Max's POV
The problem wasn't that Swift Silene had served as my hunter during the overnight trial.
It wasn't his status as an unpredictable wildcard, arriving without warning or proper vetting, wielding power that defied explanation.
It wasn't even the reality that he now stood among my fiercest competitors for the Supreme Alpha throne.
None of that mattered.
What made my jaw lock tight enough to send pain shooting through my skull, what had my wolf clawing at the edges of my control, was the way Swift Silene stared at her.
At Jasmin.
That look in his eyes was predatory, unwavering, completely focused. Like she was something to be hunted, conquered, possessed. Like he was already undressing her with that piercing gaze and marking her as his own with nothing more than a stare.
His rank meant nothing to me. His lethal grace and razor-sharp appearance meant even less.
