Third Person’s POV


    +8 Pearls


    Caelum had begun to notice the change in Aurora ever since they had returned from the Mooncrest ind negotiations.


    Once so steady and sharp–eyed–the proud daughter of the Bluemoon Pack’s Beta, newly knighted in the Airborne Wing- she now drifted like a spirit tethered by unease. Some nights she would bolt awake, gasping, and pace until her hands shook. Other nights, she reached for a bottle, drowning herself in whiskey until she copsed in a drunken haze.


    “Aurora,” Caelum pressed one evening, his Alpha tone low but gentle, “what’s haunting you? If there’s something gnawing at your spirit, tell me. Whatever it is, I’ll tear it apart for you.”


    She tried to smile, but the cracks showed. “It’s nothing. You’re overthinking.”


    But Caelum didn’t believe her. His golden gaze hardened. “This isn’t nothing. Is it because of that newsfeed at the charity g -the one that glitched and broadcast the border fire from five years ago?”


    Aurora froze, her pupils widening as though struck. “How… how do you know?”


    He exhaled slowly, never releasing her eyes. “Because from that night onward, you’ve been different. And now that we’ve chosen to walk together, no secrets should fester between us. Whatever burns you, I want to share it.”


    Her lips trembled. The memory she had buried wed its way back to the surface. That idental broadcast had not been coincidence; no wolf believed in coincidences that cruel.


    “That footage,” she whispered, voice hoarse, “pulled me back to that night. Back to the fire. I was there, Caelum. I tried to save him… I tried, but he burned in front of me.” Her hands trembled violently. “I couldn’t reach him. I couldn’t—”


    Her body shuddered as the words “burned alive” cracked from her lips.


    Caelum immediately seized her hands, grounding her with his warmth and Alpha steadiness. “Easy,” he murmured. “I didn’t know… spirits, Aurora, I didn’t know you carried this scar.”


    She exhaled shakily. “It’s all right. After the rescue, I underwent therapy. I thought I was healed. But it seems… shadows remain.”


    “No wonder you never spoke of it,” he said softly. “If not for that damn broadcast, I wouldn’t know my mate was once a hero of me and ash. You think yourself scarred, but I… I wonder if I even deserve you.“.


    A flicker of panic crossed her eyes. “Don’t say that. We still have battles ahead. The Mooncrest ind project isn’t lost. The Thorne family still holds sway–Jocelyn especially. If we secure her support, SilverTech will not fall short.”


    Aurora’s tone sharpened, her warrior’s pride returning. “Besides, there are countless drone specialists. Interference–counter systems are not Freya Thorne’s monopoly. Once you im the project, others will scramble to work with you. We will have talent. We will have funds.”


    Caelum’s tension eased. She was right. If they had the Thorne family’s signature on this deal, other investors would follow like wolves to blood. And then SilverTech would rise stronger than before.


    The following day, Caelum and Aurora arrived at the headquarters of the Thorne Conglomerate.


    As they approached the ss–lit lobby, several of the corporation’s higher executives spilled from the elevator, nked by aides. Their pace was brisk, deliberate, heading straight toward the front doors.


    Aurora’s pulse lifted with satisfaction. She had already arranged matters with Jocelyn. Surely, this must be the wee she had promised.


    Her lips curved into a confident smile. “See, Caelum? The Thornes send their elders to greet you. With my ties, I told you I could make them see your worth.”


    Caelum’s mouth twitched in a rare smile. Perhaps his efforts were finally bearing fruit. He straightened, preparing to meet the senior wolves with the respect of one Alpha to another.


    But the moment fractured cruelly.


    –


    11:32


    +8 Pearls


    The executives swept past them without so much as a nce. Their eyes were fixed forward, their strides quickening, not for Caelum nor Aurora, but for the doors beyond.


    Aurora’s smile faltered, freezing in ce.


    Caelum’s hand, half–raised for greeting, dropped to his side, his jaw tightening.


    Then they saw why.


    A sleek ck car pulled up before the entrance. The driver leapt to open the door, his bow deferent.


    From within stepped two figures: Alpha Ss, and beside him… Freya Thorne.


    The Thornes‘ highmand descended upon them like a tide, surrounding Ss and Freya with reverent attention. Theirughter and respect rang through the marble hall as they escorted the pair toward the elevators.


    The realization hit Aurora like ash.


    They had note for her. Not for Caelum.


    They


    They hade for them.


    Her blood burned, humiliation searing down to the bone.


    Caelum, too, stood stricken. His eyes, hardened by battles and tempered by the burden of leadership, suddenly stung as though struck by des.


    Then Freya lifted her head. Her gaze swept across the hall–and locked onto his.


    For a heartbeat, the world stilled.


    Caelum’s chest constricted. Nerves he thought long buried ignited, his pulse quickening with an ache he could not name.


    But as quickly as it came, it was gone. Freya’s gaze slid past him, indifferent, as though he were nothing more than in the crowd.


    The dismissal was sharper than ws.


    The woman who once looked at him with devotion, whose eyes had once burned only for him, now saw him as air.


    A hollow ache twisted in his chest.


    The procession moved on, leaving only silence in their wake.


    Atst, a voice broke it.


    “Ah, Aurora, Alpha Caelum–you’ve arrived.”


    /


    714


    a


    stranger


    They turned to see Jocelyn’s cousin, Kinsman Thorne, an officer in the Thorne Conglomerate’s PR division. He offered a cordial smile, though the timing stung.


    Thornbe here to Whitmor


    “Yes,” Aurora managed, her smile brittle. “We didn’t expect Ss and Freya would be here today as well.”


    Kinsman nodded. “The Mooncrest project is a joint venture between the Thornes and the Whitmors. Naturally, Alpha Ss would attend. What surprised us was that he brought Freya along. No one foresaw that match.”


    He chuckled, lowering his voice. “Who would have guessed the Irond Alpha would fall for a woman once bound and severed under Lunar Law? Freya is… fortunate


    At the mention of her Lunar Severance Phase, an awkward tension lingered. For Freya’s former mate was none other than Caelum himself. Kinsman faltered, rubbing his nose before ushering them inside. “Anyway, let’s head up”


    Aurora’s lips remained frozen in a smile that felt like stone,


    Fortunate? That word burned <b>like </b>acid.


    +2 Pearls


    Once, Freya had been discarded–left broken by Caelum himself. Yet here she was, standing tall, eyes forward, wrapped in the respect of two great packs. While Aurora and Caelum, for all their nning, stood in the shadow of their ascent, diminished.


    Aurora’s nails dug into her palms.


    How long could Ss Whitmor truly remain interested in Freya? Surely not long. Surely.


    The bitterness coiled in her belly like venom, whispering promises she dared not speak aloud.