로그인Brie's POV
The door opens and when Damien sees me, his eyes go cold, and his voice cuts through the air.
“Who was in here?”
I count the places on my face where I can feel the bruises, one on the jaw and one high on the cheek. My skin pulls when I speak, reopening my split lip.
“No one,” I say.
Brie’s POVAfter a while I can no longer feel the cold stone beneath my knees. My body has turned into something hollow, a shell carved out by exhaustion and a fragile numbness.Somewhere deep inside, Jackling is curled into an impenetrable, silent ball, refusing to look out and feel the predatory eyes burning into my back.She isn’t hiding from them. She’s protecting the one thing they can’t have. And every scrap of strength she has left is wrapped around that tiny heartbeat.The silence in the grand hall is thick enough to cut. The clinking of silver has stopped. The murmurs have faded into a breathless, expectant hush.They’re waiting for the show to continue.To them,
Damien’s POVMy throat goes on lockdown. Voss slams against the inside of my skull hard enough that my vision flickers for a second.My teeth ache from how hard I’ve been clenching my jaw.I look at Brie.She’s still on her knees in the exact center of the stone floor, black silk pooled around her like spilled ink.Her chin is up, her eyes still on him, hands flat and shoulders locked so tight I can see the fine tremor running down her spine even from here.The mate bond pulses between us, raw, jagged, and wrong. I can taste her fear like it’s my own, copper and static in my mouth.Dexter’s eyes never leave me. The threat sits
Damien’s POVThe chair at my left is empty. It’s been empty all night, and now I understand why.Voss is thrashing inside my skull, a blind, feral storm of claws and teeth, roaring for me to flip the heavy table, and to snap Dexter’s neck.‘He’s breaking her,’ Voss howls, the voice tearing raw across my consciousness. ‘He’s breaking us.’I can’t move. My fingers are locked into the edge of the table, the wood splintering slightly under my grip.Father watches me with a smirk on his face.He knows I’m cornered. He’s left me one choice, and it will mutilate what’s left of my soul.&
Alpha Dexter’s POVI let the second course settle before I stand to address my guests.The scrape of my chair cuts through the low murmur of every conversation. Crystal and silver fall silent. Every pair of eyes at the long table turns toward the head.I rest one hand on the table and look down the length of the room.My voice carries without effort.“Alphas. Betas. Honored guests.”The room settles.“It is my honor to host this year’s Alpha Summit. Every year, packs from across the country gather under one roof to discuss the matters that shape our future. The borders, our trade, security, resources, and mutual protection. The preservation of our traditions.”I pause.“But beneath all those discussions lies something far more important.” I slowly lift my glass. “Loyalty.”The room quiets again.“Loyalty is what allows an alliance to survive after the handshakes are finished and the wine has been emptied. It is what keeps a neighboring pack from becoming an enemy. It is what makes a B
Alpha Dexter’s POVThe Great Hall of Snowdon is a goddamn cathedral of power, and I’ve built every inch of it to remind every other Alpha who walks through those doors exactly where they stand.Crystal chandeliers blaze overhead, throwing light across the long oak table polished to a mirror shine.Servers in black move like ghosts, pouring vintage wine that costs more than most of these packs see in a year.The air is thick with the scent of roasted pork, rare steaks, and the sharp metallic undercurrent of dominant wolves sizing each other up.I stand at the head of the table, shoulders squared, the weight of the Snowdon crest heavy on my chest.This is my stage. These are my pieces.
Damien’s POVThe stone corridors of the Snowdon estate blur past me like gray streaks of malice.Every step feels like walking over live coals.Voss is clawing at the walls of my mind, desperate to tear free, howling a relentless, bloody chorus of ‘she’s mine, tear them apart, rip their throats out.’I swallow the iron taste of rage rising in the back of my throat, but it doesn’t help. Her eyes found mine across the entrance hall hours ago, and I gave her the smallest nod. It’s still eating at me, the promise I made a week ago. Claws in.She’s terrified and hiding it behind that brittle, untouchable armor of hers, but I know her better than anyone.I can feel t







