Third Person's POV As soon as Silas' words fell, his body rippled, bones cracking and sinew tearing. In the space of a heartbeat, the Ironclad Alpha was no longer a man but a massive dark wolf, fur like midnight steel, eyes glowing with predatory fire. Kade answered in kind, his own frame splitting, morphing, until the soldier stood replaced by a storm-grey beast, scarred and broad-shouldered, every inch of him carved by war. And then they collided. Fangs clashed, claws raked, their bodies a blur of fur and blood, a whirlwind of violence in the middle of the hall. Tables shattered beneath their weight, wood splintering as they slammed each other into walls, snarls shaking the air like thunder. Lana froze, terror lodging in her throat. To step between two battling alphas was to court death. Their power rolled through the hall like a stormfront, crushing her lungs, bending her knees. She turned desperately to Silas's guards. "Are you just going to stand there and do nothing?" The lead Whitmor enforcer didn't so much as twitch. "Alpha didn't give the order." Lana's mouth fell open. That meant they would tear each other apart until blood crowned a victor. Kade fought with the disciplined ferocity of a soldier-each strike a precise, punishing blow honed by the Iron Fang Recon Unit. But Silas moved with something more primal, a predator unbound, his attacks savage, cunning, designed to cripple and kill. Fur flew. The floor slicked with blood. Five minutes passed. Lana's heart pounded with every brutal clash. Ten minutes, and she bit her fist to keep from screaming. By fifteen, she felt hollow, trembling, the violence too much for her human nerves. "Are you two ever going to stop?" she whispered hoarsely. "At least take a break… gods…" And then it happened. A streak of white cut across the battlefield. A wolf unlike any other burst from the shadows-a great pale beast, fur white as bone, eyes gleaming silver.Freya. She lunged between them, her body slamming into both alphas with impossible force. Silas's jaws snapped closed inches from her throat. Kade's claws raked harmlessly against her flank as she shoved them apart, lips curled back in a snarl that split the hall with pure, commanding sound. Both males froze. Instinct, blood-deep, forced their wolves to halt. Their snarls died into growls, their massive frames rigid, hackles still raised but restrained by the sudden intrusion of that white shadow. The hall held its breath. And then, before their eyes, Freya shifted back. Fur sank into skin, bone cracked and reformed, her wolf folding into human shape. She stood naked in the wreckage, chest rising and falling, hair clinging damp to her shoulders, her eyes still glowing faintly with silver light. "What in the hells are you doing?" she demanded, voice low and sharp as a blade. Lana gasped, rushing to her side, she quickly put a cloak on Freya with panic and outrage tangling together."Do you have a death wish? They could've torn you apart!" Her scolding rang loud, but her trembling hands betrayed her fear-and her care. Guards surged forward, stripping off coats and cloaks, wrapping the two alphas hastily. Then Freya looked straight at them. "If I didn't know I could stop them, I wouldn't have entered the fight," she said coolly, her voice carrying the same dominance that had cowed their wolves. "Even if they hadn't pulled back, I would've managed." "Still," Lana hissed, eyes shining. "Whatever happens, your safety comes first. Always." Freya inclined her head. "I know." Then she cut her gaze back to the two men, voice hard. "Now. Why were you fighting?" "They-" Lana began, but Kade's rough voice cut across her. His chest still heaved, his wolf barely leashed, but he forced words past his teeth. "I heard the Ironclad Alpha was skilled," he said flatly. "I merely wished to test him." "Test?" Freya's silver eyes narrowed, suspicion glinting sharp as fangs. Kade's gaze flickered, betraying unease. He swallowed hard, then tried to redirect, "Where are you headed, Freya? I'll escort you." "She's with me," Silas said at once, his tone carrying the weight of command. "She'll return to my estate." Kade stiffened, fury radiating from him in waves. Freya didn't falter. "Yes. I serve as Alpha Whitmor's protector now. I'll remain at his estate." The words made Kade's jaw clench tight, his wolf pacing beneath his skin. "I'll remain in the Capital for a few more days. If you have time… call me. There are things I must say to you. Things unsaid." "I will," she answered softly, then turned and allowed Silas's men to guide her into the waiting car, her borrowed cloak trailing behind her. As the vehicle pulled away, Kade stood rigid, wolf still straining within him. His gaze burned on the retreating taillights, chest tight with rage and dread. If Silas's interest in Freya was a passing game, Kade could endure it. But if the Ironclad Alpha was serious… The thought alone seared him. His mother's voice whispered through memory, a warning he had once laughed at: Never entangle with the Whitmor line. Madness runs in their blood. If they claim something-or someone-they do not relent until death itself intervenes. He had once scoffed. "You exaggerate, Mother." But now, with Freya wrapped in Silas's cloak, Eleanor's warning returned like prophecy. And he had no choice but to defy it. He would not lose Freya again. Inside the car, Silas finally spoke, his gaze fixed on the pale wolf now wrapped in his coat. "You don't truly believe Kade and I were only testing each other, do you?" "No," Freya replied without hesitation. "Then won't you ask the real reason?" he pressed, voice low. "If you wished to tell me, you would. My questions won't change your silence." Her voice was cool, unyielding. Then her eyes sharpened, cold fire burning there. "But remember this, Silas-do not harm Kade. If you do, I won't forgive you." Silas's lips curved faintly, dangerous and unreadable. His gaze caught hers like a snare. "And if he harms me?"