Freya’s POV


    Caelum’s face twisted with something dangerously close to shame. For years, he had believed SilverTech Forgeworks rose solely from his own power, his own genius. In his mind, my contributions were receable–a project lead could have done what I did, so why give credit to the wolf at his side?


    But now, I saw the doubt in his eyes. He knew the truth: without me, without the patents I had torn from sleepless nights and the blood I’d left on every draft, he would not stand where he stood. And most of all, he knew this–if he wanted the ind development contracts, he needed what only I could give: the improved design, the refined SkyVex patent.


    “I know,” Caelum said, his voice lower now, almost pleading. “I was wrong. But you shouldn’t take it out on thepany. Freya… Forgeworks is at a critical point. If you let spite consume you, you’ll destroy what we built.”


    Iughed, sharp and humorless, the sound echoing like ws on stone. “Spite? You think this is spite? You’re using my patent my designs, my proposals–and when I stand in front of investors and speak, you call that vengeance?”


    His throat worked as if the words cut him, but still he pressed on. “If this isn’t about revenge, then give me the upgraded patent. Hand it over.”


    For a heartbeat, I simply stared. It struck me then how much more shameless he truly was than I had ever believed. My wolf bristled under my skin, hackles rising.


    “On what grounds?” My voice was cold enough to freeze bone.


    “Because-” He swallowed hard, then tried a softer note. “Because we were mates once. We were bound.”


    That word–mates–hit me like ws raking my chest. My lips curled, the anger spilling before I could stop it. “Bound? You dare speak of that bond? Tell me, Caelum, when we were mates, what did you ever give me? I bled myself dry building Forgeworks, working through nights until my body trembled, and when sess came, the honor went only to you. The wealth, the recognition, the power–all yours. Your mother, your sister, your Silverfang friends mocked me openly, and you -Alpha of Silverfang–didn’t raise so much as a growl in my defense. And now, suddenly, that bond matters?”


    Color burned across his cheekbones. Shame<b>. </b>Even he could not deny the truth of my words. For three years, I had given him loyalty and strength, and he had repaid me with silence and absence.


    “I’ll make it right,” he said, almost desperately. “I’llpensate you.”


    “I don’t want yourpensation.” My wordsshed out, sharp as the crack of a whip. I turned, intent on leaving, when his hand shot out to grasp my


    wrist.


    “Don’t walk away, Freya-<b>” </b>


    AMYNA


    But he didn’t finish. Another hand mped down on his wrist with brutal force, twisting. I smelled the iron edge of dominance before I even turned.


    “Alpha Grafton,” Ss said, voice quiet, sharp as a de drawn in the dark. “What exactly are you doing?”


    Caelum’s face twisted in pain as Ss’s grip bit into his bones. I felt the pressure of his aura, the coldmand of a wolf who had killed on battlefields and made men kneel with only a nce. The Irond Alpha’s pale gaze pinned Caelum like a wolf pins prey.


    “I should be asking you, Whitmor!” Caelum hissed through clenched teeth. “What do you me in front of Freya?”


    “Nothing much,” Ss said coolly. “Only ensuring you keep your hands off what is mine.”


    That word–mine–hung in the air, heavy as thunderclouds.


    “Yours?” Caelum spat, eyes shing. “And what im do you think you have?”


    Ss’s eyes did not flicker, not even for a breath. “Boyfriend. Does that title suffice?”


    The air stilled.


    k you’re doing, manhandling


    11:32 AM <b>PP </b>


    I froze, caught between shock and disbelief. Did he really just-?


    +8 Pearls


    Caelum did not hide his astonishment, either. His mouth opened, closed, fury rippling through every muscle. Even I… even I could only stare, breath short. Yes, I had told Ss once I might give him a chance, that when his mission guarding me ended, we would see what remained between us. But I had never promised him this. I had never agreed to such… public deration.


    And yet… when Caelum’s furious gaze turned on me, demanding denial, my lips would not form the words. Instead, I pressed them together, and that silence, that hesitation—it was <b>as </b>good as admission.


    Caelum’s face darkened further, storm brewing in the depths of his eyes. His wolf rumbled beneath his skin, wounded, confused. He had always believed–no matter how broken our bond–that some part of me still belonged to him.


    Now he saw otherwise.


    “Freya,” he said, voice low, rough, almost pleading, “you’re… you’re truly with him?”


    I lifted my chin, shrugging lightly. “And if I am?”


    The words were des, and I knew they cut. He flinched as though I’d driven steel into his chest.


    I turned to Ss, ignoring Caelum’s hollow stare. “Let him go. I need to speak with you.”


    For a moment, Ss didn’t move. Then he inclined his head, obedient to my request, and released Caelum’s wrist.


    I slipped my hand into Ss’s and pulled him away, leaving Caelum behind in his storm of confusion. His eyes followed <b>us</b>, burning, but I did not look back.


    Once we had reached the far end of the hall, where the noise of wolves and music dulled to a low hum, I let go of Ss’s hand and rounded on him.”


    “Why,” I demanded, “did you tell Caelum you were my boyfriend?”


    His dark eyes never wavered. He stepped closer, close enough that I caught the steel–and–ember scent that was uniquely his. “Because one day, I will be. That’s the truth. I simply spoke it early.”


    I frowned, heart pounding against my ribs. “And if, when your assignment ends, I feel nothing for you? I told you before: when the duty’s done, we part ways. No ties. No chains. You agreed.”


    Hisshes lowered slightly, then lifted again, the faintest tremor betraying the wolf beneath his control. He bent nearer, lowering his voice so only I could hear, his breath grazing my cheek.


    “Do you mean to tell me, Freya Thorne, that I’m not allowed to make you feel something?”


    ON


    My throat tightened. He leaned in, his eyes like midnight oceans, pulling me under. My wolf stirred restlessly<b>, </b>caught between warning growls and something more primal. His face loomed closer, the sharp lines of it magnified until there was nothing in my sight but Ss Whitmor.


    I swallowed hard, pulse betraying me. For all my defiance, for all my words of distance, my body responded to him as though it already knew the truth he spoke.


    Send Gifts