Rejected by the Alpha Heir, Mated to His Rival Brother
He had the rare quality of genuine stillness when he listened — no small movements, no tells, no indication of where his thoughts were landing.
When I finished he said, "And the bloodline. You think it changes this."
"I think a stabilized power of that magnitude changes the calculus entirely. Ironpeak's leverage exists because they control something irreplaceable. The bloodline is also irreplaceable. It's the one thing they cannot buy, manufacture, or take by force." I kept my voice even. "A formal alliance between our packs, with the bloodline as its foundation, makes us something Ironpeak has no framework for dealing with."