Chapter 107 Sarah's Warning

• Candlelight guttered against drafts that whispered through the noble wing's corridors, casting dancing shadows across faces that wore diplomacy like masks. Lord Ashford's private study smelled of aged wine and expensive tobacco, the kind of luxury that spoke of power accumulated over generations. Four figures occupied the space with the careful positioning of wolves circling potential prey.
• "She claims the Moon's power, yet her control falters." Lord Ashford poured wine with movements so practiced they bordered on choreography. Crystal caught firelight, refracting it into blood-red patterns across the mahogany table. "The Alpha King may be blinded by devotion, but I am not. No kingdom can survive when its queen could destroy it by accident."
• Alpha Roderick Vance of the Nightveil Pack accepted his glass with a smile that never quite reached his eyes. Smooth features and a perfectly groomed appearance marked him as a politician first, a warrior second—the kind of alpha who conquered through manipulation rather than open combat.