Chapter 63

I took my seat at the head of the table, feeling their eyes on me. Their silence wasn’t one of respect—it was the quiet before a storm.

“We need to talk about Dante,” Osric said, breaking the stillness. His voice was measured but carried the weight of what we were all thinking.

“This pack is stronger when it’s united. Right now, it isn’t.”

The words hung in the air like a challenge, and I forced myself to meet his gaze, steady and unflinching.

“Dante has done nothing but fight for this pack since he returned,” I said firmly.

“He risked his life in the battle at the border. He’s training our younger wolves, strengthening them. That doesn’t look like disloyalty to me.”

“His actions may speak of loyalty,” Geth interjected, his tone sharp, “but his presence speaks of division. Some of the pack look to him as a potential Alpha, and you can’t deny that.”