I stayed silent in my seat, letting the weight of the situation settle around me like contested territory. The conference room no longer felt like neutral ground—it felt like a pack boundary already being challenged from the outside.
Alice stood across from me, her expression calm but her scent sharp with satisfaction she was trying too hard to conceal.
"I don't think you should involve President Presgrave in this," she said lightly, as if offering advice instead of control. "Dragging an Alpha-level authority into this will only escalate things. You should apologize quickly and compensate Savill to prevent further damage to Bourgeois' standing."
Her words were careful, strategic—like she was guiding me toward a corner she had already marked.
But I didn't move.
"Why would I apologize," I said slowly, "when I didn't steal anything?"
My gaze lifted to hers, steady and unyielding. "The ones who should be apologizing are Savill."
A flicker of irritation broke through her composure.
