Third Person's POV Kade stared, utterly speechless, at the two pairs of eyes fixed on him-eyes belonging to his small uncle Victor and to Lana, Freya's closest friend. "Did you sleep with her?" Victor's voice cut through the silence, cold as a winter gale rolling down from the northern ridges. "Where the hell did you spend the night?" Lana pressed, her tone sharp, as though she had every right to interrogate him. Kade's jaw tightened. "Moon-damned hells… I must have done something truly vile in a past life to deserve knowing the both of you." His voice dripped with exasperation. "You're lucky you're my uncle, Victor. And you, Lana-you're under Freya's protection. If either of you were anyone else, I'd have already put you flat on your back for barking at me like that." Victor's expression darkened, but Kade wasn't finished. "And you, Lana-seriously? You've got some nerve asking me where I slept. You're the one who dragged my sorry drunk ass back here last night. I was barely conscious. You think I'd remember which gods-forsaken corner of the room you dumped me in?" He nearly spat the words, biting down just in time to stop a string of curses from tearing free. Victor's sharp eyes swung toward Lana, pinning her like a wolf pup caught sneaking meat from the Alpha's kill. "You drove him back?" His voice was low, dangerous. "N-no. I called a driver," Lana blurted out quickly. Even as she spoke, she couldn't help the flush creeping up her neck. Moon above, why did she suddenly feel like she was back in school, caught lying to a stern tutor? Victor Ashford's scrutiny had a way of stripping people bare. Victor's gaze narrowed further. "So. Where exactly did you leave him?" Lana froze. Her throat locked. She darted her gaze back toward Kade, silently begging him to save her. Kade wanted nothing more than to toss her straight out the nearest window. Before he could decide, Victor stepped forward, shrugging off his tailored jacket with deliberate calm. He rolled up his sleeves, exposing corded muscle that seemed almost at odds with his refined exterior. Lana blinked, startled. Was he actually planning to fight Kade? She'd seen Kade brawl before-he was infamous across his Pack for it, his fists as quick as his wolf. Victor, though… he looked every inch the polished gentleman Alpha. Surely, in a fight, he'd stand no chance. "Stop!" Lana rushed between them, her voice rising. "Victor, even if Kade and I did end up in the same bed-so what? We're both adults, not breaking any laws, not dishonoring any packs. Why are you pressing us like this?"Victor's face went darker still, his lips thinning to a razor's edge. His eyes glittered with the kind of fury that came from somewhere deep, old. "So it's true? You've set your sights on him?" Lana opened her mouth to answer, but Kade shoved her aside, his own temper flaring. "Enough. I woke up on the floor, alright? The damned floor." His gaze locked on Victor. "And even if I had been on the bed beside her, I wouldn't have touched her. She isn't the one I want. Why in the name of the Bloodmoon would I take advantage of someone I don't even like?" Lana's relief at the first part of his words curdled to fury by the end. "Excuse me? What do you mean by that? ‘Wouldn't take advantage'? ‘Wouldn't lower yourself'? Who exactly do you think you are? If anyone would've lost out in that situation, it would've been me!" Kade arched a brow, incredulous. "You seriously think sleeping with me would be your loss?" She shot back without hesitation, "Don't forget, your precious uncle here was once my boyfriend. If you and I really did end up in bed, that would make me practically your almost-aunt. You think that's not disgrace enough? If anyone's losing here, it's me!" Kade choked, coughing so hard his chest burned. Moon above, did Lana just say that out loud? The woman had no filter. Lana's eyes widened a split second later, realization crashing down. She had dragged Victor into the fire pit along with herself. Wrong move. Very wrong. "Victor, it was just… words tumbling out. Don't take it seriously," she backtracked quickly. But Victor's gaze had sharpened to a wolf's killing edge. "And what if I do take it seriously?" Lana faltered. For the first time, she had no clever retort. After a long pause, she managed, "Then… what exactly do you want from me?" Victor didn't blink. "When you brought Kade here last night, what did you carry?" "My bag. My WolfComm. Nothing else." "Where are they now?" "Here," she said hesitantly, lifting them from the sofa. "Why?" "Come," Victor said simply. His hand closed firmly around hers, warm and unyielding. He turned toward the door. Over his shoulder, he spoke to Kade, "Don't drink yourself insensate again. The next time you do, you may not wake up with your wolf intact. And the one who'll regret it won't just be you." Kade gave a lazy shrug, trying to mask the unease curling in his gut. "Yeah, yeah. Got it." He watched as Victor led Lana out of his apartment, finally releasing a long breath. The tension drained from the room like smoke after a fire. If Victor had stayed a moment longer, Kade was half certain the whole place would've been torn apart. Yet the unease lingered. He frowned, leaning back against the wall. The way Victor had looked at Lana-sharp, possessive, almost desperate. Could it be true? That his uncle had never truly let her go? And if Victor was still bound by something as reckless as desire… then Lana might find herself marked by more than old affections. In their world, when an Alpha refused to let go, the story never ended cleanly.