Freya's POV I met Caelum's gaze across the crowded chamber, his silver-grey eyes sharp as forged steel. He had the gall to demand, "Freya, why are you here?" I laughed softly, though my wolf bristled beneath my skin. "If you can be here, Caelum, why shouldn't I?" His jaw clenched. "I'm here as Alpha of Silverfang and head of SilverTech Forgeworks. I carry my Pack's banner. You-what do you represent? The government's published list of summit enterprises makes no mention of SkyVex Armaments, nor Lana Rook's name." My smile cooled. "You plan to wield a patent that I forged with my own blood and hours, and you think I don't have the right to stand in this hall?" The chamber thickened with silence. Caelum's face hardened, his wolf scent edged with unease. He hadn't expected me to know. And I saw where his eyes slid-to Silas Whitmor, looming steady at my side. My anchor, my shield. Caelum realized in that instant that expelling me would not be so simple. No one moved against the Alpha of the Ironclad Coalition without a reckoning. "That patent," Caelum said at last, voice tight, "was filed during our marriage. The terms of the Lunar Severance Phase were clear. I have claim to it." Aurora, the Bluemoon Beta's daughter, stepped forward quickly, her voice slicing through the air like the snap of rotor blades. "Freya, you severed your bond to Caelum willingly. You were eager enough then. Now that he puts the patent to use, do you mean to snatch it back? Typical of a woman like you-quick to promise, quicker to betray." Her smirk glittered with malice. She wanted me cornered, wanted me to falter before the watching Alphas and envoys. She imagined me helpless, as though the patent's brilliance could be twisted into her victory. I tilted my head, met her eyes, and let my wolf's disdain bleed into my smile. "I never said you couldn't use it. But tell me, do you really think you can?" Caelum blinked, uncertain. Aurora scoffed. "Why couldn't we? The patent belongs to you both. Caelum's labor carved out the forge for SilverTech. Do you think you would've had time to toy with theories if not for his grind? Without his earnings, would you have had the freedom to draw a single design?" "Freedom?" The word tore from my throat in a bitter laugh. Three years of marriage. Three years I buried myself in his vision, his company, his Pack. Every night, while he raged about markets and rivals, I labored over schematics until dawn. If not for that sacrifice, if not for my research, do they think I would have produced only one patent? I looked at Caelum, my voice low, steady, cutting. "So you believe SilverTech stands here today solely because of your power? Your money? That all I did was bask in your glory?" Aurora's chin lifted. "Isn't that the truth? Military innovation is one thing, but business demands more-vision, ruthlessness, networks. You can't just build drones and think empires rise from blueprints. Wealth doesn't fall from the sky." I let her words fall, then exhaled, almost pitying her. "You're right-wealth doesn't fall from the sky. I remember every step of clawing it from the dirt. I remember spending every drop of my father's trust and every link of my mother's connections to open doors for SilverTech. And when Caelum nearly destroyed the company with reckless decisions, I was the one who fought him back from the edge." The truth hung there, burning the air. Aurora's face flushed, but she snapped, "Then all the more reason the patent belongs to him too! He shed sweat and blood beside you. His power shaped it. It is not yours alone." I gave a shrug that cut sharper than a blade. "Fine. Keep telling yourself that. But if you believe in his strength so utterly, then hold onto it when his strength falters. If his empire crumbles, Aurora, stay with him still. Don't forget these words then." A hush swept the chamber. I could feel the storm building; soon, the summit would start, and my turn to strike would come. Let Caelum try to wield my work-he would learn it wasn't so simple. Then Jocelyn sneered with venom. "Freya, you're jealous, aren't you? Caelum cast you aside for Aurora, and you lost a prize mate. Admit it-you're bitter because the Silverfang Alpha chose someone else." The words twisted in the air, cutting Caelum too, for they painted him as the triumphant betrayer, the male who discarded his first mate for a shinier bond. I saw his wolf twitch, discomfort flickering. But before he could form a defense, Silas spoke. "Jealous?" His voice rolled like thunder across the chamber, deep and certain. "Tell me-what reason would Freya Thorne have to be jealous?" Every gaze snapped to us. That single word-Freya-from his lips carried more than possession. It was claim. It was declaration. In that moment, he bound his presence to mine for all to see. Silas Whitmor, Alpha of the Ironclad Coalition, did not posture. He promised. The silence that followed was suffocating. Jocelyn paled, nearly biting her tongue. She understood what he meant-understood that I was no discarded mate, no castoff. I stood beside power equal to, no, greater than Caelum's. Caelum's face twisted, humiliation flickering across his proud features. Only yesterday, he had feared whispers-that he was a wolf who abandoned his bond when fortune rose. Now the story shifted, recast by Silas's presence. No longer was I the forsaken one. Now it was he who looked like the wolf left behind, replaced by a rival stronger, sharper, more unyielding. And I, no longer bowed my head.