Riley’s POV
“I’ll head in myself,” I told Lana quietly as we pulled up to the terminal. “You don’t need to see me off.”
+8 Pearls
She shook her head, stubborn as always. “You’ve still got time before the gates open. I’ll stay until you walk through. Don’t tell me you’d deny me the chance to send your parents on theirst journey.”
Her words softened me. I lowered my gaze to the urn in myp, draped in crimson cloth marked with the sigil of honor. Father. Mother. Soon, I would bring them home. Soon, they would rest in the soil of where warriors belonged.
We stepped into the waiting hall. My chest was heavy but steady.
Then a voice cut through the air.
“Freya? Why are you here?”
I looked up sharply. Aurora stood before me, d in her crisp co–pilot uniform, the Bluemoon crest gleaming at her cor.
Of all wolves, I hadn’t expected to see her here.
“Of course she’s here to fly,” Lana snapped before I could speak. “Or do passengers need your permission to sit in the hall
now<b>? </b>
Aurora’s expression faltered for an instant before it hardened again. “I heard you stood before the Moonstone with Caelum today. Don’t tell me you lost your nerve, Freya. Did you change your mind about rejecting him?”
I rose, my voice colder than the steel beneath my feet. “Caelum Grafton and I are finished. From this night forward, what the two of you do is no concern of mine.”
Her breath left her in a visible sigh, relief shing in her eyes. That relief soured quickly into something darker when she saw my <b>face</b>–unbothered, resolute, unbroken. Envy curled around her scent like smoke.
And then she yed her hand.
“You’ve received the 1.53 million already, haven’t you?” Her lips curved. “That was my ring I pawned so Caelum could give it <b>to </b>you<b>. </b>Perhaps you owe me thanks.”
<b>Lana </b>bristled, fury radiating off her like a storm. “Thanks? For what–ying the leech thesest <b>two </b>years? How much have you bled from him already<b>, </b>little mistress<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Aurora’s <b>eyes </b>shed. Watch your tongue<b>! </b>I’m no mistress. use me again without proof, and I’ll have your name dragged before the Elders for defamation!<b>” </b>
I let a bitter smile curl my lips. “Proof?” My voice rang through the <b>hall</b>. “I showed the proof to every wolf in the Capital <b>yesterday</b>. Do I need to remind you? While I was still bound to him<b>, </b>Caelum Grafton showered you with jewels worth over fifty million. All behind my back. Byw, half of it is mine.<b>” </b>
Aurora froze, color draining from her cheeks.
“So no, Aurora,” I continued softly, with a de’s edge beneath every word, “I don’t owe you gratitude. You should be grateful I’ve yet to demand my half. But you’ve reminded me–perhaps I will. Perhaps I’ll drag those baubles from your neck one by one, and watch you return them under oath.”
<b>Her </b>scent soured into sharp panic. Around her, her flight crew had begun whispering, voices low but cutting. They’d all believed she hadnded a powerful mate, envied <b>her </b>for catching the Alpha of Silverfang. And now they saw her truth–that she had been nothing more than a thief in another’s bond.
Aurora’s skin flushed red, and her <b>eyes </b>burned with something more dangerous than shame. They slid to the urn cradled in my arms.
<b>“</b><b>What </b>are you carrying?” she demanded suddenly, her tone sharp with authority. <b>“</b>As a sworn pilot of the Airborne Wing, I have the right to demand inspection. For all I know, you’re carrying contraband.”
Lana’s fury red again. “You dare! That’s her parents‘ ashes you’re mocking!”
+8 Pearls
Aurora’s chin lifted, her voiceced withmand. “I’m safeguarding every soul on this flight. If she carries nothing forbidden, she has nothing to fear. Hand it over, Freya. Let it be inspected.”
My grip tightened around the urn until my knuckles nched. My wolf rose in my chest, lips curling at the insult. “This urn holds Arthur and Myra Thorne–warriors of the Iron Fang Recon Unit. Their ashes have been cleared and sealed by the authorities of the Capital. No one will disturb them.”
Auroraughed, the sound brittle. “Your word alone? For all I know, that powder is no different from illicit dust. You say it’s cleared, but I’ve seen no record. As co–pilot of this flight, I demand it.”
Her hand lifted her radio, summoning the airport security pack. My heart thudded, my wolf snarling at the thought of strangersying hands on what was left of my parents.
Steel–toed boots echoed against the hall floor as the guards approached. Aurora’s voice was quick, venomous.
“She carries a suspicious item. I call for it to be seized and examined.”
The guards turned to me. “Lady
horne, hand the urn to us for inspection. If it is as you im, it will be returned,”
I stood tall, the weight of my lineage burning through my veins. “No,” I said coldly. “It has already passed the channels of ourw. These are the ashes of honored dead. You will not touch them.”
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