Ruby's POV
The sight before me made my blood run cold. Behind the visiting Alpha stood dozens of armed soldiers, their weapons drawn and aimed directly at Elias and everyone in the hall.
My heart hammered against my ribs. They looked ready to turn this medical summit into a massacre.
Elias's voice cut through the tension. "Care to explain why you brought an army to a peaceful gathering?"
The man's laugh held no warmth. "These soldiers? Merely protection. One can never be too careful, especially when dealing with the son of the man who brutally destroyed my territory."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. I caught fragments of whispered words like "invasion" and "war crimes." The attack Elias's father had launched years ago still haunted him. He carried that burden every single day, paying for sins that weren't even his own.
"I am not my father," Elias stated firmly. "Lower your weapons. Now."
