Rafael's POV 

The council chamber smelled of old wood, polished stone, and the sharp tang of dominant alphas trying to out-scent one another.

I walked in last, as always, and the room shifted the moment I crossed the threshold. This was the part of my life I kept separate from the house, the part where I wasn’t just Chloe’s father or the man who had fallen too hard for her best friend. Here, I was Alpha Blackridge.

I took my seat at the head of the long oak table. “Let’s begin.”

No one wasted time once I sat down.

“Alpha Blackridge, we’ll start with the eastern border." Elder Elision opened...