Chapter 83

The office still smelled like my father.

Old leather, bourbon, and the smoke from a fire he always kept too high. I sat in his chair, buried in paperwork—maps, council reports, and patrol routes. None of it made sense. The chair felt massive, like I was a kid playing dress-up in a man's life.

Outside, the pack was already moving. Guards in black, people gathering for the funeral, everyone waiting for me to step up and be the Alpha King they needed.

But I was just exhausted.

I rubbed my eyes and signed another paper without even looking at it. Then, the heavy doors pushed open.

Marcus walked in first, followed by three Elders. They were old, powerful, and carried that quiet danger that comes with surviving too many wars.

"Alpha Nathan," the first one said.

I leaned back, my eyes fixed on them. "Can I help you?"

They didn't sit. They just stood there, which was enough to make my blood simmer.

Marcus st