Chapter 140

** Paige’s POV ** As the pack hall finally begins to empty, the low hum of voices fades as wolves drift out in twos and threes. Some head home to their families; others linger, having quiet conversations. The heavy tension that filled the room has eased, replaced by a fragile calm. I should feel relief. I should feel safe knowing they’ve heard Ryder and that his words steadied them, but as I stand here watching him, tall and composed, his voice even as he gives a few last instructions to the enforcers near the doors, I can’t shake the way my pulse keeps racing. He’s breathtaking like this. Powerful, controlled, every inch the Alpha he was born to be. It’s easy to forget that only days ago, I was leaning over him, pressing my hands against his cold, barely breathing chest, begging him not to leave me. That memory flashes through my mind, sharp enough to steal my breath. He feels it. Somehow, he always does. His gaze finds mine across the room, locking on with that quiet intensity that’s