~Hazel's POV~
The kettle stopped vibrating. The silence that followed was heavier than the noise had been. Tense. Suffocating. I could feel Caspian's hand twitch slightly in mine, his breath hot and uneven against my cheek. He had been holding it in probably since the moment the kettle started reacting to me. Then, finally, he exhaled slowly, like a man walking through fire who had made it to the other side.
"See that, Mother?" Caspian said, his voice low but filled with an unshakable authority. "My mate isn't a witch. She's a human. And now—she's the Beta's mate. And she will be treated as such."
He didn't just growl the words to his mother—he growled it at the entire room. Every elder, every pack member, every last soul holding their breath. But even his declaration didn't last a second before it was ripped apart.
"Impossible!" Cayden's voice rang out like a thunderclap. "Never! She's a witch!"
