Bloodlines and Hearts

ct families is they'r

success story-his father, the most respected alpha in the region, his mother the picture of g

from the earlier confrontation at the police station. His sist

you think Dad's gonna do wh

. "Who's gonna

heir father's stern voice perfectly. "'I wish you wou

te game-playing their parents, mocking the suffoca

s," Riley nudged him, "want to tal

his eyes. "N

lpha facade that meant absolutely nothing beneath the surface. Ethan had watched his parents' marri

d if he knew half the stuff

one to talk. Mr. 'Perfect A

nch of this land. it had been drilled into him from the start. He was meant to be the perfect heir, the future alpha, the one to carry

, her voice softening, "

nst the steering wheel. "Same

e kind of pack that traced its roots back to the original wolf clans. Powerful didn't begin

father was already walking out. Alexander Laurent wasn't just an alpha

voice carrying a weight that

al of support. They might drive each other crazy, but

Riley whispered. "And y

traditions that separated the strong from the weak

oung wolves chained near the far wall. Ethan could smell their fear. They were not prisoners, but potenti

or pack positions. Survival wasn't guaranteed. Some di

ing the potential initiates. Each candidate represent

hrough the room. "You'll oversee t

opped. Testing? Mor

me? How could I be responsible for these people getting hurt? What kind of t

ack to Alpha Alexander Laurent. Not if

nudge. Her message was crystal clear: Say some

suggesting. This was a command disgu

r," he managed, the words feeli

Some would transform. Some would break.

her said. "The pack's futur

w that even the slightest hesitation, the smallest mi

but because it was expected. The words left his mou

the cold, clinical look of a man dissecting a problem, calculating risks, deciding if his own son was one wo

atly in front of her. To anyone else, she look

else would catch. She was holding it together, but just barely. Because in the Laurent family, showing

isn't about muscle," he said. "It's about leadership.

berate. The kind of touch that carried a message: Do

continued, his tone leaving no room for argu

ght. He didn't trust himself

of the room. Halfway to the door, h

vely, like prey caught in

, his voice cold and dismissive before w

an saw the way her fingers cu