Third Person's POV Giselle froze, caught completely off guard. She had never imagined that the Thorne family, the very bloodline of Freya Thorne, was one of unbroken loyalty and sacrifice-the kind that ran deep through generations of pack warriors. "Even if… your family has a legacy of honor, that doesn't give you the right to force me to kneel!" Giselle shouted, struggling, panic flaring across her features. Freya's amber eyes turned ice-cold, the power of her wolf pack heritage radiating from her like moonlight cutting through darkness. "You say that again, and I will make you apologize before the gods. Do you think there's anything I cannot do?" The moment the words left her lips, her hand came down with the authority of a born Alpha. Giselle's head was forced toward the marble floor of the sanctuary. Each strike of Freya's hand, controlled but unyielding, compelled Giselle to bow her forehead. The world narrowed to nothing but the cold stone beneath her and the oppressive force of Freya's strength. One… two… three… Giselle cried out between the strikes, her protests becoming a mixture of pain and fury. "Let me go! Let me go!" Eleanor lunged forward, desperate to shield her daughter, but Lana Rook's quick reflexes intercepted her. "Stay back!" Lana barked, holding Eleanor firmly in place. "This is what she deserves!" "You… you vile woman!" Eleanor shouted. "How dare you treat my daughter like this? I'll report you!" "Go ahead!" Lana shot back, her tone dripping with scorn. "Go report her! Let Freya put your daughter on a military tribunal for insulting a soldier! Let's see who comes out on top." Eleanor's face paled, her anger dimming slightly. "She… she wouldn't dare." "Wouldn't dare?" Lana scoffed. "Do you really think Freya Thorne is some soft little girl you can toy with? She tolerated your nonsense before, when you were her elder. Now, she is no one's subordinate, and she answers to no one but her pack and her honor." Meanwhile, Giselle continued her unwilling obeisance, forced down by Freya's iron grip. Every bow of her head was a blow to her pride, each one a silent testament to the strength of the Stormveil blood coursing through Freya. The sanctuary echoed with the sounds of submission, Giselle's protests muffled by the inevitability of Freya's command. Eighteen strikes. Eighteen humiliating bows. Only after the last did Freya finally release her grip. Giselle stumbled to her feet, her pride in tatters, while Eleanor's hands twitched, unsure whether to lash out again. Then, a voice cut through the tense air like a blade. "Mother… Giselle… what's happening here?" Giselle froze, and Eleanor's hands faltered. Caelum Grafton had appeared, his sharp gaze falling on Freya. The very sight of him made Giselle's previous defiance crumble. For days, Caelum had searched for Freya, turning over every corner of his estate in the Capital, desperate to locate the woman who had haunted his thoughts. He had intended to find her, to apologize for every wrong he had done, every injustice he had allowed to happen to her. And now, before he could even seek her out, fate-or perhaps pack instinct-had drawn him here. "Brother!" Giselle's voice shifted instantly, her earlier courage evaporating. She rushed to Caelum's side, pointing accusingly at Freya. "Brother, she forced me-she forced me to kneel before the sanctuary gods and apologize!" "Indeed," Eleanor chimed in, her voice full of triumph. "Giselle suffered so terribly at her hands! You must set things right for your sister, Caelum!" But Caelum barely seemed to register their words. His amber gaze, wolf-sharp and unrelenting, was locked on Freya. He barely even noticed the protestations of his mother and sister, so consuming was his awareness of the Alpha standing before him. Freya's voice, cool as winter frost, sliced through the air. "Caelum Grafton… do you intend to intervene for them?" "Intervene?" Caelum paused, his mind recalibrating to the human conventions around him. "My sister insulted me, claiming my brother's absence is the result of my misdeeds and bad karma. I demanded she kneel and apologize. But it seems she has yet to truly admit fault… and if necessary, I will continue until she does," Freya said, her voice carrying the full weight of her pack and family honor. Shock registered on Caelum's face. "You actually said that?" "And what is wrong with saying it?" Giselle's eyes blazed. "She has done nothing but spread misfortune. Aurora herself suffered because of her actions-lost her position, even landed in detention. If it weren't for Freya, Aurora would be thriving. Brother, your silence would allow her to escape justice." Before Freya could finish, a sharp slap cut through the tension. Caelum's hand had struck Giselle across the face with the authority of a pack Alpha, commanding respect and obedience. "Apologize to Freya immediately," he said, voice low but deadly. Giselle's hands flew to her face, stunned, as disbelief and fear overtook her. Never had Caelum, her powerful brother and head of SilverTech Forgeworks, struck her for speaking out against anyone. Not even for Freya."Caelum, why did you hit Giselle? She should have been scolding Freya, not the other way around!" Eleanor cried, rushing to her daughter's side.