightly, though his tone remained firm.“The past was necessary. But now we build futures for those who come after us. For my son—and for the people.”At the mention of his newborn, an almost imperceptible pride flickered in Damian’s eyes. Rina noti
The morning of Alpha Damian’s visit arrived like a storm on the horizon. The pack was alive with restless energy, every corner humming with activity. In the kitchen, it was even more intense—pots clanged, steam curled from boiling pots, and the fragrant scent of roasted meat and herbs filled the air.Merida barked orders from the center like a general at war, her sharp eyes scanning every worker’s movements. Servants rushed in and out, arms laden with trays of delicacies and bundles of carefully prepared herbs meant as a gift for the newborn pup and his mother.Samantha moved through it all with feigned obedience, her hands busy but her mind plotting. Every time Merida’s gaze lingered on her without suspicion, a small, secret smile tugged at the corner of her lips. This was her stage now. And she had no intention of playing the part of a background servant for long.—The news of Alpha Damian’s arrival spread through the Dam-Nighade Pack like wildfire. By mid-morning, the air buzzed w







