#Chapter 123 – Strong in a Too-Big World

Damon The ballroom shimmered with gold and candlelight; every surface polished to gleam and reflect power. Crystal chandeliers swayed faintly with the movement of the crowd, their light bending off silk coats and jewel-studded collars. I hated these events. I stood near the dais, half-listening to a Beta from the coastal Packs drone on about shifting trade routes, while my eyes stayed fixed on her. Lila stood across the room, surrounded but not embraced, her posture regal and remote as she nodded politely to a cluster of high-ranking nobles. She wore dark green tonight, velvet that skimmed her hips and set off the warmth in her eyes. A sapphire pin, shaped like a crescent moon, was nestled at her collar. A quiet echo of my house crest. She hadn’t noticed me watching. But she always knew when I was. I didn’t interfere. Not unless I had to. And I had to the moment Lord Merrick opened his mouth. The man was old blood, thick with entitlement and the kind of cruelty th