Julia's POV
The man barely hesitated for a heartbeat. He dipped his head in a rushed bow, stammering out an apology before practically sprinting away like his life hung in the balance.
I remained rooted to the spot, my eyebrows drawing together in confusion.
This reaction happened constantly around Gavin, and despite witnessing it countless times before, it never failed to unsettle me. The immediate deference, the unmistakable fear, the complete transformation in their behavior the instant he materialized. It was as though he wielded some invisible power that I was only beginning to comprehend. I knew he was destined to inherit the family empire, but after everything Mom and Dad had revealed about him being the future Alpha of our pack, my entire world felt like it had been flipped upside down into something I wasn't prepared to navigate.
