"I still haven't thought about whether to send Jared to that academy," Anastasia said, her voice carrying the hesitation of a wolf-mother standing at the edge of unfamiliar territory. The decision felt heavier than it should, as if the air itself had changed density around her.
Elliot, the Alpha whose presence always reshaped the atmosphere, responded without hesitation. "You don't need to think about it. I have already decided for you." His tone carried finality, the kind that settled over a pack like an unquestioned law. There was no room for negotiation in it, only direction.
He left after that, the door closing behind him with a quiet certainty that left Anastasia standing in the lingering pressure of his authority. Her instincts stirred uneasily, caught between acceptance and resistance, as if two different wolf instincts were pulling her in opposite directions.
