Pate's pov
The morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the pack house, warming the wooden floors and casting intricate patterns along the walls. It might have been a beautiful day for others, but for me, the brightness only highlighted the turmoil inside. I couldn't shake the heavy feeling in my chest,the weight of discontent that had been growing for days.
Paul's leadership, once firm and unyielding, was now questioned in hushed tones around the pack. I heard it in the murmurs of the kitchen staff, the glances exchanged by the warriors during training. They doubted him. More importantly, they doubted me,his mate, his equal.
But I knew the real reason for the unrest. It wasn't just Paul. It was her. Pecan.
She didn't belong here, and her presence threatened everything we'd built. Her very existence was a disruption, a crack in the foundation of the pack that we could not afford.
