Voren's verdict hung heavy in the air, echoing across the deck like a death sentence. As the Alpha, his word was final. Nobody challenged him. Nobody even thought about it.
The last bit of strength drained from Olivia's legs and she collapsed to her knees on the hard wooden deck, the rough surface scraping against her skin. Tears poured endlessly down her face as she stared up at Voren with desperate, pleading eyes.
"Voren… please," she begged, her voice trembling so badly it threatened to shatter. "I spent my whole life raising you." She pressed both hands hard against her chest, sobbing openly. "All the love I could never give my own daughter, I poured it into you instead."
Her shoulders shook violently as she crawled forward a little, her face twisted with raw desperation. "Please…don't do this."
Voren didn't move an inch. His expression stayed as cold and hard as stone while he looked at her the same way he would stare at an enemy who had destroyed everything he held dear.
