Selene's POV
The message was clear.
Within twenty minutes, every small-pack Alpha who'd been standing near me had found somewhere else to be. They drifted toward the center of the room, toward the refreshment table, toward anyone who wasn't me. I watched them go. One by one.
I wasn't angry at them. I understood. In a world where Jaxon commanded the largest military force and held the strongest claim to the next Alpha King seat, being seen talking to the woman who'd humiliated him at the Mating Ball was a risk nobody needed.
I tried once more. A female Alpha from a coastal pack was refilling her water glass nearby. I stepped beside her.
"I'm Selene. Thornfield Pack. We share a stretch of the southern border. I'd love to discuss patrol coordination sometime."
Her smile was tight and po
