But he hadn't done anything wrong.
And yet, here he was, being dragged away as if he had.
His nails dug into his palms.
Raphael had never disobeyed an Alpha before.
And yet.
And yet.
His feet refused to move.
His voice stayed silent.
His body was frozen.
Why?
He wanted to stop it.
Wanted to step forward, to interfere.
But the instincts drilled into him since birth were too strong.
The years of submitting—of obeying without question—were too deeply ingrained.
So he stood there.
Watching Riven struggle.
Watching his tail lash behind him in fury.
Watching Ronan's shoulders tense as if he were holding himself back from doing something even worse.
Raphael's hands trembled.
He wanted to help.
He wanted to move.
But he couldn't.
It would take him a little longer to break free from the chains wrapped around him since birth.
