Nathan's POV

The air in the meeting hall was thick with the scent of fear and resentment. I ignored the whispers and the lingering stares as I strode out of the room, my mind already a battlefield. The council’s verdict was clear: the first to have a child would be the next Alpha King. My child. My and Adina's pup.

As I walked down the long corridor, the familiar, elegant figure of Elena appeared before me. She was a woman of quiet authority, her movements graceful and deliberate. She fell ...