Moment earlier after the gala
POV: Leo Vincent
The stars were cold and distant — like the world was watching from above.
Leo stood with his arms crossed in the open courtyard. The air smelled like stone, old roses, and quiet threats.
Noah stepped through the arched doorway without being summoned. Silent. Composed. Too composed.
Leo didn't look at him at first. He let the silence stretch — let the weight of the house, the family, and the bond settle between them.
Then, finally:
Leo:
"You knew about Sam."
It wasn't a question.
Noah's jaw twitched. But his voice was soft.
Noah:
"I've known for a while."
Leo:
"You knew before Max. Before Silas."
Noah nodded once.
Leo (low):
"And you let him carry that weight alone."
There was no anger in his voice.
Which was worse.
Noah looked down.
Noah:
"I didn't want to force it."
Leo turned slowly, his golden eyes narrowing with something far more dangerous than rage — protective calculation.
Leo:
"Sam is not like his brothers."
Noah:
"I know."
Leo:
"No. I don't think you do."
He stepped forward, slowly, measured. Every word was deliberate.
Leo:
"Silas fights the world. Max controls it. But Sam? He's always been the one holding everything in. Every scar. Every secret. Every time someone looked at him like he didn't belong in his own body."
Noah flinched — the only sign of emotion he let through.
Leo (quiet but cutting):
"You think you've seen him, but you haven't. You've seen what he lets you see."
A pause.
Then Leo asked the one question that mattered:
Leo:
"Do you feel safe for him?"
Noah met his eyes.
Noah:
"Yes."
Leo tilted his head slightly. Testing.
Leo:
"You're planning something. You've been circling this family since the moment you stepped into our world. And I let you… because I wanted to see who you were."
A long, terrible pause.
Leo:
"But if you are not safe for him — if you hurt him, manipulate him, or use that bond to own him instead of honor him..."
He stepped forward, just enough to close the air between them.
Leo (low, lethal):
"I will end you. Mates or not."
Noah didn't blink. But his voice cracked, barely:
Noah:
"I would never hurt him."
Leo studied him.
Leo:
"Then prove it."
Noah nodded, once — no defiance this time.
Leo turned to leave but stopped at the door.
Leo (soft, almost fatherly):
"He's not afraid of you. But he's afraid of what you could be to him. And that's worse."
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