For a brief second, neither of them spoke.
Then, Hayley smiled, but it wasn't amusement.
It was the kind of smile that only appeared when anger had become so overwhelming it could no longer find another outlet.
She looked him directly in the eyes. "The only Alpha I've ever known is dead, and he was the only one worthy of ruling this family."
Silence settled across the corridor and Gaston said nothing.
Hayley took another step forward. "You're merely usurping that title. One you seem to have forgotten my father defeated you for."
She laughed bitterly.
"And after running away with your tail tucked between your legs, you suddenly return years later and start acting like none of that ever happened."
Gaston's face visibly twisted. His jaw tightened as he clenched his fist slowly.
That was the one reminder he despised above all else. That despite being the eldest, he had lost to the youngest brother.
Even now, it remained the greatest humiliation of his life.
