Chapter 13 Familiar Strangers

• Bobby stepped across the threshold into a room that felt more like a tribunal than a meeting space. The heavy door clicked shut behind her, sealing her fate with the finality of a tomb. Overhead, a single chandelier cast harsh shadows across stark white walls, while the scent of leather and old wood mingled with something sharper—tension so thick it could be cut with claws.
• Alpha Aurelius stood with his back to her, hands clasped behind him as he gazed out a tall window. Even in stillness, power radiated from his frame like heat from a forge. When he turned, Bobby fought the urge to step backward. His eyes—pale gray like winter storms—swept over her with calculating precision.
• "Sit." The command left no room for negotiation.