Then Alpha Orion’s voice cut through the hall like a blade.
“Two hours,” Orion commanded, cold and absolute. “Get rid of your newly wedded bride in two hours, or I will take care of your mess myself.”
The words landed like a thunderclap. The room seemed to tilt. Zach’s jaw clenched, the muscles in his neck tightening like taut wire.
He’d expected threats, humiliations, anything from the old tyrant ... but the clock? Two hours to dispose of whatever obstacle Orion imagined she was. It was arrogance. It was a declaration.
Zach let the cigarette burn down to his fingertips and flicked the ember out without remorse. He folded his hands in front of him and looked at Orion with a face that did not move.
“Do you want me to take my birthright by force?” he asked in a single flat tone. No hea
