Chapter 59 The Professor's Harsh Criticism

• After Serena’s birthday dinner, the atmosphere around the family felt permanently chilled. It wasn’t just what was said, or left unsaid, but the way the distance had been drawn between us. Grandma Serena no longer invited Darius or me over as she once did. That quiet alienation was more unsettling than open blame. I heard that Darius had tried to visit a few times to explain himself privately, only to be turned away with excuses.
• In werewolf society, the judgment of an elder carries more weight than a full moon’s decree. Serena wasn’t just the matriarch of the family—she was the former mate of an Alpha who had personally defended the bloodline. Her disappointment rippled far beyond our home; it could sway the undercurrents of the entire Pack.
• I didn’t need to ask Darius about Emma. I had already seen enough. When she had waltzed into Serena’s birthday dinner carrying that cake, forcing herself into the role of “hostess,” her presence had cut through me like a knife.