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    Third Person POV


    ric arrived like a force of nature.


    The moment he crossed the threshold of Silver Fang''s packhouse, the air changed.


    Conversations died mid-sentence. Servants froze where they stood. Warriors straightened instinctively, then stepped back, eyes lowered in reflexive deference.


    No one tried to stop him.


    No one was foolish enough to try.


    He had seen the attack broadcast live on television. The moment it started, he was out the door, on the way to Silver Fang. He knew how it had yed out; he''d seen the video from his beta''s cellphone in the car.


    It hadn''t eased his urgency. It appeared from the video that everything had worked out. He had received a brief, but informative.


    There was an attack. Ellie and the boys were the apparent target. The attacker was neutralized by Nn. They''re safely at home.


    Despite his son''s reassurance, he still moved with the tense urgency of a man on a mission.


    His presence rolled through the halls like thunder-controlled, deliberate, and unmistakably dangerous. Not wild rage, but something far colder and more focused. The kind of anger that did not shout because it did not need to.


    ric was well respected in the kingdom, not just for his decisive and powerful leadership, but for the air of divine energy that seemed to cling to him like a second skin The rage that roiled beneath his skin now carried the faint sting of the goddess''s wrath with it. It repelled anyone who would stand between him and his destination.


    He moved with purpose, boots striking stone in long, unhurried strides, his gaze fixed forward. He didn''t ask for directions. He didn''t need them.


    He could feel her, and Cassian too. His wolf could sense the presence of his children nearby, and it guided his steps unwaveringly.


    The nursery door stood open.


    Ellie was seated on the low couch near the window, the boys nearby with Cassian and a healer, wrapped in nkets and drowsy from exhaustion. Nn stood a short distance away, speaking quietly to Lance, his posture protective even now, his attention never fully leaving his family.


    Ellie and Cassian looked at the same moment, both stopping in an instant and snapping their attention towards


    the door.


    The moment her eyes met ric''s, all restraint shattered. Ellie''s expression crumbled into that of a frightened


    child in need offort.


    "Dad-"


    She didn''t finish the word.


    ric crossed the room in two strides and pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest with a ferocity that made several people flinch. Ellie clutched at him just as tightly, burying her face against his shoulder as a sob tore free-raw, unfiltered, the kind that came from holding terror at bay for far too long.


    ric closed his eyes, one hand braced at the back of her head, the other firm at her spine.


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    "I''ve got you,” he said, his voice low and steady despite the tremor that threatened beneath it. "You''re safe. I''m here."


    Nn did not move.


    He watched, silent and still, making no attempt to intervene or reim space that wasn''t his to take. This was not his moment, and he knew it. The bond between father and daughter had been forged long before him, shaped by survival and sacrifice and a thousand nights of fear.


    ric held Ellie until her shaking eased, until her breathing slowed and steadied. Only then did he pull back slightly, keeping his hands on her shoulders as he searched her face with fierce intensity.


    "Are you hurt?" he asked.


    She shook her head quickly. "No. Just... shaken."


    His gaze flicked instantly to the boys.


    August andn watched him with wide, curious eyes. They didn''t cry. They didn''t recoil.


    Something in ric''s presence-so like Nn''s, yet different-seemed to settle them.


    ric dropped to one knee in front of them, his expression softening with surprising gentleness.


    "Hello, little storms," he said quietly.


    August blinked at him, then smiled, the trust of a child offered freely and without hesitation. Ian reached out, chubby fingers grasping at ric''s sleeve.


    ric swallowed hard.


    He examined them carefully—not just for visible injuries, but with the instinctive scan


    of a seasoned alpha who had seen too much loss to take safety for granted. He checked their heads, their hands, their legs, murmuring softly the entire time.


    Only when he was satisfied did he straighten.


    Then-and only then-did he speak again.


    "Tell me everything," he said to Ellie.


    The room cleared subtly. Cassian guided the healer and the boys farther into the adjoining space. Lance and the guards stepped back toward the door, giving distance without being told.


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