Third Person’s POV
<b>81 </b>
s
Giselle, ever the brat of the Siverfang Pack and the sister of Caelum Grafton, was the first to approach, her posture haughty and her wolf pulsing with a sharp, entitled energy. She fixed Freya with a sharp, predatory grin. “Freya Thorne. How is it that no matter where I go, I keep running into you?”
Freya’s gaze was icy, her wolf tightening like a coiled spring beneath her skin. “I’m just as curious,” she said coolly, her voice steady as she met Giselle’s insolent stare. “I didn’t know you had the leisure to stroll through the city. Though, I suppose after your court hearings, you won’t have much time for shopping anymore.”
Giselle’s smirk widened, venomous. “You must be hoping to see me and my mother behind bars. Too bad for you, your calctions are off. My brother hired a top–tierwyer. Neither my mother nor I will suffer any consequences.”
Lana’s wolf snorted under her breath, her voice sharp with scorn. “Only a fool thinks they can escape justice. You and your mother tricked Freya into that hotel room, tried to drug her— everybody saw it on the hotel’s giant screen! Tell me, which third–ratewyer gave you the idea that you’d walk away unscathed?”
Giselle was momentarily silenced. Eleanor stepped forward, indignation burning in her eyes. “How dare you speak like that? My son is wealthy–how could he possibly hire a third–ratewyer?”
Lana’sugh was low and bitter, wolfish, sharp enough to cut through the tension like a fang. “Wealthy? Everyone in the industry knows Siverfang Pack has been bleeding funds. Your son’s ‘wealth‘ exists only because Freya made it possible. Without her, how much could he truly earn?”
Eleanor’s lips curled in anger. “Freya? What could she possibly do? My son built everything himself. Thankfully, he divorced that woman, and now with Aurora as his co–pilot, only a pilot of her caliber deserves to be my daughter–inw.”
Lana’sughter was sharp as the bite of frost in winter air. “A pilot? We’ll see how long Aurorasts in that role!” Her wolf snapped, tail flicking as if ready to pounce.
Aurora’s expression stiffened, her pride pricked. “Freya, no matter what, you shouldn’t allow your friend to speak this way about me,” she said, her voice carrying the faint but unmistakable tremor of nervousness. Wolves don’t always admit fear aloud–but Freya could smell it on her.
9:44 Fri<b>, </b><b>Sep </b>12
:
81
s
“I don’t see it as defamation,” Freya replied calmly, wolf coiled beneath her skin, ready to strike. “The City Fire Department’s report should be out soon. How about we make a little wager? Let’s see if you can continue as a co–pilot once that investigation is public.”
Aurora’s eyes flickered with something like guilt–or perhaps fear–but Giselle and Eleanor looked utterly baffled. “What investigation?” they asked in unison.
Aurora’s gaze darted nervously, a flicker of shadow passing over her wolf. “Nothing. Ignore her.”
Freya’s wolf growled softly, sensing the lie, the subtle scent of evasion. Giselle and Eleanor were entirely unaware of the scandal–Aurora’s failure to rescue a fellow pilot during a live- streamed emergency had be headline news, yet the two women had never bothered to follow it. Giselle was too upied with shopping, beauty products, and luxury bags; Eleanor with calls to the old country and television dramas.
Lana stepped closer, her wolf bristling as she mirrored Freya’s silent warning. “Aurora, you witnessed a colleague ignite and didn’t save them. You admitted it on the live stream. Do you really think you can remain co–pilot after that?”
Aurora’s face paled, her pulse quickening. Her wolf wanted to flee, but social instincts rooted her in ce.
Before tension could escte, a new voice cut through the air–rich, measured, and carrying the authority of an alpha. “Even if Aurora didn’t act, in critical moments, one might prioritize personal survival,” Caelum Grafton interjected, stepping forward. His wolf’s scent was calm, a controlled predator measuring the pack dynamics around him. “The colleague’s death could be unfortunate. There’s no need to smear Aurora.”
Freya’s gaze sharpened, wolf instincts snorting in warning. “Really?” she said icily, staring at Aurora. “Was it really just unfortunate? Or was it negligence? Did your inaction cost that life?”
Aurora’s chest tightened, her wolf shrinking back under the predatory focus of Freya Thorne. “What… what are you implying?” she stammered. “Are you using me of guilt? If I were truly guilty, wouldn’t the authorities have arrested me?”
“Perhaps they will,” Freya said softly, wolf senses picking up the slightest tremor in Aurora’s pulse. Her words were calm, but the weight behind them carried the bite of inevitability.
Aurora shivered. The world seemed to constrict around her, her wolf curling defensively. There had been no one else around during the incident–how could Freya possibly know? She shook the thought away, trying to maintainposure. “Freya, your usations only reveal your envy. I am righteous. Thew will not apprehend a good person without reason.”
“Good?” Freya’sughter was sharp, wolfish, a low growl under the surface. “Are you even a
9:44 Fri, Sep 12
good person?”
OP
:
<b>81 </b>
s
Caelum frowned, stepping closer, wolf protective yet restrained. “Freya, how can you speak this way about Aurora?”
Eleanor’s expression darkened, disgust evident in every line of her body. “It’s fortunate my son divorced you!”
“Indeed,” Giselle added, voice dripping with superficiality, “Aurora even treats us to luxury shopping trips–designer clothes, bags. Not like you, Freya. Three years of marriage, and the gifts were insignificant trinkets you praised as treasures.”
Freya’s grin sharpened, wolf tail flicking with disdain. “Yes, and he used a two–hundred–dor ring as a wedding token. Did he think that was enough?”
Caelum’s expression shifted, ufortable under the weight of public scrutiny and Freya’s biting words. Eleanor’s hand shot forward, striking toward Freya. “You little–how dare you speak of my son like that!”
Freya’s reflexes were fast as lightning, wolf instincts guiding her movement. She caught Eleanor’s hand mid–swing and spun it aside effortlessly. Eleanor stumbled back, clutching her wrist, hissing in indignation. “You–Freya Thorne! I’ll call the authorities for assaulting an elder!”
Freya’s eyes glinted, wolf senses ring. “Go ahead. I’ve nothing to fear from lies or threats.”