id not c

wouldn't return. She prepared for the silence, the dull ache of t

ppointment settled in

quiet. She didn't feel anymore; she co

No messages, no explanations delivered through intermediaries. The manor r

. Mira half hoped it would be her ma

onsidered ignoring it, too out

the line. "This is Clara from the executive office. I-th

, sat up, her curiosity piqued. Her

ed calmly, biting ba

woman spoke again. "The Alp

, was not a sho

stal sector. With Assistant Ivy. At a private villa

a's lips. It wasn't amuse

ng-off' period alone. His time for 'reflection' was j

said, her voice devoid of emot

e. She simply opened her tablet and l

econds to

an, relaxed in a way she had not seen in years, one arm draped possessively around Ivy's sh

sting familiarly

ond reacte

llow echo, as if something vital had been

have guessed they were mates, b

screen, waiting fo

did

bond still existed, but it no longer felt sacred.

aking feels like,' s

ng back to her tea, which

ater, her l

preamble, his voice tig

cts, the asset mergers, the board restructuring done shortly after her wedding-all decisions sh

orce as planned, Adrian could legally cla

as originally Ste

from the ground up. The legacy h

d have entered its executive ranks under her mother'

t just take her mother's life; it left

ad been her only re

and the terms of the corporate merger, the company wa

rling legacy would always remain

omise had been little more

u can secure unwavering support from the boar

Alpha Adrian's standing in both the company and the pack, ra

e call and sa

ove had made her careless. Mar

r away with both hands,

and a bond that hurt her. She exhaled, her gaze driftin

l Ca

negotiations wit

tage on which to parade I

ate breath fill

o elevate himself, then she would use

y chance she'd get to free herself fr

rs, she logged into

d strategic advisors who had once served her father directly. P

route to the capital, her

renaline, and something t

*

f stone and authority, its gates flanked by guar

as though her heart didn't pound wildly in her ches

d the reception hall,

ancient and absolute, coated the space. It pressed against her wolf, testi

Alpha King's office, the mo

of her neck stood up,

a heartbeat before push

e was dar

relaxed, sharp grey eyes trained o

the throne by blood and strategy, and h

of his name, women cowered in

with her chin raised, her should

ha King

cing. His aura pressed down on her, dangerous in the q

moothly. The sound of her n

a f

announced

ad, fighting the tremble in

urved-not in surpri

expecting y