Chapter 4

The signature of the formal documents dragged past noon, forcing Alpha Mason to extend a customary offer of lunch. Soon enough, the table was set, with Beta Cassius and Gamma Liam seated directly alongside the Caldwell family at the high Alpha table.

Lydia sat quietly, nursing a glass of ice water to soothe her lingering hangover while her sharp green eyes tracked every movement across the table. It didn’t take long for her keen intuition to sound off subtle alarm bells regarding Cassius. The Beta possessed a slick, practiced charm, but beneath his refined exterior lay an insufferable arrogance that made her skin prickle. There was an undercurrent of sly, calculating darkness behind his eyes—something off and deeply untrustworthy that she couldn’t quite put her finger on just yet.

As Cassius dismissively brushed off a polite question from Cynthia about the Frostwell pack’s winter preparations, Lydia caught a subtle shift in Gamma Liam’s posture. The thirty-year-old Gamma’s jaw tightened, his sharp eyes flashing with a cold, suppressed irritation before he smoothly interjected to answer Cynthia with the proper numbers. Lydia tilted her head, her observant nature picking up on the quiet rift between the two ranking males. Liam wasn’t just maintaining professional military discipline; he held a deep, unspoken distaste for his own Beta.

“You aren’t very friendly for someone sent to build a bridge between our packs, Beta Cassius,” Lydia remarked, her clear voice slicing through the quiet room.

The table fell silent. Mason shot his daughter a stern, warning glare, but Lydia held her ground, leaning back slightly as she met Cassius’s startled gaze.

Cassius’s arrogant mask faltered for a fraction of a second before he forced a tight, artificial smile onto his face. “I am merely a pragmatic man focused on business, Lady Lydia.”

“Focus shouldn’t look so much like contempt,” she countered softly, not flinching for a second.

Across from them, Liam took a slow, deliberate sip from his glass. A brief, subtle glint of amusement flickered in the Gamma’s dark eyes before he masked it, clearly approving of the way the petite, feisty Alpha female had called out the Beta’s condescending attitude.

Once the plates were cleared and final, tearful goodbyes were exchanged on the gravel driveway, the Frostwell convoy prepared for departure. To Lydia’s immense relief, Cassius claimed the lead SUV with his own chosen guards, leaving Gamma Liam to hold open the door to the second vehicle for her.

Lydia climbed into the back, her stomach knotting as the Howlers packhouse shrank into the rearview mirror. Liam slid into the seat beside her, while two silent, broad-shouldered Frostwell warriors occupied the front. For the first hour of the long drive north, only the steady hum of tires against asphalt filled the cabin.

“He isn’t usually like this,” Liam finally spoke, his deep voice cutting through the heavy silence. He didn’t turn his head immediately, but his posture relaxed slightly as he looked out the tinted window. “Alpha Asher, I mean.”

Lydia shifted in her leather seat, crossing her arms over her chest as her green eyes focused on the Gamma. “Could have fooled me. Sending his lieutenants to collect his future bride feels pretty dismissive.”

“A rogue group pushed up against our eastern border at dawn,” Liam explained, turning to meet her gaze with dark, steady eyes. “Asher doesn’t delegate security when his pack is threatened. He stays on the front lines until the threat is neutralized. He intended to come himself, but his duty kept him at the territory line.”

Lydia held his stare, assessing him carefully. She could tell Liam respected his Alpha deeply—a stark contrast to the hollow, slick flattery Cassius offered.

“And what about Cindy?” she asked plainly, refusing to beat around the bush. “I hear she’s practically sitting on his throne.”

A small, fleeting smirk touched the corner of Liam’s mouth, revealing a glimpse of the sharp humour beneath his disciplined military exterior. “Cindy Torelli has loud ambitions and quiet motives. She wants the title of Luna, but Asher hasn’t given her a mark, nor has he declared her his chosen mate. The Elders insist on an Alpha female, but more importantly, Asher needs someone who can actually hold their own.”

Liam glanced briefly toward the lead vehicle cruising far ahead on the highway before turning back to her. “You called Cassius out at lunch today. Not many people have the guts to do that to a Beta.”

“He earned it,” Lydia said softly. “And I don’t plan on keeping my mouth shut just to make things easy for everyone.”

“Good,” Liam said, his tone carrying a rare, genuine warmth that made Lydia feel a fraction less alone. “Because the Frostwell pack doesn’t need another delicate ornament, Lady Lydia. It needs someone with a backbone.”