Aria's POV
The head councilor looked at him. "You don't?"
"No." The answer came immediately.
I glanced at Damon. He didn't look at me. He looked directly at the councilor. "Aria doesn't need me to hold her pack in hand."
The words struck me harder than I expected. Something in my chest loosened.
The head councilor frowned. "That isn't what we meant."
"It is exactly what you meant." Damon's voice remained calm, but his Alpha aura rolled through the room like distant thunder. Every wolf in the chamber felt it.
"You've recognized her as Alpha," he continued. "If you've done that, then treat her like one and stop disrespecting her."
There was silence. My pulse quickened. I should have been grateful. I was. But instead, an uncomfortable thought slipped into my mind.
Damon could say he
