“Julio?” I echoed, narrowing my eyes.
He jerked his head up, beads of sweat glistening on his brow. The instant our eyes locked, he dropped his gaze again.
“I’m sorry, Alpha Helio,” he corrected quickly, voice trembling, “for disrespecting your mate.”
I shut my eyes for a long moment, forcing the raging heat in my veins to settle. When I opened them again and faced the room, the others were already rising slowly to their feet. Calisto’s eyes met mine for only a heartbeat—then they flickered with something close to fear before he hurriedly looked away.
A soft, incredulous chuckle broke the silence. I turned to find Danae watching me, her expression caught somewhere between wonder and disbelief.
“You’ve awakened the true Alpha power,” she said quietly.
Eleanor stood motionless, her fac
