Freya's POV I froze mid-step, following the direction of the woman's gaze. My heart hammered, a wild drumbeat echoing through my chest. Then, as if on cue, the elevator doors slid open with a smooth, mechanical sigh. Standing at the forefront, the first figure to emerge stepped into the dim lobby light. My eyes caught him. Just a glimpse of his side profile-and my entire world seemed to pause. Every nerve in my body screamed, every blood cell seemed to burn as if stoked by an invisible fire. Eric. It was Eric. I blinked, unable to move for a fraction of a second, before my instincts, as primal and sharp as my wolf senses, took over. I bolted toward the elevator. "Wait!" I shouted, my voice cutting through the murmur of the casino floor. But two security personnel stationed by the elevator moved to block me, their stance firm, professional. "Don't stop me!" I growled, the words barely human in their intensity. My claws flexed against the air, and I struck. One man went down with a grunt; the other hesitated only for a second before I lunged past him. The elevator doors began to close. Panic struck like icy water. I had only seconds-and I had to see him. His face, framed by the warm lighting of the elevator, stared back at me. But it was calm, almost indifferent, like he was looking at a stranger rather than his own sister. Could I have been wrong? The man I had glimpsed-a tailored suit, an air of authority, confidence radiating from every line of him-looked… different from the memory I had of Eric. Older, more mature, like the years had sharpened him into someone I barely recognized. But that didn't matter. Whether it was him or not, I had to know. I watched as the elevator descended to the ground floor, my heart hammering against my ribs. Without a second thought, I raced for the stairwell, each step pounding like a drumbeat in my chest, carrying me down toward the lobby. When I burst into the main hall of the casino, I saw him-Eric, flanked by a few associates, moving with calm authority, exiting the casino. My wolf snarled, raw instinct urging me forward. I couldn't let him leave-not like this! But then I heard it: the sharp, authoritative bark of command."Block her! She assaulted our personnel!" A dozen security guards swarmed toward me. Their movements were precise, trained, coordinated-no ordinary group could match them. My claws flared, my muscles tensed, and I met them head-on. Blows were exchanged, bodies collided, the floor beneath me a blur of motion. I didn't notice the chaos of the floor around me, my attention fixed on Eric, now moving out of my line of sight. Despair clawed at me. Was I about to lose him again? If this was a mistake, if he wasn't truly Eric… would I ever see him again? Before I could answer, a heavy punch struck my shoulder. I staggered, instinctively twisting to deflect a follow-up strike-but another blow came from behind. BANG! The impact never came; Kade was there, his presence a shield as his hands intercepted the attack meant for me. "Freya! What the hell is going on?" Kade's voice was calm but sharp, his wolf instincts flaring in sync with mine. "I… I saw him," I hissed in my native Stormveil dialect, words rushing out without translation. "Eric. I saw Eric." Kade's brows knit together in comprehension. He wasn't from Stormveil, but during our time in the Iron Fang Recon Unit, he had picked up enough of the dialect to understand snippets. He grasped immediately why I, usually cautious and measured, had leapt headlong into a firefight with trained security personnel. The guards lunged again. Kade's hands slipped into his pocket and retrieved a sleek, black metal card-the casino's mark of authority, a symbol of untouchable status. "It's a misunderstanding," he said smoothly, stepping into my line of fire. "One misunderstanding doesn't excuse breaking the rules!" the lead security officer barked. "Take them down!" I growled low in my throat, muscles tensing, but Kade held me back with a firm hand. My wolf senses were screaming-Eric was already gone, mingled with the crowd outside. Then, a voice cut through the chaos like a blade: "Even if they're my people, you'd still take them down?" Silas Whitmor. His presence dropped over the casino like a shadow, commanding attention without moving. Every guard froze, uncertainty flashing in their eyes. The air grew thick with tension, the subtle metallic tang of wolf energy prickling my senses.