First message
The hall was silent when Korran entered. Stone walls, cold firelight, and a long table stretched between enemies playing nice for the sake of peace. Warriors lined the edges, all alert. His steps were slow, deliberate—meant to remind everyone whose territory this was now.
The rival pack had arrived earlier, posturing with fake smiles and subtle insults. Korran hadn’t cared. These talks were formality. A show. He’d already decided how this would end. Until he stepped into the room—and smelled them.
It hit him mid-stride. Sharp and clean. Wild and impossible. A scent that coiled down his spine and gripped him by the throat.
Mate.
His muscles locked. Time slowed. The steady burn of control he’d mastered over years flickered—dangerously. His wolf surged beneath his skin, clawing to the surface. Mine, it growled. Loud. Unignorable. His heart, a thing that had long known nothing but silence, roared back to life. He scanned the room, jaw tight, eyes narrowing. And then he saw them.