Luca POV
The hall was colder than it looked.
Stone walls, iron braziers, banners heavy with old victories—Thomas’s stronghold was built to remind everyone who entered that power endured. Not kindness. Not mercy. Power.
Luca stood at the center of the chamber, hands clasped behind his back, posture relaxed but alert. Every instinct told him to keep his spine loose, his stance adaptable. Predators watched stiffness.
Thomas circled him slowly, boots echoing against stone.
“You’ve been quiet,” Thomas said at last. “Most young Alphas fill silence with bravado.”
Luca didn’t turn. “I listen before I speak.”
A pause.
“That’s either wisdom,” Thomas said, “or fear.”
Luca finally met his gaze. “It’s discipline.”
Thomas smiled faintly.
“Good,” he said. “Then let’s begin properly.”
They sat
