“Dominic,” he said. “Alpha of the Direwolf Pack.”
The words settled heavily in the air. Alpha.
I studied him more carefully this time. His presence alone made it believable. There was a quiet authority in the way he carried himself. Not loud. Not overbearing. But undeniably powerful.
“You’re… the Alpha?” I repeated.
He gave a small nod. “Yes.”
That explained a lot. But it also raised more questions.
“How did Elder Elisse know you?” I asked.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened ever so slightly.
“For a long time,” he said, his voice steady, “I owed her my life.”
I blinked.
“She supported me as the alpha of my pack when I inherited my throne too early when I was a child,” he continued. “Back when she was still the Luna of the Foreshadow Pack.”
That caught my attention. I turned slightly toward him.
“What happened?”
A brief pause.
“The pack was attacked,” he said simply.
My chest tightened. “And she… helped you?”
“She did more than that,” he replied. “She protected me. Made sure I survived.”
There was something in his tone. Respect. Gratitude.
“So this…” I hesitated. “Helping me…”
“Is me repaying that debt,” he finished.
I looked down at my hands. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He didn’t respond immediately. But I saw the slight shift in his expression. Almost… softer.
“You don’t have to thank me yet,” he said. “You haven’t seen where you’re going.”
When we arrived, I understood what he meant.
The Direwolf Pack was… different. That was the first thing I noticed. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t overly decorated or designed to impress.
There was no unnecessary display of power. And yet—It was powerful. I could feel it in the air. In the ground beneath my feet. In the way the wolves moved around us.
“Welcome,” Alpha Dominic said as he stepped out of the car.
I followed, my eyes taking in everything around me. The buildings were structured with purpose. Clean lines. Solid foundations. Nothing extravagant, but everything… formidable.
“This is the Direwolf Pack,” he continued.
I exhaled slowly.
“I’ve heard of it,” I admitted.
He glanced at me. “Then you know.”
I nodded. Everyone knew. Even if they didn’t talk about it openly.
The Direwolf Pack was one of the strongest packs on the continent. Some even whispered it was the strongest. Rogues avoided their territory. Bandits feared crossing their borders.
And yet, despite all that power… They remained lowkey.