"Please don't," Astrid groaned. "I had a big dinner last night."
"Dinner with whom?" Magnus peered into the phone.
"Oh my god," Astrid rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "And you wonder why I wanted to go to school out of state."
Gunnar leaned over the table, still nursing his reddening jaw, but his eyes were bright with mischief. "Just make sure you're not letting any of those Harvard boys sniff too close. I haven't had a good fight in weeks."
His gaze flashed to Addie, who was watching the scene intently.
"You're all exhausting," Astrid sighed, but then her gaze shifted. "Wait. Is that her?"
Magnus turned the phone toward us. I felt myself stiffen, my shoulders squaring. Beside me, Addie went perfectly still, her chin lifting in that defiant tilt I was beginning to recognize.
Astrid went quiet, her eyes narrowing as she performed a slow, clinical sweep of Addie. She looked her over with the discerning eye of a woman who had grown up surrounded by thebest of everything. I felt a sudden, sharp spike of protectiveness; a territorial growl that vibrated in my marrow. I didn't want my sister judging my bride. I didn't want anyone looking at her but me.
"Well," Astrid said finally, a smirk playing on her lips. "Mom did you right, Vido. She’s gorgeous."
"She also has a brain that got her a full ride to Yale." I wasn't usually one for bragging, but I suddenly wanted my baby sister to approve.
"How cute. That was my safety school."
Magnus winced. Gunnar smirked.
"I chose Yale because I prefer an education that values actual brilliance and a color palette that doesn't look like a dried scab."
"It’s called Crimson, darling. It represents the blood of our enemies."
"Enough," I grumbled, though my wolf was practically purring at the fire Addie was throwing. Her eyes sparked when she was challenged. My baby sister was an Alpha princess. She wasn't used to being challenged. "Addie, stop antagonizing the child."
"I'm nineteen, Vido, not a child."
"Vidar, stop antagonizing your baby sister," Fenrir said, but his eyes were on Addie.
I couldn't read that look. I wasn't sure if it was approval? Or a death sentence for attacking his little princess. At least Addie had the brains to lower her gaze in the face of an Alpha.
"Magnus, put the phone back on me. Ah, there she is. Study hard, Astrid. I'm proud of you. Daddy's so proud of you."
"I'm doing my best, Dad."
"Any boy gets too close, I will rip his legs off."
"Of course, you will. Hey, new sister. Don't let Vidar bore you to death. His idea of fun is a well-organized spreadsheet. Love you guys."
There was a chorus oflove you, too'sbefore the screen went black.
The room fell into a heavy, expectant silence. Fenrir set the phone face down on the table and slowly rose to his feet. He was a silver-backed mountain; the weight of decades of leadership carved into the set of his jaw. He turned his full attention toward us, his gaze landing on Addie again.
My father was assessing her, peeling back the layers of her corporate armor to see the wolf underneath. I stood slightly in front of Addie, a half-step of defiance I hadn't consciously planned.
Just like the night of her brother's interrogation, Magnus stood at Fenrir’s right hand, the loyal heir in his proper place. The space on my father’s left—my space—sat empty. I was out of position, anchored to the girl instead of the throne. To the side, Gunnar lingered in the shadows, close enough to strike Addie if our father gave the slightest nod.
If the Alpha had given the order, I would have had to stand down. I would have to let it happen. My wolf surged at the thought, the phantom sensation of claws poking at the padding of my fingertips, begging for a reason to snap at my own blood to protect what was mine.
Fenrir finally moved, extending a hand that looked large enough to crush her skull. "Adolpha Vane."
Addie placed her hand in his, her voice ringing out clearly in the vaulted room. "I go by Addie O’Shea."
My father didn’t let go. His grip was a vice; his eyes bored into hers. "You discard your father’s name so easily?"
