Third Person's POV Victor's voice was steady, but the weight beneath it pressed like iron. "Have you ever met her current boyfriend?" Kade raised a brow, lounging carelessly in the chair across from him. "Boyfriend? Can't say I have. But knowing Lana's nature? It wouldn't surprise me if she did. She's got the kind of fire that draws wolves like moths to flame." Victor's lips pressed into a thin line. Lana was a contradiction he could never unravel. Fierce with her enemies, generous with her friends. She burned bridges as quickly as she forged them, and yet people still circled back to her warmth. Kade tilted his head, studying his uncle with a grin that was almost too sharp. "Tell me, Uncle Victor, even if Lana has a new mate in her life, are you seriously considering winning her back?" "Is there a problem with that?" Victor's reply was quiet, cold, and unyielding. Kade blinked, momentarily taken aback. His uncle's determination was carved from stone. "Well… if you're asking me, Lana doesn't seem like the kind of she-wolf who goes back to the past. She's not one to eat from the same kill twice." Victor's gaze swept across his nephew like the slash of a blade. "That's enough. You can leave now." Kade only shrugged, rising to his feet. But as he reached the doorway, he couldn't resist tossing one more spark onto the fire. "By the way, Lana told me once she's into younger wolves these days. If she doesn't want you, Uncle, don't force her. Not every hunt ends with the prey you want." The words hit harder than Victor wanted to admit. His grip on the fountain pen faltered, the metal scratching across parchment. He said nothing, but the silence weighed heavier than a roar. When Kade was gone, Victor pushed away from the desk and walked to the washbasin. He braced his palms on the porcelain, staring into the mirror. The reflection staring back was strong, the same proud, stern features he had carried into countless battles-but the wild, untested spark of youth had long faded. So she liked younger wolves, did she?The thought tore through him like claws. He remembered the album he had once glimpsed in her home-pages of photographs filled only with young men, their faces vibrant, their eyes unscarred by war. Was her new mate one of them? And if she truly did not want him… would he be able to let her go this time? The question lingered like a curse. Far across the city, in a guarded estate under the banner of the Bluemoon Pack, Aurora sat propped against her pillows. Her pregnancy had granted her temporary release, but chains of another kind weighed heavy. That very night, she reached for her communicator and sent a message. "Caelum," she whispered into the WolfComm, "I want to see you." When Caelum Grafton arrived, his presence filled the room like a storm at sea. Alpha of the Silverfang Pack, head of SilverTech Forgeworks-he carried both titles like armor, but tonight there was no warmth in his stance. His gaze landed not only on Aurora but also on her parents, who waited inside. Aurora's mother, Eleanor, rose immediately, her hands clutching at his sleeves. "Caelum, our Aurora depends on you now. No matter the cost, you must secure the finest lawyers. She cannot be left to rot in prison. Promise me you'll protect her." Aurora's father chimed in quickly, his tone imploring. "You're not a stingy wolf, Caelum. Aurora carries your pup now. How could you possibly abandon her in her hour of need?" There was a time when those words might have pierced Caelum's heart. Once, even when coin was scarce, he would have fought tooth and fang to protect the woman he loved. But not now. His voice was cold as frost when he asked, "And how much is your family willing to pay to secure those lawyers?" "Pay?" The elder wolves froze. Their eyes darted between each other in alarm. "The Bluemoon Pack may have riches, yes, but that is the Alpha branch. We are but the second bloodline-we have nothing of our own. Aurora's uncle refuses to be tainted by this scandal and has already distanced himself from us. Caelum, surely you won't abandon her as well. That would be ungrateful beyond measure!" "Ungrateful?" Caelum's lips curled in a snarl as he turned toward Aurora. His gaze pinned her like a spear. "Your family has never given me reason for gratitude. So tell me-what exactly do I owe?" Eleanor gasped, fury in her eyes. "How dare you! Without Aurora, you wouldn't even be alive today. She saved your life!"At that, Caelum's composure shattered. A bitter laugh tore from his throat, sharp as steel scraping stone. "She saved me? Is that what you've been told?" He stabbed a finger at Aurora, his voice rising. "Ask your daughter again who truly saved me. She's lied to you all, just as she lied to me." Aurora's face drained of color. Hastily, she motioned for her parents to leave. "Father, Mother-please. Let me speak to him alone." When the door closed behind them, Aurora rose from the bed. She moved to Caelum, her steps light but her expression desperate. "Caelum, listen to me. I know there have been… misunderstandings between us. But my feelings for you are real. And now…" She reached for his hand, guiding it gently to her stomach. "Now, there is more. Eight weeks. By next spring, you will be a father." But Caelum recoiled as though her touch burned. He snatched his hand back, fury trembling through his frame. "How dare you speak to me of this? Do you have any idea what you've done? Because of you, I lost my mate bond. Because of you, my marriage lies in ashes. Because of you, SilverTech Forgeworks is drowning in debt. I was forced into a Lunar Severance Phase, Aurora! My company's funds are locked by the Ironhold Consortium, and the courts won't release them for months. You've driven me to ruin." Aurora's eyes widened, her voice rising in panic. "No! That was never my intention. I only wanted to free myself from Lee's threats. I thought if I paid him to twist the truth, he could be silenced and imprisoned. If Freya Thorne hadn't interfered, it would have worked. The funds would have returned in weeks, not months. I never wanted to hurt you." Her words only fanned the flames. Caelum's fury boiled over, his wolf rising beneath his skin. His fangs flashed, his eyes glowing with the molten gold of Alpha rage. "Threats?" His voice thundered. "You bribed Lee to tell me you were my savior, when you knew damn well it was Freya. Freya Thorne of the Stormveil Pack, daughter of Arthur and Myra-she is the one who dragged me from the jaws of death, not you. And you let me spit on her name, again and again, while you stood in silence!" Aurora flinched, but she did not back down. Her hands clenched over her belly as though the child within could shield her. "I lied because I was afraid. Afraid of losing you. Afraid of what would happen if you knew the truth." But Caelum's eyes blazed like a wildfire devouring the last of his patience. His voice was a growl torn from the core of his beast."You've already lost me, Aurora. You lost me the moment you betrayed not just me-but her."