Alessia POV:
Santino’s declaration echoed off the marble floors and vaulted ceilings of the grand hall. The words hung in the cold air, heavy and absolute.
I didn't move. I kept my hands resting lightly on the oak banister, maintaining my position on the upper stairs. I looked down at them, my face perfectly blank.
My gaze drifted from Santino’s hard jaw down to the woman standing half-hidden behind him. I stared specifically at her flat stomach beneath the thin white fabric.
Santino cleared his throat. The sound was loud in the dead silence. "Valentina is pregnant," he announced, his voice carrying the firm weight of an Alpha. "She is carrying the child of our late Beta."
Right on cue, Valentina lowered her head. Her shoulders hitched up, and a small, pathetic sob escaped her lips. Two perfect tears rolled down her cheeks.
My eyes narrowed. The royal training drilled into me since childhood kicked in automatically. I bypassed her fake tears and scanned the bare skin of her neck. I was looking for the raised, scarred flesh of a mate mark.
There was nothing. The skin was completely smooth. Valentina noticed my stare and deliberately reached up, pulling the collar of her dress down just a fraction more to expose her unmarked shoulder.
A sharp, breathy scoff escaped my lips.
The sound was incredibly soft, but in the pin-drop silence of the entryway, it cracked like a whip.
Santino’s head snapped up. His thick eyebrows crashed together over his nose. His jaw clenched tight. He was the Alpha of Silver Creek; he was not used to his authority being questioned, especially not by the wife he believed to be weak and submissive.
Valentina let out a tiny gasp and shrank closer against Santino’s side. She buried her face in his shoulder, trembling like a frightened rabbit.
I stood straight, my spine stiff. I opened my mouth, my voice ringing out clear and steady. "Article four hundred and two of the Territory Security Law."
The maids standing along the walls gasped softly. Several of them exchanged wide-eyed, terrified glances.
"Unmarked stray wolves are strictly prohibited from taking residence within the central pack house," I stated, reciting the law verbatim. My tone was clinical, devoid of any emotion.
Santino’s face drained of color, then flushed a dark, furious red.
He stared at me as if I had grown a second head. For three years, I had nodded, smiled, and agreed with every decision he made. He thought he owned my obedience. He had no idea that my knowledge of pack law came from a lifetime of royal leadership training.
Suddenly, Valentina let out a sharp, breathless whine. Her hands flew to her flat stomach, and she doubled over slightly.
Santino’s attention snapped back to her. He wrapped his thick arm securely around her waist, pulling her flush against his side. "Are you alright?" he demanded urgently.
He snapped his head back toward me. The dark brown of his irises vanished, replaced by the glowing, blood-red light of an enraged Alpha.
The air in the grand hall instantly thickened. The scent of pine, usually crisp and clean, turned sharp and suffocating. It smelled like burning needles and raw aggression.
The maids couldn't handle the physical weight of his dominance. One by one, their knees hit the marble floor. They curled into themselves, pressing their foreheads to the ground, whimpering in pain.
A crushing, invisible weight slammed down onto my shoulders. It felt like a solid block of concrete had been dropped on my spine.
Because of the suppressant I had swallowed just minutes ago, my body was already weak. My knees buckled slightly. My thigh muscles trembled violently under the dress as they fought to keep me upright.
I clamped my jaw shut. My teeth ground together so hard my jaw ached. I curled my fingers around the thick oak railing and squeezed.
My fingernails bit into the polished wood. I pushed down with all my remaining strength, using the banister as a crutch.
I forced my knees to lock. I shoved my shoulders back. I would die before I let my knees touch the floor in front of this stray.
Santino watched me fighting his aura. The fact that I was still standing only fueled his rage. The red glow in his eyes flared brighter.
He took a heavy step forward. He unleashed the absolute maximum output of his Alpha aura, directing the entire crushing force straight at me.
The pressure inside my chest spiked. A sharp, metallic taste coated my tongue. Warm blood seeped from my gums.
Santino bared his teeth, his voice a deep, vibrating growl that shook the floorboards.
"Move out of the way, before I strip you of your title right here."
