As expected, they all fall silent whenever I'm around.
Fucking cowards.
"All is well, Alpha. No wounds, no bruises, no broken bones or internal bleeding," the pack's doctor said with a small smile. Laura was an old omega who'd served the pack since my parents' time. Her mate had once stood beside my father, a loyal warrior until the very end.
"Are you sure?" I asked again, not because I doubted her—but because I couldn't afford mistakes.
She rolled her eyes and tugged gently at my ear. "Are you doubting my skills, pup?"
A reluctant smile tugged at my lips. "No, I'm not, Laura."
She gave me that warm look I'd grown used to—one I hadn't seen since my mother's death. Laura was the closest thing I had to a mother now.
"I know what you're really asking, Cassian." She sat beside me, her hand wrapping around mine like she always did when checking me after a shift.
I met her gaze. She held it a moment longer before tapping my hand and standing up.
"Should I...cancel the meeting?" Luke asked from the doorway, uncertainty in his voice.
The post-full-moon council was always heated—lots of posturing and bitterness from the old alphas—but I was in the mood to be entertained.
"No," I stood, stretching the tension from my shoulders. "Let's go."
We reached the council room. I paused at the door, listening to the quiet murmurs of those who thought I couldn't hear them. Then I entered.
As if on cue, the room went silent. I walked to the head of the table, their eyes following me with barely concealed contempt.
Good. Let them hate.
"What did I miss?" I asked, reclining lazily into my chair.
Silence.
"I said," I growled, my voice low and threaded with the beast beneath my skin, "what did I miss?"
A few throats cleared.
"The rival packs…they're getting bolder, Alpha," one of the older alphas finally spoke, his voice tight.
"I've heard," I nodded, steepling my fingers.
"I suggest we send some of the younger alphas to reinforce our borders," he continued.
"Yes, I concur," another chimed in.
Predictable. Always the same game. Old wolves too cowardly to step up, too proud to stay down.
My eyes drifted to the first speaker. "I reckon Skylar will be part of the group?"
He stiffened but didn't answer.
I turned to the second. "And Leon?"
Silence again. They didn't need to answer. I could see it in their eyes. Pushing their sons into battle to curry favor—or worse, to remove obstacles to their ambitions.
"Very well," I said calmly. "Let's send them."
Their heads jerked up in surprise. I rarely agreed so quickly. But if they wanted to play with fire, who was I to deny them?
Let their sons face the Midnight Pack.
A pack of cast-outs and rogues. Dangerous, vicious, unpredictable. Their Alpha, Sirius, was a brutal beast with no mercy and no code. They thrived on chaos and blood. Sending untested alphas there would be a slaughter.
"We shall prepare them right away," Skylar's father said, smiling like a fool.
I stood.
"Let—"
"We have a trespasser, Alpha," one of my patrol betas interrupted as he entered, bowing low.
I turned sharply. "Who dares trespass in my territory?"
"It's… it's a white wolf, sir."
Gasps erupted around the room. Murmurs of disbelief followed.
My brow furrowed. "A white wolf? Are you certain?"
The beta nodded quickly, sweat already lining his brow.
White wolves were rare. Incredibly rare. Especially in these parts. Something was wrong.
I didn't wait. I shifted.
My midnight-black wolf exploded free with a snarl. The others immediately followed suit—none dared remain in human form when my wolf walked the halls.
We stormed down to the ground floor. The cells were cold and damp, carved into stone, and reinforced with silver-lined bars.
Before I reached her cell, her scent slammed into me.
Female. Unfamiliar. Unsettling.
I rounded the corner—and froze.
There she was.
A white wolf.
Not just white—pure. Pristine fur, unmarred by dirt or blood, as if the world hadn't yet touched her. She sat at the back of the cell, head low but alert, her bright blue eyes glowing in the dim light.
She was the very image of legend.
She raised her head and met my gaze.
I shifted back, muscles rippling as my human form returned. I stepped closer to the cell.
"Identify yourself," I said, voice clipped and cold. "Why were you on my land?"
She didn't answer.
Her gaze narrowed, as if she wanted to speak, to explain—but no sound came.
My patience wore thin, but my wolf stirred, snarling beneath my skin.
She knows something. She doesn't belong.
But she wasn't afraid. That made her dangerous.
Or something more.