CHAPTER 27

I watched them in silence, my patience wearing thin as they remained frozen, caught in a moment of disbelief. It seemed like their words were imprisoned in their throats, and I couldn't help but view them with growing disdain as they appeared to be nothing more than cowards.

A frown creased my brow at their behavior. It struck me that just a few months ago, they might have felt in control and perhaps even forgotten the extent of my true power. However, now they stood before me, their mouths tightly sealed, seemingly driven by the fear of invoking my wrath. Their silence seemed like an act of cowardice to me.

"Mendez?" I called, my expression quizzical with one eyebrow arched. My attention shifted to the oldest among the group, a man who appeared to be over a hundred years old, with gray patches in his hair.

"Alpha Hawthorne," he responded, and I waited with anticipation, hoping for a satisfactory explanation of what I had just heard.

Upon learning from Ryan about the council's atte