Dinner was tense.
The long dining table in Silver Ridge's packhouse was filled with warriors, but despite the chatter, I could feel the weight of Damon's stare. It burned into the side of my face like a challenge he refused to voice.
I ignored him.
Kian was beside me, cutting into her food with an amused smirk, while Nova leaned back in her chair, eyes flicking between the Silver Ridge wolves.
They were uneasy.
They should be.
My pack was unpredictable, stronger, and we didn't care about making a good impression.
But the best part?
We were throwing a party.
And Silver Ridge had no idea what was coming.
"So." Nova stabbed a piece of food with her fork, her voice cutting through the hum of conversation. "We're doing this tomorrow?"
Kian grinned. "Hell yeah, we are."
A few of the Silver Ridge warriors perked up.
Damon's Beta, Lucas, frowned. "Doing what tomorrow?"
Kian waved her fork. "Our warriors are coming back from training another pack. We're throwing a party."
Lucas blinked. "A... party?"
Nova smirked. "A Shadow Crescent party."
The reaction was immediate.
My pack grinned, whispering excitedly among themselves, while Silver Ridge exchanged uncertain glances. They'd heard the rumorsâeveryone had.
Shadow Crescent didn't do small parties.
We threw the kind of parties that left packs talking for years.
Drinking. Fighting. Music so loud it shook the damn walls.
This wasn't some polite gathering in a packhouse. This was a full-blown, no-rules, all-night event.
Damon, however, looked completely unimpressed.
His chair scraped against the floor as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "No."
The room fell silent.
I turned to him, feigning innocence. "No?"
He met my gaze, his voice flat. "This isn't your territory. You don't make the rules."
Nova snorted. "We're not asking for permission."
A muscle in Damon's jaw twitched. "You can't justâ"
"Actually, we can." Kian propped her chin on her hand. "Because technically, our warriors will be arriving here as a favor to you."
Lucas shifted uncomfortably. "She has a point, Alpha."
Damon exhaled sharply, irritation rolling off him in waves. "This is a pack, not some rogue den. We have order here."
Nova grinned. "Order is boring."
Damon's glare snapped to me. "Control your wolves."
I smirked. "They don't need controlling."
His frustration was delicious.
Lucas cleared his throat. "We can... compromise."
Damon shot him a sharp look. "What?"
Lucas hesitated. "It's one night. Let them do their thing. It's not like it'll kill us."
Nova grinned. "Oh, we'd never go that far."
Damon exhaled through his nose, glaring at me. "Fine."
I raised a brow. "Fine?"
He clenched his jaw. "But if it gets out of control, it ends."
I smiled sweetly. "Of course, Alpha."
I could feel how much he hated that.
Hated that I didn't bow to him, hated that I didn't need his approval.
Too bad.
Because the party was on.
And Silver Ridge was about to learn exactly what kind of pack they'd let onto their lands.