Davian.

I had meant to raise my hand at Maria.

The intention had been there the moment she stood in front of us, accused my sister openly, and dared to deny what Anabel had said. In front of the pack. In front of everyone.

She had forced my hand.

No—she had forced my pride.

When I struck her earlier, it wasn’t mindless violence. At least that’s what I told myself. It was discipline. Order. Protection of my sister’s name. If she was bold enough to accuse Anabel publicly, then she needed to understand there were consequences.

Still...

When Aidan declared, "Lock Maria up in the dungeon. We will decide how to punish her later," something inside me tightened.

The dungeon.

It was harsh.

Necessary, perhaps.

But harsh.

A part of me didn’t want that for her.

The thought irritated me instantly. Why should I care? She stood here accused of harming an Alpha. Of possibly plotting something sinister.

And yet... I just couldn’t bring myself to say a word. I couldn’t object to Aidan. None of us could, not in front of the pack. Unity was strength. Doubt was weakness.

I had planned to speak, maybe to suggest something else, something less final, but before I could, another voice cut through the corridor.

"Stop!"

Daniel.

All eyes turned to him, including mine.

What the hell was he doing?

He stepped forward boldly, scent rolling out like a challenge. My jaw clenched automatically. He was in our territory. Our pack. And he had just dared to interrupt us publicly.

Didn’t he understand what that meant?

My blood boiled instantly.

Challenge.

That was what it felt like.

A silent assertion of dominance.

But beneath that anger, buried deeper than I liked to admit, was something else.

Relief.

He had spoken.

Which meant I didn’t have to, not yet.

I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, watching him with narrowed eyes as he forced that infuriatingly calm smile onto his face. He addressed Maria first, claiming he had sent her to call Noah.

Convenient.

Very convenient.

"What’s happening here?" he asked as though he were an outsider unaware of the chaos.

I studied him carefully.

Was this an act?

Or was he genuinely confused?

My brothers stood stiffly beside me. I glanced at each of them subtly. Aidan’s expression was carved from stone. Adrien’s jaw was tight. Damien’s eyes were calculating.

I couldn’t read their thoughts, but I knew one thing, we weren’t entirely comfortable with the dungeon decision.

None of us said it.

But I felt it.

The situation had escalated too quickly.

Then Anabel spoke again.

"Alpha Daniel," she said sweetly, too sweetly, "you said you sent Maria to call Alpha Noah?"

He confirmed it.

And that was when she struck.

"Then you were the one that sent her to make him this way."

The crowd stirred.

My gaze snapped from Daniel to Anabel.

She delivered the accusation so smoothly, so confidently, that for a moment even I felt its weight.

And then she added, "I can recall the other day, you hit Vanessa for her."

That memory flashed instantly.

When Vanessa came into my room looking bruised and weak, she claimed Maria had hurt her but she never says Daniel did, but she didn’t fault to mention Maria was with a guy. I guess she was trying to protect the peace between packs and now I couldn’t help it, awave of emotions surged through me so fast I couldn’t separate them.

Anger.

Possessiveness.

Suspicion.

Jealousy?

No.

I crushed that thought immediately.

But something ugly twisted in my chest nonetheless.

Was he defending her out of honor?

Or something more?

And why did that possibility irritate me so much?

Before I even realized it, I had stepped forward.

"Can you explain yourself, Alpha Daniel?" I demanded, my voice sharper than intended.

All attention shifted again.

I locked eyes with him, letting every ounce of authority and irritation show.

"Are you in cahoots with this rogue?"

The word left my mouth deliberately.

Rogue.

A reminder of her status.

A reminder of where she stood.

Anger bubbled beneath my skin, threatening to spill over. I didn’t know if I was angrier at him for stepping in, or at myself for hesitating earlier.

The corridor felt charged, ready to explode.

If Daniel had aligned himself with Maria...

If this was some kind of scheme...

Then this wasn’t just a matter of discipline anymore.

It was a challenge.

And I wasn’t about to let anyone undermine my family in front of our pack.

Daniel stood dumbfounded for a while, at least, that was what I thought at that moment.

Alpha Daniel, standing there, scent still lingering in the air from his bold interruption, couldn’t say a single word. His mouth opened slightly, then closed again. His expression flickered, almost uncertain.

For someone who had just dared to challenge us in our own territory, he suddenly looked... cornered.

I narrowed my eyes.

What exactly was he thinking?

Why had he even joined this competition in the first place?

Darren’s reason was obvious. He craved alliances, influence, expansion. Noah’s motive was equally clear, strategy, pack strength, political advantage. Both were predictable. Manageable.

But Daniel?

I had never been able to read him.

He moved like someone with a purpose, yet never revealed it. He watched too much. Spoke too little. And now, here he was, entangled in a scandal involving a rogue and my unconscious brother.

What was he planning?

Had he known Maria before all of this?

The thought struck hard.

Was his "saving" her earlier merely coincidence? Or had it been orchestrated? A careful setup? A calculated move to infiltrate us from within?

The questions piled up in my head, one after another, each darker than the last.

Maybe this wasn’t random.

Maybe Maria wasn’t some helpless rogue caught in unfortunate circumstances.

Maybe she was a spy.

The idea settled into my thoughts with alarming ease.

Yes.

That would explain the timing. The proximity. The connection.

Every flicker of softness I had felt toward her just moments ago evaporated. Gone. Burned away by suspicion.

If she was working with him...If this had been a coordinated effort...then my earlier hesitation had been foolish.

"Speak up, Alpha Daniel!" I demanded, my voice rising higher than usual, sharper, edged with authority. "What did you send Maria to do?"

The crowd held its breath.

All eyes were on him again.

He lifted his head slowly, pulling himself out of whatever stunned silence he had been trapped in. His gaze sharpened.

"Alpha Davian," he said evenly, though there was a warning beneath his calm tone, "be careful while throwing out accusations. It might come back to hurt deeper."

For a moment, I just stared at him.

Blankly.

A second ago, he had looked caught off guard. Speechless. And now he stood there issuing veiled threats?

The shift unsettled me more than I cared to admit. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Was that confidence genuine?

Or forced?

My jaw tightened.

"And if it isn’t?" Aidan’s voice cut in before I could respond. My brother stepped forward, positioning himself slightly in front of me, a subtle show of united front.

His gaze locked onto Daniel’s without hesitation.

"Don’t you think it is more deadly?" Aidan continued, his tone colder, heavier. A challenge.

The tension between them was palpable.

Two Alphas.

Two dominant forces.

Neither willing to step back.

For a heartbeat, I thought Daniel would escalate it. That he would push further, match Aidan’s stance head-on.

Instead...he turned away, not in submission, but deliberately, his gaze shifted past us and then.....it fell on Anabel.

My sister.

"Ms. Anabel," Daniel said calmly, "why don’t you start talking before I help you out?"

The words landed like a stone dropped into still water, ripples spread instantly.

I felt it.

What did he mean by that?

Help her out?

Was he implying she was hiding something?

My eyes darted to Anabel instinctively.

She still knelt beside Noah, her posture protective, her face streaked with tears. Fragile, and devastated.

But something in my chest tightened again, Daniel’s confidence hadn’t returned randomly.

He knew something.

Or believed he did.

And in the midst of all the chaos, staring at him a thin crack appeared in my certainty.

I didn’t like it.

Not one bit.

Because if Daniel wasn’t bluffing...then this situation was far more complicated than a rogue’s betrayal.

And I hated complications.