Her fingers twitched in mine, but she didn’t pull away. Didn’t argue. She nodded once—sharp, sure—and I felt her wolf settle against mine like a blade sliding into a sheath. Not submissive. Not questioning. Aligned.
“Axel,” I said without breaking our gaze. “Send them through. Two at a time.”
He moved without hesitation.
Rowen’s hand tightened in mine as I led her from the hall, past wolves who were still on their knees, a part of me hating their submission, but I didn’t let it rattle me.
The hallway to the office felt different this time—heavier somehow. But not just from tension. Fromchange.The kind of shift that cracks stone and bends steel.
Rowen stayed close. Not following—walking beside me. Not just my mate now. Not just the Hollow’s heir. She was part of this reckoning.
We reached the office. I opened the door, held it for her. She paused only a moment, then stepped inside, her chin high, her spine straight. I followed and closed the door behind us.
“I’m not going to hurt them,” I said.
“I wouldn’t respect you if you did.”
I turned to her. “Then we’re agreed.”
Her mouth curved—not into a smile, but into something fiercer. Something older. The kind of expression born of legacy and pressure and fire forged in the dark.
The first two waited just outside.
“Let them in,” I called, with Rowen by my side.
And we began.
Chapter 21
Rowen
The office emptied slowly.One by one, the pack was questioned and dismissed or detained.
Wolfe hadn’t moved from behind the desk in over three hours.
He sat in the chair that had once belonged to my father, elbows on the arms, fingers steepled in front of his mouth. His eyes were closed. His Will had receded—mostly—but the heaviness of it lingered in the room like smoke after a fire.
He hadn’t said a word since the last shifter left, and I hadn’t pushed.
Not yet.
The bond might not be sealed, but it was very much alive. I felt it now—pulling me toward him, even when he didn’t ask for anything at all. I crossed the room and stopped a few feet from him. Let the silence envelop us for a moment longer before I broke it.
“You need to rest.”
His head tilted slightly. He didn’t open his eyes. “Not yet.”
Stubborn male. “You’re drained. I can feel it.”
“I can’t afford to be.”
I stepped closer. “You can’t afford to burn out, either.”
Finally, his eyes opened. Silver was fading back to blue, the sharp edge dulled by exhaustion. He looked at me like he wasn’t entirely sure where he was for a moment.
Not unsure of me. Just unsure if he couldlet go.
“Don’t do this,” I murmured softly. “Don’t beat yourself up like this. You held back,” I said softly. “I felt it.”
