Third Person's POV "Mm. Yes. I will save you. Always." Freya's voice rang steady, strong-like steel cloaked in velvet. The words, fierce in their oath, smoothed the trembling of the child clinging to her, calming the frantic beat of his small heart. And yet, those same words made the figure in the doorway freeze. Caelum stood rigid. Every instinct in him went still, as though the world itself had halted. The vow Freya had spoken-it was the same one he remembered through half-drowned, delirious haze years ago, when icy river waters had dragged him toward death. In that darkness, he had heard a voice, faint yet unyielding, promising to save him. A voice he had clung to like a lifeline. Why… why would Freya speak those same words? Why did her silhouette overlap so seamlessly with the shadowed memory he had carried all these years? Who had truly saved him that night? Aurora… or Freya? Freya, unaware of the storm unraveling in Caelum's chest, continued to soothe the boy. Her warmth and calm finally eased the child's terror, the fear melting away until his lashes fluttered shut and he slipped into exhausted sleep against her shoulder. Careful as moonlight, Freya laid him back on the bed, tucking the blanket around him. "Thank you," the matron of the Ashbourne orphanage whispered. Her eyes gleamed with gratitude that went deeper than words. Not only had Freya saved the boy from drowning, but now she had given him peace. "This was my duty," Freya replied. Her voice held quiet conviction. Though she had long since laid down her uniform from the Iron Fang Recon Unit, the vows of service she once swore still burned like brands in her soul. A wolf's promise was eternal. She left her contact with the matron. "If his nightmares linger, or if he falters, call me. I'll come." When she stepped into the hallway, her breath caught-Caelum stood waiting. His tall frame blocked the exit, silver-grey eyes burning with unreadable intensity. Freya stiffened but moved as if to pass him. Caelum's arm shot out, barring her way. "Why did you say that to the child?"Her brows knit. "Say what?" "That you'd save him. Always. That vow." His voice was low, taut as a bowstring. His gaze bored into hers, restless, almost feral. Freya's expression chilled. "Why shouldn't I? You think those words belong to someone else?" "It isn't that," Caelum said, his throat working. His voice cracked, raw and strained. "Freya… why would you repeat the very words Aurora once said to me?" Her eyes flashed. So that was it. "You think I'm imitating Aurora?" Her tone cut like frost-edged steel. "That I covet being seen as your savior? You flatter yourself. Whatever you believe, Caelum Grafton-keep it. I have no need for your recognition, nor to play the shadow of another wolf." The venom in her words should have struck him back. Instead, he reached forward suddenly, clutching her sleeve in a grip that betrayed more desperation than dominance. "Then tell me this," Caelum rasped. "Why did you dive into the sea tonight? That child was no kin of yours. No tie of blood. Why risk your life for him?" Freya let out a laugh, cold and sharp as winter wind. "Do you truly need an answer? If every act of salvation must be justified by kinship, then you should be rotting beneath those river waters, not standing here now. You're alive only because someone-stranger or not-believed your life was worth saving." The truth in her words cut deeper than any blade. Caelum faltered, his hand trembling at her sleeve- And another hand struck his away. The interruption came like a storm breaking through. Silas Whitmor stepped forward, Alpha presence heavy as a thunderclap, his cold eyes narrowed at Caelum. With a single motion he had brushed Caelum's grip off Freya, his stance one of shield and claim. Caelum's lips pulled back into a snarl. "And what exactly is Whitmor doing here?" "You and Freya have severed your bond," Silas said, his tone flat with disdain. "Dragging her back into your shadows is beneath even you. No need for this pulling and grasping." The name he used-Freya, softened to my Freya in the weight of his voice-slammed into Caelum's ears like a challenge. He remembered the sight of Silas on the shoreline earlier, arms around her, as though she already belonged to him."Then it's acceptable for you to touch her?" Caelum snapped. Silas's eyes gleamed like blades. "If it were me, I'd never have been fool enough to cast her aside. You forfeited your right. Whatever bond we share now is no concern of yours." His lips curled. "But congratulations on securing Aurora. When your mating ceremony arrives, I'll be sure to send a generous gift." The words landed like claws across Caelum's chest. His pride bristled, his wolf snarling, but his tongue stuck against his teeth. Freya ignored their clash. Her gaze softened only slightly as she turned to Silas. "Why are you here?" "I worried something might happen," Silas admitted simply. His eyes lingered on her, protective, unreadable. "The boy's fine. Just shaken," Freya murmured. "He's resting now." "Then let's go." She nodded, ready to move. But as they passed, Caelum's restraint snapped. "Freya!" His voice thundered through the corridor, sharp and desperate, cutting through the air like a howl on winter wind. Freya halted. Her steps froze, her body tense, and slowly-slowly-she turned back. Caelum's heart lurched at the sight. Even now, even after all, she still answered his call. The old tether between them had not been cut cleanly, no matter how he told himself otherwise. And it was that single glance, her eyes upon him once more, that made the storm inside him rise, threatening to drown him all over again.