His name left her lips before she could stop it. "Vael?"
Across the room, Vael froze. The surprise on his face mirrored her own. Then Vael slowly stood; the scrape of his chair echoed through the room.
His eyes locked onto hers. "Vessara?"
The room instantly became silent. Neither of them looked away nor moved.
Her eyes drifted to the crest embroidered onto his dark jacket—a silver wolf.
Then her stomach tightened. No. Her gaze shifted to Elder Benjamin. Then Elder Jose. Then Theon. And back to Vael. The pieces began falling into place one by one.
The authority. The way everyone seemed to defer to him. The expensive gifts. The bodyguards. The effortless command he carried everywhere. The way people moved around him. The way people obeyed him.
Vael. Alpha Vael'Runn. Vael. Alpha Vael'Runn of House Vaeroth.
The names slammed together inside her head. Her pulse roared.
"No. No. No." Vessara chanted in her head as she stared at him.
