Freya's POV I was at the City Economic Summit with Lana, trying to focus on the project pitches, but I couldn't help noticing that she seemed distracted. Her brow furrowed, lips pressed in a line, and every so often, she would glance at her tablet as if expecting a message that could tip the balance of her entire week. "Lana, what's wrong? You look like you're carrying the weight of the whole pack on your shoulders," I asked softly, trying to keep my voice casual. "Worried about the project not going through?" She shook her head, biting her lip. "Not exactly… it's just…" She hesitated, her amber eyes clouded with thought. "It's complicated. I'll tell you later." Before she could elaborate, a commotion rippled across the room. I followed her gaze and froze. Silas had entered the hall, flanked by a swarm of reporters. His presence alone seemed to shift the air-his iron-gray suit perfectly tailored, his expression cold and distant, and his eyes sharp and calculating. It was the same feeling I had always had when observing him from afar-like I was being weighed and measured by a predator, and there was nothing I could do to hide. For a moment, time seemed to fold in on itself, and I felt that dizzying loop of memory again, the one that tied past and present together with invisible threads. "Freya, look-Silas is looking this way," Lana murmured, her voice tight with unease. My chest tightened. Silas was looking at me. I could feel the intensity of his gaze as though it had pierced through the bustling crowd straight to my spine. My mind raced: Would he approach? Would he speak? The press cameras were everywhere-one wrong move, and this could explode across the networks, going viral in a heartbeat. I tried to steer Lana toward a quieter corner, away from the center of attention, but the moment I took a step, Silas turned his head and walked straight past us. Just like that, the moment of confrontation dissolved, leaving only the echo of his stare. "Did you see that?" Lana whispered, biting her nails. "He acted like he didn't even recognize you. So… is it really over between you two?" I let my gaze drop to the floor, my heart twisting with a familiar, stubborn ache. "I suppose he's made peace with it," I murmured. Rationally, I knew I had to let go, but my wolf-heart was slow to obey. It didn't matter that the days, the weeks, the months had passed-emotional scars were not so easily healed. Perhaps, with time, Silas and I would be like two distant horizons, never to intersect again. "Let's go check the project details," I said, shaking off the melancholy as best I could. Lana nodded, and we started to move.But barely a few steps into the corridor, a sharp voice pierced through the low hum of conversation. "Freya!" I froze. My brows knitted. The voice was unmistakable. Caelum Grafton. I turned slowly, the disapproval already rising in my chest. "Caelum," I said coldly, my tone carrying every ounce of contempt I felt. "I've told you before-you have no right to call me like that." He smiled, a cocky, unrepentant curve of his lips. "Ah, you don't like it? Fine, I'll stop calling. But… how have you been? Really?" The audacity. He hadn't so much as inquired about my well-being during the three years of our marriage, yet here he was, after everything, feigning concern. "That's none of your business, Caelum," I said, venom threading my words. "We're divorced. You can stop pretending now." He shrugged, his wolfish grin flickering with just enough charm to irritate me. "I'm genuinely concerned. I know I've made mistakes, but… Aurora misled me. I thought she was my savior. I want to make things right. When I had nothing, you married me out of love. Why can't we start over?" I laughed, a short, bitter bark of sound. "Start over? Caelum, your gall is unmatched. There's no way in hell that's happening." His gaze sharpened, predatory. "Why not? Silas Whitmor has already abandoned you. I know you moved out from his place and are staying with Lana now. He barely glanced at you when he entered. Freya, you've been discarded!" I felt a flicker of irritation-then disbelief. "You… stalked me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "I'm just concerned," he said with false casualness. "Look, even if your parents are war heroes, that doesn't matter in the grand hierarchy. You're a commoner, Freya. Someone like Silas… he never intended for this to last. It was a fleeting indulgence." He took a step closer, voice lowering, velvet and steel in the same breath. "The one suited for you… is me. During our three years of marriage, wasn't it good? The company thrived. We thrived. Reunite with me-no Aurora this time. I'll be different. I'll divide the company's shares. I'll make you Vice President. You'll have a voice in every decision." His words poured over me like a torrent-pleading, yet laced with domination, a wolf asserting claim over territory. Every instinct in me bristled at the arrogance. "I have no interest," I said firmly, yanking Lana along as I tried to slip past him."Wait!" Caelum snapped, blocking my path. "I've made myself clear. Don't you understand? Silas abandoned you! Who else would want a divorced woman? I'm the best choice for you-I'm here to make amends!" I stopped, spinning to face him fully, my voice dripping with icy clarity. "Ha! Caelum, I don't have to marry anyone. And you are absolutely not the best option in my life. Don't flatter yourself. You want a reunion? No-it's not to make amends for me. It's because your company is sinking, and you need someone to work your grind while you sit comfortably in your throne as Alpha and CEO."