Ivar walked in. He moved calmly, almost lazily, but every step he took carried a weight that made the air feel heavier. He didn't look at anyone first; his gaze went straight to me. My heart nearly stopped.
"Jason," he said smoothly, nodding slightly. "It's been some time. How have you been?"
Jason's eyes narrowed, just a fraction, but his tone stayed steady. "Why have you come here, Ivar?"
Ivar smiled faintly. "Because I've missed my brother."
Jason smiled, and both of them hugged. "I've missed you too, brother. It seems the surrounding packs are treating you well," Jason said.
My stomach churned. I wanted to speak, but my voice was trapped in my throat. Everyone else in the hall was silent, watching the exchange like they were witnessing a storm approach.
Ivar's gaze softened slightly—not at me, but almost in amusement. Then his eyes shifted down to me. "And you… Jason has told me so much about you." He paused, slow, deliberate. "Bet he never told me about how beautiful you are. Such beauty should never be crying and kneeling like this. Clean your tears, my love," Ivar said as he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to me.
I swallowed hard. My hands shook. "I… I—"
Jason stepped forward, his posture straight and commanding. "Everyone else, leave. Now."
There was murmuring, but the pack members obeyed. Markus and Caleb lingered at the threshold for a moment, glancing at me with suspicion, but eventually, they retreated, casting uneasy looks. Lena hesitated, but finally followed.
The hall emptied, leaving only the three of us.
I started to rise, wanting to leave the tense space, wanting to escape the suffocating eyes of these two alphas.
"Stay," Ivar said quietly, his voice calm but firm. "Besides… my brother would want that."
I froze.
Jason's eyes flicked to me, unreadable. My pulse raced. "What happened, Aria?" he said.
"Nothing," I said. "I was just sad and needed to blow off some steam, so I decided to make a fire. I didn't know it was going to affect the house," I said faintly.
"You can't keep doing that, Aria," Jason said. "I can't keep defending you, Aria. This should be the last."
"I'm sorry," I said.
Ivar approached slowly. He crouched just slightly, lifting a strand of my hair and letting it fall between his fingers. Then he gently touched my ear. My breath caught. "My ears… fell," he said, his tone almost teasing, "as I heard news about you, Aria. But it's a good thing… ears grow back, don't they?"
My hands clenched in my lap. I didn't know if he meant to mock me, or if he genuinely meant it. The calmness of his voice, the strange softness in the words—it made my skin crawl even more than the threat behind them.
He leaned closer, almost so close I could feel his breath. "Be careful, little one. You can't go around burning things. Someone could get hurt.
"But why are you protecting her, Jason? Is she your mate?"
"No," Jason said.
"Then why are you covering up for her? Why endanger the pack because of her?" Ivar asked.
"The house she burnt wasn't important, Ivar," Jason said.
Ivar straightened, stepping back slightly, letting the weight of the words sink into the empty hall. My knees felt weak, my fingers clenching the folds of my dress.
Ivar's eyes met his brother's for a long, slow moment.
I couldn't look away from Ivar. He was calm, confident, dangerous—but also strangely fascinated. My mind raced. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but my legs felt frozen.
And then… the faintest shift of movement behind the hall door caught my attention. Ivar's eyes flicked toward it, just slightly, before returning to me, as if he knew someone might be watching—but he didn't care.
I could barely breathe.
The silence stretched. Too long. Too dangerous.
And Ivar's voice, soft and chilling, cut through the tension:
"Enjoy this moment… because you may not have another, little one."