ed toward the banquet hall
filled the space. Darcy stood at his side, her arm pressed against the fabric of his black-gold lord
per." Asher's gaze remained fixed on the cold metal doors ahead, his voice low a
rying no emotion. "They won't want someone withou
eyes falling on her in the dim ligh
htening the corner of her mouth. "What bothers me is whether my
r of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, then he looked away,
i
tor doors
The air was thick with expensive crystal perfume and the com
oment the doors opened. The lively hum
ing slightly so Darcy could comfortably loop her arm through
the center of the hall. Darcy could feel the stares coming from all directions. Curiou
er spine. She pressed her nails into
ore a black cloak, a three-fang emblem pinned to his chest. He studied Darcy, h
ingston territory, any individual without Pack insignia, bloodline guarantee
he dark wood of the desk, his voice c
he officer
. She carried an attendance ledger in her arms, her expression per
m Risk Control. But in the far north, she has no Pack registration
edge of the hall. Chloe lowered her
opped sharply. He didn't look at Chloe. Coldl
tely handed over a sl
olf emblem. The highest personal prote
ow completely covering her. His gray eyes held hers as his fingers closed aroun
oe's smile froze. Several of the
eme Alpha of Kingston territory was personally endorsing
t hesitate. She raised her right hand, her fing
on stopped mid-air. The emblem hove
ns of eyes locked onto that suspended hand.
imperceptibly. "Lord Kingston. I believe you're a man of effi
es in his wrist taut, a flicker of
s here ar
st his wrist, then released. "I trust a contract more t
g her lead, he slowly withdrew his hand, along with the box. The assistant
d documents from her briefcase, and slid the
nger. "By eight o'clock, if I don't see the underlying liability accounts, I won't
e hurriedly scanned the docum
ts, her gaze flat. "If a risk controller can't ev
a one-billion-dollar project collapse. The officer's forehead beaded
ng against Darcy's shoulder. He didn't look at the d
Asher tapped the edge o
d a hurried line across the highest-priority co
ledger, a faint tearing s
d slightly, his arm bending once mo
anquet hall. The music and clinking glasses fell silent the moment they cro
gh-ranking wolves. A heavy, invisible net that wou
a lot of old fossils." Darcy kept her
ghtened, pulling her half an inch closer. "They're
hite and his face lined like old bark, blocked their path. He
fell so quiet that the faint cra
ing the floor with a sharp crack. The sound rippled across th
er's gaze swept over Darcy's empty collar. "Under the laws of this territory, a foreigner wit
a bloodline suppression that worked directly on nerves an
s eyes blazed, and the pressure of his autho
forward, shielding Darcy.
r Vane struck his staff again. "If she can't last three minutes, stri
d out from behind him. She adjusted the cu
aint mockery curving her lips. "If we're goi
owned. "What
, "then all disputed clauses in tonight's one-billion-dollar merg
all froze. The elder's face we
d," he said, "and
burning with anger and something e
hen eased as she looked
eard it clearly. She didn't
e on thi
loosened. One by
ld warning shot up her spine, making her breath catch. She
to face the el
the t
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