"Alpha Vladimir, what are you saying?"
Voren's voice came out low, controlled, but his eyes sharpened with the kind of focus that preceded violence. His father knew something. Something he had been holding back.
"I've heard rumors from the older Alphas." Vladimir's face grew grim, shadows pooling in the deep lines around his eyes. "Their replacements have decided to fix a punishment that demands your life."
The words landed like stones dropped into still water. Ripples of unease spread through the room. Everybody present felt the weight of them, the cold finality.
"Why do you think I brought this up?"
Voren looked calm. His posture remained relaxed, his hands resting flat on the table. But pain registered in his eyes, a flicker of something raw and wounded that he couldn't quite hide.
"So if we hadn't had this meeting, would you have ever told me?"
Vladimir shook his head, the movement slow and heavy. "No."
