ALFRED POV

The banquet hall was a huge success. Torch lighting gleaming off armor, the air thick with the scents of roast boar, spiced wine, and the raw power of different Alphas. Laugher and political chatter filled the air around me. It was a perfect display of my pack’s strength. Yet, my focus was on the woman sitting silently beside me.

Hanni had been a statue since the introductions. Flawless, beautiful, but cold as ice. Her smile at the High Mountain Alpha and his Luna had been so brittle that I feared it would shatter.

Now, at the high table, she merely pushed her food around her gold rimmed plate....