“You’re here,” Fenred went on. “Lunarion marked you. Arthur claimed you. The girl’s blood.” His gaze flicked, almost flinching, to Aurelia. “I accept it. I won’t speak against you. Not in the yard, not here, not anywhere my voice carries.” He grimaced, like the words scraped going out. “I apologize. Luna.”
Arthur watched Dani.
She held Fenred’s stare. “You made this place hard to love,” she said quietly. “Back then.”
His shoulders hunched.
“I accept your apology,” she added. “However, if you sneer at my daughter once, we’re done. Clear?”
Fenred looked properly at Aurelia; Arthur felt the moment recognition hit. The line of her jaw. The scent. His expression went a shade stunned.
“Clear,” he said hoarsely. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Arthur believed he meant it. Mostly. Old habits clung.
Before he could pick at it, the door opened again.
Alex Gray stepped in with two of his wolves. Cropped hair, neat beard, pale hazel eyes that swept the room and weighed it.
“Fenred apologizing,” Alex drawled. “Didn’t think I’d live to see it.”
Fenred’s jaw clenched, but he moved aside.
Alex’s attention slid to the bar. Arthur. Dani. Aurelia. His gaze lingered on the bite at Dani’s neck half a second too long.
“Alpha,” he said. “Busy week. Hybrids. Vampires. And you’ve added a witch to the pile.”
Arthur growled at his easy tone, his dismissive smirk.
Alex’s mouth curved, not quite a smile. He tipped his chin at Dani, a fraction shy of respect. “Luna.”
“Alex,” Dani said. “I see you’re able to grow a beard now. Impressive.”
Chase coughed, badly disguising a laugh.
Alex’s jaw ticked. “Seems you’re more than just a wee little pup who couldn’t shift. You’re a witch. Perhaps we’d all have phrased things differently then if we’d known,” he said. “Doesn’t make the concerns less real. Witches in positions of influence make people nervous.”
Layla shifted, her hand resting on her belly protectively. Arthur grimaced. Dominic would not be happy to learn that his pregnant mate was being insulted by a Nordan male, witch or no.
Alex ignored her, gaze locking back on Arthur. “You think whoever’s pulling strings on the hybrids won’t use this? Witch Luna. Witch coven. Easy story to tell the packs about why Nordan and Volkhov have gone soft.”
“I think anyone who calls my mate a liability in my hearing is welcome to leave,” Arthur said, voice low and even. “On their feet, if they’re polite.”
Power slid off him, quiet and heavy. Conversations nearby faltered. One of Alex’s wolves shifted his stance.
Alex’s nostrils flared. He could smell the tension. The threat.
“Mind yourself, Alex.”
For a second, Alex looked like he might push. Then he inclined his head, a shade too shallow.
“As you wish, Alpha,” he said. His gaze cut to Dani one last time. “For all our sakes, I hope this pays off.”
“Me too,” she said lightly. “I’d hate for you to be disappointed.”
He moved off to a corner table, where he could see everything. Arthur tracked him until he sat. His wolf kept one ear tilted that way.
Fenred muttered something about needing a drink and retreated to a table by the window with a few other Nordan. Pressure in the room eased, conversation swelling back.
