VADEN POV
The evening passed with a warmth I hadn’t felt in years. The table was full of laughter, the clinking of wine glasses, and the hum of pleasant conversation. Alpha Brandon’s packhouse, usually a center of disciplined authority, had taken on an unusual glow. Even the council members, notorious for their cold and calculating demeanor, seemed to let loose a bit, their usual masks softened by the amber glow of the firelight and the endless flow of wine.
From my seat at the head of the table, I watched Alice and Alex, caught up in their own world. Their hands brushed under the table, and they exchanged private smiles and looks that spoke volumes. It struck me, as I watched them, that they were more than allies now; they were two parts of a whole, a connection that would fortify them
