The air outside the Alpha's private office still tasted metallic, a blend of Alpha Dawn's musk and my own fear. I'd walked away from the humiliation, away from the watchful eyes of the pack members, but the anxiety clung to me like a second skin. Celeste's words—He was a rogue, Bambi. Before he became an elite wolf, he was one of the worst—echoed in my mind, planting a cold seed of dread.
I didn't stop until I reached the small, secluded common room on the Omega floor, the one only the lowest-ranking servants used after their shifts. It was almost empty now, save for Sable, who was sitting on a frayed old armchair, meticulously polishing a pair of worn leather boots. She looked up when I stumbled in, her expression instantly shifting from concentration to concern.
"Bambi? What happened to you?" she asked, her voice hushed. "You look like you just saw a ghost."
