Chapter 17

Elvira POV

The silence between us wasn’t loud, it was only suffocating.

Alpha Jaxon leaned back into his chair, one leg crossed over the other, his sharp eyes fixated on me with that unreadable coldness he always wore. It didn’t help that we were sitting alone in his study again, the same room where every word felt like a test.

“Deric and I grew up together,” he began, breaking the silence with a tone that sounded like a story on the edge of caution. “Different packs, yes, but we were close. Like brothers. His parents were always off negotiating peace, so he studied with me in Morrien. Spent most of his time in our territory.”

I nodded slowly, keeping my eyes down. I could feel the blood rushing in my ears. It was one thing to know Deric now—as the calm, quiet, observing Alpha he presented himself as, but hear