= Mikael =
My gaze slid past the girl and settled on the three men standing several steps away.
It only took a second.
Their clothes were worn thin from years of use, fabrics faded and frayed at the edges. Dust clung to their boots, ground deep into the leather from constant travel and long days spent pacing markets and border towns. I recognized the look instantly.
Vendors.
The kind who knew how to haggle louder than they knew how to respect pack law. Men who thrived in crowded spaces, where voices overlapped and rules blurred, where they could hide behind noise and numbers.
I didn’t need to hear their side of the story to understand what had happened.
The pieces fell into place with unsettling ease.
“Believe me, Alpha,” the girl said again, her voice tight but steady.
The title
