his eyes met mine, I froze.
Crimson.
Not just red, but glowing like embers in the night.
The eyes of a predator who had seen too much blood.
My breath caught in my throat.
If my brother noticed me staring, he would punish me later.
But for once, I couldn't look away.
Alpha Dane didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
The air shifted around him, heavy and sharp, pressing down on everyone present.
Warriors bowed.
Women lowered their gazes.
Even my brother—the man who acted as though he feared nothing—kept his head bent.
But Dane kept watching me.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
Why me?
I was nothing.
No wolf.
No power.
Just a servant, dirt under everyone's boots.
And yet, his eyes lingered.
"Alpha Dane," my brother's voice broke the silence, desperate and trembling. "Our pack welcomes you. Everything we have is yours to command."
His smile was fake.
I knew it well.
The same smile he wore when he lied to the Elders about me.
Dane's gaze finally tore away from mine, but only to look at my brother.
"Everything?"
"Yes," my brother replied quickly, bowing deeper. "You'll find no resistance here. Our loyalty is yours."
Lies.
All of it.
But I kept my head down, clutching the tray in my shaking hands.
If I dropped it, if I drew any more attention, I would regret it.
Still… I felt his eyes on me again.
Watching.
Measuring.
As if he could see past my skin and into the hollow place where my wolf used to be.
And in that moment, I realized something far more terrifying than fear.
He had noticed me.