Iris stepped forward, her eyes wide with nervousness. When she saw Lucian, she stopped dead, her breath catching.
The raw power radiating from him was overwhelming. The intensity of his presence was suffocating. His eyes, though no longer fully gold, still held that dangerous edge that suggested barely restrained violence.
Iris blushed deeply, her entire face turning crimson.
"Please follow , Alpha," she managed, her voice barely above a whisper.
Lucian nodded and followed her, his body moving with the kind of controlled grace that suggested significant effort was being expended to maintain human form.
As he walked away, every muscle in his body seed tight with tension. His hands were clenched. His jaw was locked. The predatory energy that surrounded him seed to mark a trail as he moved.
When Lucian disappeared from view, Nicholas turned to Garrett.
"Garrett," Nicholas said, his voice smooth and controlled. "May I have a word with you? In private?"
It was phrased as a question, but the tone made it clear it wasn’t optional. This was an alpha making a request that couldn’t be refused without serious consequences.
Garrett bowed slightly, a gesture of respect for the power dynamic...and said, "Of course, Alpha. Please, follow ."
He turned and walked toward his office, fully aware that this conversation was going to be significant.
Nicholas followed, his dark eyes scanning the compound as he moved, taking in every detail, every warrior position, every detail of Shadowre’s layout.
Sebastian fell into step behind his eldest brother.
The two Blackwood brothers walking together through the compound created a palpable shift in the atmosphere. The other alphas watched them go, speculation written across their faces.
What did the Blackwoods want with Garrett? Why was Lucian reacting so intensely? What was happening here?
The mystery deepened with every step they took toward Garrett’s office.
Luke watched them go, his warrior instincts screaming that sothing significant had just shifted. Sothing beyond the Summit. Sothing beyond simple politics.
He exchanged a look with the Nightfall alpha, and saw his own confusion reflected back at him.
Whatever had just happened, whatever had caused Lucian to lose control so completely, it was going to change everything.
And no one in the courtyard had any idea what it was.
***
The walk to Garrett’s office was silent.
Nicholas led the way with the kind of confident authority that suggested he’d walked these halls before, already mapping the territory in his mind. Sebastian moved with predatory grace beside him. Garrett followed, his mind racing with questions he couldn’t yet voice.
When they reached the office, Nicholas didn’t wait for invitation or gesture. He simply moved to Garrett’s desk chair and sat down, settling into it like it belonged to him.
Sebastian leaned against the wall near the window, his dark eyes tracking Garrett’s movents with the precision of a warrior assessing a threat.
Garrett stood just inside the closed door, acutely aware that the power dynamic in this room had completely shifted. The alpha whose office this was was no longer in control.
Nicholas adjusted himself in the chair, getting comfortable, making a point with the gesture. Then he looked directly at Garrett.
"I will get straight to the point," Nicholas said, his voice smooth and asured. "First, I want to congratulate you for being chosen to host the Summit this year. It’s an honor that speaks to your pack’s capability and standing."
The complint felt like a velvet-wrapped threat.
"Second," Nicholas continued, "I want you to assign Victor’s daughter to our quarters during the duration of our stay here."
The statent hung in the air between them.
Garrett’s mind went completely blank for a mont. He stared at Nicholas, feeling like he’d developed two heads all of a sudden.
"With all due respect, Alpha Nicholas," Garrett said carefully, his voice steady despite the alarm bells ringing in his mind, "may I ask why you are requesting for Lilith?"
Before Nicholas could answer, Sebastian pulled away from the wall.
He walked toward Garrett with deliberate slowness, his movents predatory and controlled. When he reached Garrett, he looked him up and down, his dark eyes assessing.
"And what right do you have to question us?" Sebastian asked.
His voice remained calm, but there was a threat in his gaze that was unmistakable. The kind of threat that ca from an alpha who could kill with his bare hands and had killed before.
But Garrett’s own alpha instinct wouldn’t allow him to back down completely. He was the host. This was his territory. He had a responsibility to his pack.
"Because she is under my protection," Garrett said, his voice carrying the weight of his authority. "She belongs to my pack."
Sebastian’s lips curved into a smile filled with mockery.
"Don’t you think that it is already too late for that now?" Sebastian asked.
Garrett’s eyes narrowed, confusion crossing his features. Too late? What did that an?
Sebastian continued, his voice dripping with dark amusent.
"I an, you were so eager to send her to our bed to pay off your pack’s cri," Sebastian said. "So eager to use her body as collateral. So eager to sacrifice her to save yourselves."
The accusation hit hard because it was true. Garrett had made that choice. Garrett had sent Lilith to the Blackwood estate as paynt.
"That was because you requested for her!" Garrett fired back, his voice sharp with justified anger. "You ca to my pack demanding paynt for a debt. You specified that you wanted her. I didn’t volunteer her. You took her!"
"That is enough," Nicholas said, his voice cutting through the mont with the precision of a blade.
He looked at his brother, then at Garrett. His eyes flashed silver, Kael showing through, the wolf recognizing the escalating aggression and asserting dominance.
"Send her to our quarters, Garrett," Nicholas said, his voice dropping to sothing dangerous and final.
Garrett looked back at him, his mind racing. This didn’t make sense. The Blackwoods had released Lilith. The contract had been fulfilled. The blood debt had been paid. Why would they want her now?
"Why?" Garrett asked, unable to stop himself.
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