Chapter 5 No.5

Delilah POV

The transition from the hallway to the Ancestral Dining Hall felt like walking from a freezer into a furnace, though the temperature hadn't changed. It was the pressure. The air was thick enough to choke on, saturated with the scent of roasted venison, old money, and the overwhelming, storm-laden pheromones of the Alpha King.

We sat at a long mahogany table that could easily seat fifty. Carter sat at the head, a dark monarch on a high-backed velvet throne. Jaden sat to his right, and I was placed beside my husband, close enough to smell the sour tang of his sweat battling with his expensive cologne.

The silence was absolute, broken only by the scrape of silver knives against bone china.

"The Crimson Fang Pack," Carter said. He didn't raise his voice, but the sound carried effortlessly to the vaulted ceiling. He sliced into his steak with surgical precision, blood welling up around the blade. "Explain to me, Jaden, why their patrols were spotted near our eastern hunting grounds last week."

Jaden choked on his wine. He grabbed his napkin, dabbing frantically at his lips, his face paling. "It... it was a misunderstanding, Carter. A navigational error. I spoke to their Alpha-"

"You spoke," Carter repeated, his tone flat. He set his knife down. The clatter echoed like a gunshot. "While you were speaking, they annexed three miles of prime forest. You didn't negotiate, brother. You capitulated."

"They are savages!" Jaden protested, his voice shrill. "I was trying to avoid a war!"

"A war is avoided by strength, not by rolling over and showing your belly," Carter growled. His storm-gray eyes bored into Jaden, stripping him bare. "Your lack of results is concerning. This family expects better."

Jaden shrank into his chair, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy. I stared at my plate, my appetite gone. It was brutal to watch, yet a dark, treacherous part of me-my wolf-felt a thrill of satisfaction seeing Jaden's arrogance crumbled by a true Alpha.

Suddenly, Carter's gaze shifted. I felt it physically, a heat wave rolling over my skin.

"And you," Carter said, his voice dropping an octave, becoming smoother, darker. "What do you bring to this family, Delilah? Besides your silence."

I opened my mouth, but Jaden cut in before I could make a sound.

"She manages the estate," Jaden said quickly, desperate to reclaim some semblance of authority. He waved a hand at me dismissively. "She keeps the staff in line, organizes the menus. She's a good little Omega. Domestic. Quiet."

My hands clenched in my lap, nails digging into my palms until they stung. Domestic. Quiet.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell them that the songs playing on the radio-the ones that calmed the most feral wolves during the full moon-were mine. That I was the ghostwriter behind the industry's biggest hits. But I bit my tongue. In this house, I was just an accessory.

Carter's eyes lingered on my face, catching the flash of defiance I couldn't quite hide. A corner of his mouth ticked up.

"Perhaps," Carter murmured, swirling the dark red wine in his goblet, "she simply needs the right environment to... showcase her true administrative talents."

The words were neutral, but his gaze was sharp.

Before Jaden could respond, a loud, slurring voice broke the tension. It was Uncle Silas, a distant cousin who had indulged too freely in the vintage brandy.

"Speaking of new ventures," Silas bellowed, raising his glass with a sly grin. "I hear congratulations are in order, Jaden. Rumor has it your... musical collaborations are proving to be especially fruitful these days."

The room went dead still. The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees instantly.

Jaden froze, his fork hovering halfway to his mouth. "That... that is just gossip. Industry chatter."

Carter didn't look at Silas. He looked at Jaden. He picked up his bone-handled knife again, testing the edge with his thumb.

"The laws of our bloodline are clear," Carter said softly. The menace in his voice was terrifying because it was so calm. "Any union not sanctioned by this family holds no standing. And those who disregard our traditions with such carelessness... They risk their place at this table."

Jaden's hand shook so violently that his fork clattered onto his plate. The sound rang out, a death knell in the silence.

"Of course," Jaden whispered, his voice trembling. "I know the laws, Carter."

"Good." Carter took a sip of his wine, his eyes never leaving Jaden's terrified face.

Desperate to shift the crosshairs, Jaden turned on me. "It's Delilah who has been causing issues, actually. She refused to sign the requisition forms for the Luna's winter stockpile. I haven't been able to send the supplies to the Beta because of her incompetence."

I gaped at him. "I didn't refuse. I asked to read them first because the numbers didn't add up-"

"See?" Jaden interrupted, looking at Carter with a pleading expression. "She's difficult. Obstinate."

Carter turned his head slowly toward me. The air around us grew heavy with unsaid words. His gaze held mine, a silent, piercing scrutiny that felt like he was reading every secret I held. It was an unnerving clarity, and my composure wavered. My heart raced, and a wave of apprehension-the weight of my deception-coursed through me. I felt a sudden flush of anxiety rise, my face warming in a way Jaden likely mistook for shame.

"Is that so?" Carter asked, his voice silky. He wasn't looking at Jaden. He was staring right at me, his pupils blown wide, darkening with power.

I sat perfectly still, my own silence acting as my only defense.

"Caution is a virtue, Jaden," Carter said, his eyes locking onto mine, holding me captive. "It seems she pays more attention to the details than you do."

He held my gaze for a second longer-torturously long-before abruptly looking away. The loss of his focus left me shivering.

Carter stood up abruptly. The scraping of his chair signaled the end of the meal. Every wolf in the room scrambled to stand, heads bowed.

"I am tired of this," Carter announced, buttoning his jacket. He looked down at me, his expression unreadable, masking the beast that had just made a silent claim on me.

"You," he commanded, pointing a finger at me. "The main library. In five minutes. We will review these inventory discrepancies."

"Carter, I can-" Jaden started.

"Sit down, Jaden," Carter snapped, his voice cracking like a whip. "You have disappointed me enough for one night."

He turned and strode toward the double doors without looking back, expecting to be obeyed.

I stood up on shaky legs, feeling Jaden's resentful glare burning into my back. I had no choice. I was walking out of the frying pan and straight into the fire, and the worst part was, my wolf was wagging her tail the entire way.