**DEREK POV**
I watch the pack respond to her in real time.
Not in the obvious ways. There is no sudden reverence, no stiff formality layered over old habits. No one straightens when she enters a room or lowers their voice in performative respect. It is quieter than that. More dangerous. Respect without fear. Compliance without resentment. The kind that cannot be ordered or withdrawn on command.
People adjust their behavior around her without being told to. Voices soften when they reach her desk, not out of submission, but consideration. Interruptions lessen. Requests arrive framed properly the first time, information already organized, questions already refined. I notice that no one tries to talk over her. No one tests her openly. They test the space instead, then recalibrate when it d
