CATHERINE’S POV
Marcus’s pack had always favored strength over subtlety.
The Alpha residence reflected that philosophy, all dark wood, reinforced walls, and wide windows that did not soften the world beyond them, only framed it.
I stood near one of those windows now, my gaze resting not on the forest stretching endlessly into shadow, but on the faint reflection cast across the glass.
The darkness outside revealed nothing.
The glass, however, showed me everything I needed to see.
Myself, composed and still.
The low, amber glow of the overhead lights.
And Marcus Draven, lounging far too comfortably against the edge of the table behind me, as though the ground beneath his carefully constructed empire had not begun to shift.
“You’ve been quiet,” he said at last, his voice carrying that familiar edge of mockery that always grated against my patience. “That’s rarely a good sign.”
“Neither is incompetence,” I replied evenly without turning. “And yet here we are.”
