Isla's POV
Damien was losing it.
Isla watched from across the great hall as he pushed through the crowd toward her, his face flushed and desperate. Around them, the other Alphas had gone silent, sensing something was about to break.
"Isla, we need to talk," Damien said, his voice cracking. "Privately. There's so much you don't understand about what happened between us."
The murmurs started immediately.
Alphas exchanged glances. One of them actually shook his head like he was disappointed. She heard fragments of whispered conversations. "Control." "Stability." "New Alpha already making mistakes."
Cassian appeared at her elbow, his presence a wall of quiet authority. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to. The way he stood next to her made it clear that Damien's attempt at intimacy was pathetic.
Damien's face crumpled. He looked like a boy now, not an Alpha at all.
