Dukeughed and dropped his napkin after wiping his lips. “Well, she‘ is actually friends with Aunt Hana. You see, we have quite a colorful history. Would you like to hear the story, Olivia?”


    I found myself nodding.


    “Once upon a time, my father had a brother named Stanley Cater. Stanley was what you might call… impulsive. He fell in love with a woman named Hana. She was beautiful, ambitious, and utterly ruthless. Stanley, poor fool, was sopletely besotted that he didn’t realize the woman he fell in love with nned a rogue attck, killing the former luna and her son. After a while, Hana became the luna of Cater Pack.”


    I didn’t know what to think, and I didn’t dare confirm what he was


    insinuating.


    “Hana isn’t just ruthless, she’s patient. She’s been pulling strings in the Cater family for over a decade now. She controls everything. And as the heir to the Cater pack, I’ve be a liability. She might decide to cut me loose at any moment.”


    My chest tightened. The conversation had quickly taken a serious turn.


    “What about Stanley?” Alexander asked.


    Duke sipped his scotch. “Ah, dear Uncle Stanley. Guilt has been eating at him since the woman he helped put into power has turned into a monster. He’s been showing signs of a conscience, but…”


    Alexander nodded in understanding. “It’s toote.”


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    Chapter Tak


    “Agreed.”


    I listened without saying a word. I was sure the men had even forgotten about my presence as they continued with their conversation. Duke seemed like a different person as he talked about how his family was a huge name in Linville. And their Luna… Jana wasn’t one to be trifled with. From what he said, she sounded really dangerous.


    I had no idea pack politics ran so deep.


    ??


    “Wait,” Alexander finally said once Duke stopped speaking. “Don’t make any moves yet. The oue of all this depends entirely on whether Mrs. Windsor can deliver what Hana wants.”


    “And if she can?”


    Alexander lowered his voice. “Then you’d need to be very careful. Watch your back, Duke. Trust me. Hana wille.”


    Although I didn’t know this woman, I didn’t doubt Alexander’s words.


    *Author*


    Alexander and Duke were engrossed in their heart clenching conversation, much to Olivia’s dismay. Even though her divorce proceedings had been just as chaotic, it still came as a shock to her.


    “There’s something you should know, Duke. My sources suggest the Windsor and Hawtorne families are considering joining forces.”


    Duke listened seriously. He was already faced with a predicament of his own, and if the Hawthorne pack joined Windsor, his enemies would surely multiply. His jaw tightened at the thought. The burden of being the heir to the Cater pack was almost too much for him to bear.


    He rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling far older than his thirty years.


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    “Christ, Alexander. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been born first. I never asked for this. Some days I wake up and wish I could just… walk away from it all.”


    From her seat beside Alexander, Olivia had been absently pushing thest pieces of strawberry around her te, only half–listening to the men’s conversation. But Duke’s heavy words drew her attention. She nced up to see the charismatic man she’d met only moments before slumped in his chair, looking as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders.


    She set her napkin aside and rose from her chair. “Excuse me,” she said to no one in particr and made her way to the restroom.


    Duke watched her retreating figure for a moment before his attention shifted to Alexander, whose gaze lingered on Olivia’s slender form with clear longing. A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of Duke’s mouth, providing a temporary distraction from his plight.


    “Well, well. If I didn’t know better, I’d say someone’s been thoroughly captivated by his lovelypanion.”


    Alexander’s cheeks flushed. He briefly considered denying the allegations. But he decided there was no point in doing so. “It’s not exactly a secret.”


    “Oh,e now. The great Alexander Green, rendered speechless by a woman? This is delicious. Have you told her?”


    Alexander considered the question for a moment. ording to him, he’d expressed his feelings clearly. “I have. And she made it abundantly clear that my feelings were not reciprocated.”


    Duke stared at him for a long moment, waiting for the punchline to the joke Alexander was so obviously telling. When none came, his eyebrows shot up in disbelief.


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