MASKED AFFECTION

Haven Kramer POV：

The silence in the living room was thick, but it didn't weigh on me.

I sat comfortably on the edge of the silk armchair, my hands resting loosely in my lap, calmly observing the theater playing out around me.

My father, Alpha Gordon Kramer, stood by the mantelpiece with his back to me, staring into the unlit fireplace.

His rigid posture was a performance of grim authority, but to my trained eyes, the overextension of his shoulder muscles betrayed pure, anxious tension.

He was nervous. I found that amusing.

A heavy tread on the marble floor signaled the arrival of the King's envoy. A severe-looking wolf with graying temples stepped into the room. His face was a mask of absolute neutrality.

The air in the room crackled with tension, but my heart rate remained a steady, resting sixty beats per minute.

My father finally turned, his expression a carefully constructed mask of joy. "Welcome," he said, his voice a low rumble.

He pointedly did not look at me. It was a classic evasion tactic. He thought he was breaking my heart; in reality, he was just confirming his own cowardice.

The envoy gave a curt nod, wasting no time on pleasantries. He drew a parchment scroll tied with a royal blue ribbon from his inner pocket and unrolled it with a soft crackle.

"By decree of the Alpha King," the envoy began, his monotone voice echoing in the vast room. "Regarding the union between the houses of Contreras and Kramer. It is noted that Alpha Darren Contreras is an exemplary heir, beloved and strong. And it is noted that his brother, Alpha Demetri Contreras, was grievously wounded by silver in the Western War, his connection to his wolf severed, leaving him a broken shell."

The formal descriptions of the two brothers hung in the air. One a golden boy, the other a crippled outcast.

"It has been confirmed by the council that Haven Kramer is wolfless," the envoy continued, casting a brief, pitying glance my way. "A wolfless mate is an unacceptable match for a future leader. Therefore, the betrothal between Alpha Darren Contreras and Haven Kramer is hereby declared null and void."

Beside the mantelpiece, my father's expression remained placid, his eyes distant. He looked exactly like a merchant watching a trade deal close. To him, I was just damaged goods being offloaded at a steep discount to preserve an alliance.

"In her stead," the envoy read, "her sister, Charly Kramer, a true wolf of good standing, shall be joined with Alpha Darren Contreras. And to honor the original alliance, Haven Kramer shall be given to the crippled Alpha, Demetri Contreras."

"The weddings will be held simultaneously in three days' time," the envoy concluded, neatly rolling the scroll and handing it to my father. With a curt bow, he turned and walked out.

The silence returned.

My father finally looked at me, likely bracing himself for the hysterics, tears, or begging that the "old" Haven would have provided.