Robin looked at me with warmth in his eyes. “All these years, I helped your father search for her too. I kept looking even after he passed away, but there was never any trace of your mother.” What could’ve caused her to disappear for so many years without leaving a single clue? The questions swirling in my head only grew heavier, and my brow furrowed deeply. “By the way, do you know what pack your mother was from?” Robin suddenly changed the subject, catching me completely off guard. Still, he was someone who genuinely cared about me, so I told him the truth. I did leave out the part about meeting someone from the Goldberg family and just said I’d found it through my own digging. “I looked into it before. The Goldberg family is from the Imperial Pack in Capital City.” The Imperial Pack was a major faction in Capital City, so looking into them hadn’t been difficult. Robin nodded. “That’s right. The Goldberg family is part of Capital City’s Imperial Pack. But they’ve always looked down on your father, so…” Before he could finish, the butler came hurrying in. “Sir, there’s a group outside asking to see Ms. Beck.” “Me?” I asked, confused. The butler nodded, a little flustered as he explained, “There are about a dozen of them. All high-level werewolf bodyguards. But they’re dressed in high-quality materials, not something an average pack could afford. Ms. Beck, I think you should come take a look.” I didn’t want Eclipse Pack getting caught up in anything unnecessary, so I nodded and stepped outside. A crowd of werewolves stood outside in a dark, imposing line. The one in front softened his stern expression slightly when he saw me. “You must be Ms. Raelynn. Mr. Goldberg said he had an appointment with you and sent me to bring you somewhere.” That’s when it hit me—I had promised Max I’d visit the Imperial Pack in a few days. But things had been so chaotic lately that it had already been a month. I let out a light laugh. “You must be the steward. I’m really sorry, I’ve just been caught up with things lately and don’t have time to visit the Imperial Pack right now.”He smiled politely. “That’s not a problem, Ms. Beck. Mr. Goldberg said that if you declined, I was to persuade you to come with us.” That was clear enough—they weren’t taking no for an answer. I frowned. That didn’t sound like something Max would say. This had to be someone else’s idea. Maybe my grandfather—the Alpha of the Imperial Pack—whom I’d never met. My eyes narrowed. “Don’t you think this is a little too forceful?” The steward didn’t get upset. He looked around and asked, “Could we have some privacy? I have something to say to you alone.” Aiden’s voice was cold and sharp. “Everyone here is part of Eclipse Pack. Raelynn is my fiancée. That makes her one of us. There’s nothing they can’t hear.” The steward’s ears twitched slightly. That little flicker in his expression showed he’d been caught off guard. “Ms. Beck, how could you agree to get engaged to someone else so casually?” The comment rubbed me the wrong way. He had this outdated, condescending tone that made my skin crawl. “That’s not your concern. If you’ve got something to say, then say it.” He didn’t waste time. “Here’s the situation. The Alpha ordered us to bring you back. If we fail, we’ll be punished. I’m sure you wouldn’t want things to escalate, would you?” That was a blatant threat. Aiden’s eyes went icy cold. His voice dropped like a blade. “Touch her and see what happens.” The steward visibly flinched and took a step back, sensing the force radiating from Aiden. He softened his tone. “Ms. Beck, surely you don’t want this to get ugly.” I gave a cold laugh. “I’ve already made myself clear. I don’t have time to visit right now. I’ll come by myself another day.” The steward’s gaze turned dark. He raised a hand, and the werewolf bodyguards beside him shifted into massive black wolves, forming a wall in front of Eclipse Pack’s estate. “Ms. Beck, if you won’t come willingly, don’t blame me for forcing you.”Aiden growled, his body morphing into a white wolf that instantly placed itself in front of me. The rest of Eclipse Pack shifted as well, wolves of all shapes and sizes encircling the intruders. Seeing everyone baring fangs and claws, I immediately shouted, “Stop!” We were still right outside Eclipse Pack’s gates. If this turned into a fight, the fallout would affect the whole pack’s reputation. After a moment of thought, I spoke up. “Why don’t we find a more neutral place to talk?” The steward saw I was starting to yield and gestured for the others to shift back into human form before bowing slightly. “Since Ms. Beck is willing to talk, we’re happy to work something out.” With a glance, he signaled one of his men to open a car door. “Ms. Beck, let’s continue this conversation at a café.” Aiden turned back into human form and tried to follow me, but the steward blocked him with a raised arm. “Mr. Salvatore, I’m afraid we didn’t extend the invitation to you.” I turned and gave Aiden’s hand a squeeze to let him know I’d be okay. Seeing I wouldn’t back down, he gave a reluctant nod. After I got into the car, I noticed someone else inside—fast asleep. He was resting his head on one hand, his skin pale and striking even in the dim lighting. I stared, momentarily stunned.