CHAPTER 45: The weight of destiny

ALPHA VAN'S POV

“And what are we to have here? Alpha Van, the ruthless now turned what?” Jeremiah’s voice cut through the air, laced with sharp contempt and a hint of sarcasm.

I chuckled, meeting his gaze. There was the same fierce light in his eyes that I remembered from our youth. Jeremiah had been primed to be Alpha, but had gently stepped aside, leaving me in his stead.

“The prodigal son finally returned home,” I said steadily, a touch of melancholy in my voice.

“And I heard that the ruthless Alpha is not so ruthless anymore, or is he?” Jeremiah’s tone was both mocking and curious, as if he were testing the waters of our old friendship.

I glanced back at the distant figures inside the hall, then turned my attention back to him. Despite the tension, I couldn't suppress a genuine smile. “I've missed you,” I admitted, the words feeling heavy with unspoken history.

Jeremiah stepped closer and embraced me, his frame towering over mine. There was a solidity to him that I had always admi