Freya’s POV


    O


    The room was heavy with silence, the kind that suffocates even the strongest of wolves.


    D


    +8 Pearls


    Across the long oak table, my uncle Abel Thorne’s voice cut sharp through the air. “Alpha Caelum, whether Stormveil should continue any dealings with SilverTech Forgeworks… I believe the family must reconsider carefully.”


    His words were final. A rejection, veiled in civility, but a rejection nheless.


    I caught the look on Caelum’s face–ashen, drained, like a warrior stripped of his de. The Alpha of Silverfang Pack, proud head of SilverTech Forgeworks, suddenly looked like a lone wolf cornered.


    When the meeting ended, I walked out alongside Jocelyn Thorne. She wasted no time in voicing her bitterness, her voice sharp as a dagger.


    “If not for Freya meddling, the elders would never have turned against the proposal.”


    My name fell from her lips like


    venom.


    Outside the chamber, I found Aurora waiting anxiously, her hands clenched, her wolf aura tense. She rushed forward the moment Jocelyn spoke.


    な


    “What?” Aurora’s eyes widened. Her voice trembled, but her rage was unmistakable. “Do you mean Freya ruined it?”


    The newly appointed Bluemoon pilot had been grooming this partnership for moons, I knew. To her, this was more than just business–it was ambition, prestige, validation.


    And when she saw me step through the door, she didn’t hesitate. She stormed toward me like a storm breaking its chains.


    “Freya Thorne! Just because Caelum divorced you during the Lunar Severance Phase, you want to destroy him? You’re


    birth to a daughter like you!”


    pathetic! Disgraceful! No wonder your parents–heroes of Stormveil–should never have give


    The wordsnced into me<b>. </b>For a heartbeat, I went<ol><li>d. Then fire rushed to my</li></ol>


    blood.


    My hand struck before my wolf could even think. The p cracked across her face, sharp and clean.


    Aurora reeled back, her eyes wide in shock. She hadn’t expected me to strike.


    ????????????????


    “You dare spit poison about my parents<b>?</b>” My voice was ice, my wolf rising<b>, </b>growling within me. “One more word, Aurora, and you’ll regret it.”


    Her lip curled in defiance. “I will say it. Your parents-


    My foot drove forward, sending her body flying against the stone wall. She crumpled, her WolfComm device spilling from her pocket.


    And then, I let go.


    The power I kept caged deep inside surged outward, a ripple of raw Alpha dominance flooding the Corridor. The air thickened, charged, the walls themselves seeming to shudder with the weight of it. Aurora gasped as if the air had been sucked from her lungs, her wolf copsing beneath <b>the </b>pressure. She wed at her throat, eyes wide with terror, her body trembling like prey before a predator.


    From the chamber doors, Caelum stormed out, his voice raised. But <b>the </b>moment he stepped into the force of my aura, stride faltered. His pupils red, his wolf reeling under the pressure that pinned him as surely as chains.


    Freya!” he barked, though his voice cracked against the weight of my presence. “What… what are you doing to her?”


    his


    “What I should have done long ago.” My words <b>cut </b>sharp <b>as </b>a de, and the dominance didn’t <b>waver</b>. “If <b>she </b>dares nder my parents again, I will not stop at broken ribs.”


    For the first time, Caelum truly looked at me–saw me. His lips parted<b>, </b>confusion and disbelief written all <b>over </b><b>his </b><b>face</b>. “You… you’re not…. an Omega?”


    10:08 AM PP.


    +8 Pearls


    I met his gaze, cold and unflinching. The answer lingered on my tongue, but I didn’t waste it on him. He wasn’t worth it.


    So I said nothing. I let the silence hang, heavy with the truth he didn’t deserve, my wolf aura pressing down on them both until Aurora whimpered like a pup cornered.


    Just then, Aurora’s fallen WolfComm lit up on the ground. A message shed across the screen.


    Only one word.


    Murderer.


    Her eyes widened in horror. She lunged for the device, clutching it to her chest as though shielding herself from ws


    unseen.


    “Caelum,” she whispered, her voice suddenly desperate, “let’s go… we need to leave.”


    He frowned, confused by the sudden shift. “You’re pale, Aurora. That blow must have been harder than I thought. I’ll take you to the healers-”


    “No.” She shook her head too quickly, clutching her WolfComm tighter. “Just… take me home.”


    He gave her onest look, then wrapped his arm around her and led her into the waiting lift.


    I stood there, still, watching. My wolf eyes narrowed. Something about that message had rattled her to the bone.


    Beside me, Ss approached quietly. His presence carried the weight of the Irond Coalition, steady and unyielding. He reached for my hand–the one that had struck Aurora moments ago–and lifted it gently, his touch unexpectedly soft.


    “Does it hurt?” he asked.


    I blinked at him. Hurt? The sting was on Aurora’s cheek, not mine. Yet his eyes were warm, too warm, and the gesture… intimate.


    I pulled my hand back slowly, masking the strange flutter in my chest. Around us, the younger Thorne cousins exchanged nces, muttering. To them, I was the violent one. To Ss, somehow, I was the one worth shielding.


    Jocelyn’s gaze burned into me from across the hall, her jaw tight, her eyes seething. She hated me more in that moment than


    she ever had before.


    Later that night, Ss was buried in his work inside the study, poring over scrolls of Ironhold Consortium contracts. I sat on the couch nearby, speaking into my headset.


    “Lana, I told you already,” I sighed. “I’m still assigned to protect Ss. I can’t log in right now.”


    On the other end of the WolfComm line, Lana groaned theatrically. “Freya, please! If you don’t join me in the raid, I’ll fail the quest. This is life or death in the game server!”


    I smirked faintly, shaking my head. “Life or death? You exaggerate.”


    “Not this time!” she protested.


    “What’s this about? Ss’s voice broke in, closer than I realized. I turned to see him standing behind me, his gaze amused. “Lana wants me to jump into the game with her. But I’m not sure it’s the right time,” <b>I </b>admitted.


    He tilted his head, thoughtful. “No reason you shouldn’t. Though I prefer your focus remain on me, this manor has more than one Iron Fang Recon officer stationed. You can spare an hour.”


    Then he added, almost too casually. “But if you go, can you take me with you?”


    I blinked. “Into the game?”


    “Yes.” His lips quirked, the faintest of smiles.


    Ten minutester, Lana’s avatar waited in the virtual lobby. When she saw the low–leveled, bare–bones figure standing awkwardly beside me, her jaw nearly dropped.


    10:09 AM P <b>P </b>·


    +8 Pearls


    “Who’s that?” she demanded.


    “Alpha Ss,” I answered tly.


    “…You brought him into the raid?”


    Her disbelief was almostical. But I only crossed my arms, my wolf stirring with something strange–anticipation, maybe.


    <b>Send Gifts </b>


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