Third Person's POV
Aldrich's chest heaved violently at the sight, and he shouted angrily, "Cliff! Do you really think the Dalton family has no one to stand up to you?"
Vanya glanced down at the arm Cliff was gripping. The skin there felt as if it were burning, tightened by the heat of his palm.
She let out a cold laugh. "What? Does Alpha Cliff intend to snatch someone away from the Dalton family?"
Cliff was silent for a moment. The icy pheromones of a top Alpha surged abruptly, and a fleeting amber wolf's gaze flashed in his dark eyes. "Don't push me."
"No matter how powerful Alpha Cliff is, trying to throw your weight around in the Dalton family is a bit too bold," Vanya met his oppressive aura, her voice still steady.
Cliff's grip on Vanya's arm tightened further, his knuckles turning white, and a faint silver gleam appeared at the tips of his nails.
His top Alpha's cold pheromones surged again. "You should know very well whether I can throw my weight around in the Dalton family. If you come with me now, I can still take you away with dignity."
Vanya forcefully shook off Cliff's hand. The lingering pressure on her arm made her shoulder blades tense, as if wolf fur was about to pierce her skin.
She said coldly, "Sorry, I can't do that."
The next second, the Dalton family's main door was suddenly flung open.
A group of wolf warriors, carrying the pheromones of the Silver Moon Pack, surged inside.
The maids scattered in all directions, their bodies going weak with fear at the sudden Alpha pressure.
Mirabelle hurriedly hid behind Aldrich, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
Even her breathing was laced with instinctive fear of the Alpha, and her voice quivered as she said, "Honey! Honey, what are we going to do... What should we do!"
A low, warning growl rumbled from Cliff's throat, carrying an undeniable pressure. "Vanya, I'll say it one more time. Come with me."
There was a hoarse undertone of a wolf's howl in his voice, and his pheromones stabbed at Vanya like shards of real ice.
Hearing this, Vanya still did not waver.
Her back was ramrod straight, as if she were resisting the invisible pressure. The two sides were locked in a stalemate.
Seeing this, Mirabelle was the first to break down under the almost tangible pressure from Cliff.
She sobbed, "Vanya! I told you long ago to go with Alpha Cliff, but you just wouldn't listen. Why are you so stubborn? Do you have to let things get to this point to be satisfied?"
As she spoke, Mirabelle pounded her own thigh, her voice full of fear of the Alpha's pressure. "You're going to ruin the Thunder Wolf Pack sooner or later!"
"Shut up!"
Aldrich was nearly driven mad by the noisy Mirabelle beside him. He forced himself to resist Cliff's pressure, a vein throbbing at his temple.
He pointed at Cliff and shouted angrily, "My biggest regret is letting Vanya marry someone like you! Cliff, you've gone too far!"
Cliff shot Aldrich a cold glance, his eyes turning icy, and the pheromones around him froze the air like a sudden cold current. "In Los Angeles, what I say is the law."
As he finished speaking, his pupils were completely tinged with amber. The intimidating power of the Silver Moon Pack seemed to freeze the very air.
At that moment, crisp applause sounded from outside the door, like the shattering of ice.
"Well, well said—'In Los Angeles, what you say is the law.'"
Theodore's voice reached everyone's ears, laced with a smile but hiding a sharp edge.
Soon, a group of people wielding electric batons rushed into the Dalton house, all exuding the unified wolfish aura of the Winston family.
They confronted the people Cliff had brought, and the two forces' oppressive auras clashed in the air, sparking invisible tension.
Theodore walked in, a smile on his face, his entire being radiating a scent of pine and gunpowder, utterly different from Cliff's.
Deep in his eyes, a cold blue wolf's gleam was hidden, and his gaze was icy to the core.
"Theodore?"
Aldrich looked utterly confused, stunned by the sudden appearance of another powerful wolfish presence.
When did he get involved in this?
Theodore stood beside Vanya, hands clasped behind his back, like a guardian deity.
He calmly released a gentle yet resolute aura, enveloping Vanya and offsetting part of Cliff's pressure.
"Today, you won't be taking anyone away, but perhaps Alpha Cliff can take something else instead."
As he spoke, Theodore tossed the USB drive in his hand to Cliff's feet, the casual motion carrying an undeniable force.
Theodore said unhurriedly, "Everything the Silver Moon Pack has done over the years is recorded in there, clear as day. Any one of those things is enough to bring down the Todd Group. Shouldn't Alpha Cliff take a look first?"
Beta Elliot picked up the USB drive from the floor and walked over to Cliff, beads of sweat forming at his temple.
Caught between the two opposing Alpha pressures, he spoke with difficulty, his eyes full of worry.
He lowered his voice and said, "Alpha Cliff, the Winston family used to be very powerful. All the people they've brought today are die-hard loyalists. We absolutely can't go head-to-head with them, or we'll be the ones to suffer in the end."
Cliff's brows furrowed deeply as he felt the oppressive force emanating from Theodore, who was also a high-level Alpha.
The two powerful Alpha auras collided silently in the air, making it hard for the surrounding werewolves to even breathe.
His knuckles turned white from the force of his grip, a faint silver gleam appearing at the edges of his nails—if he gave up now, he didn't know if he'd ever get another chance to get close to Vanya.