Aiden’s POV: Watching her face flush bright red was honestly kind of fun. I asked softly, “Has no one ever tried to pursue you?” Raelyn tilted her head, thinking it over. “Not really. From childhood to now, there’s never been a guy who liked me.” I wasn’t satisfied with that answer and countered, “Adam counts, doesn’t he?” Raelyn shook her head. “I meant before him. I’ve never had a crush on anyone, and no one’s ever liked me either. Maybe it’s because of the constant competition among the werewolves in our pack. I always ended up beating the guys into the ground. Who wouldn’t want their mate to be a sweet, gentle little girl?” She seemed lost in her memories. “I still remember—when I was little, this young werewolf showed a bit of interest in me. I punched him in the face so hard his nose started bleeding, and he ran away crying. After that, all through the years I was growing up, I got stuck with nicknames like ‘Violent Girl’ and ‘Manly Chick.’” She laughed. “Classic.” “I like that,” I said seriously. Raelyn misunderstood and smiled teasingly. “See? You like little girls too, don’t you?” I looked her in the eye and said, deliberately, word by word, “Raelyn, I said—I like you.” She stared at me in stunned silence. How could I not like her? After all the times she pulled me out of chaos… that radiant, confident smile of hers—how could anyone not fall for that? “You really like a girl like me? You’ve got interesting taste,” she joked. I answered sincerely, “Those men didn’t like you because they were insecure; they knew they weren’t good enough for you. I don’t feel that way. That’s why I want to marry you as soon as possible. Let me be your mate. Will you?” As I spoke, I leaned in and took her hand. “Get engaged to me—please?” “Aiden, get a grip.” Raelyn tried to pull away, but my grip tightened. “I am clear-headed,” I said, shaking my head. I pulled her straight into my arms. “Raelyn, this time, you don’t get to choose. The only option is ‘yes.’” “Aiden, how come I never realized you were this domineering before?” I let out a long breath and said seriously, “Before, I thought I should respect your wishes, so I always went along with you. But you drive me crazy—you always hurt me. So this time, we’re doing things my way.” Raelyn was so stunned by my confession that she was completely speechless. I tapped her nose and smiled. “That’s why I want to be with you as soon as possible. If we get engaged early, you’ll never be able to run away.” She squirmed a little and slipped out of my arms. “Aiden, do you remember what I told you before?” Of course, I knew what she meant. “You said I had to win you over before we could be together.” “Exactly. I think a healthy relationship needs time; people need to slowly get to know each other and figure out if they’re really a match. Can you understand that, Aiden? Besides, Freya hasn’t confirmed that you’re my fated mate.” I nodded. “I get it. So I won’t pressure you anymore.” “Thank you.” Raelyn finally smiled. “Aiden, my future boyfriend—please take good care of me.” She held out her hand, wanting to seal it with a handshake—but I yanked her right back into my arms. “I’ll wait for you to say yes.” And with that, I kissed her—boldly, unapologetically. “Mmph…” Her lips were soft and sweet, and her kiss had a hint of honey I couldn’t get enough of. Raelyn’s POV: Aiden’s kiss… even after I got back to my room, I was still reliving the heat of it. That blazing intensity had left my heart racing. I lay in bed afterward, completely unable to sleep. As a result, I didn’t wake up until the sun was high in the sky the next morning. Just as I stirred—before I even made it downstairs—I suddenly heard shouting from below. I hurried down and saw Robin absolutely furious. I couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Robin, what’s going on?” He was clearly livid. He slammed a hand down on the table and shouted into his phone, “Andrix, get your ass back here right now!” I looked on, puzzled. Andrix is always so calm and polite in public. What could he have done to get Alpha Robin this worked up? Before I could think further, Andrix’s voice drifted through the phone, casual and detached, “Dad, just stop. You only ever care about Aiden anyway. Whatever happens to me, it’s not like it matters to you.” “Andrix, what kind of bullshit are you spouting? I’m telling you again—get back here now!” “Yeah, yeah, I’ll come back later.” Robin slammed the phone down, shaking with anger. I quickly reached out to steady him, rubbing his chest to calm him. “Okay, Mr. Robin, maybe it’s just a misunderstanding…” “Misunderstanding?” Robin’s eyes widened. “Rae, do you know what he did? He sold the hospital! This morning! A bodyguard was the one who told me—he actually kept it from me! And now he’s joined Lawson Corp. Do you know what that means? The Thunder Pack has always been at odds with our Eclipse Pack. What he’s done is practically declaring himself our enemy!” Robin’s anger overwhelmed him to the point he couldn’t even stand. He sat down and took a few sips of water to calm himself. Even I hadn’t expected Andrix to move so fast… and so suddenly. Last night, after I chose Aiden, Andrix didn’t seem to show any emotion at all. So how did things change so drastically by this morning?