Freya's POV The moment we stepped into the grand ballroom, the weight of it pressed down on me like a heavy cloak. Crystal chandeliers glittered above, casting fractured light across polished marble floors, and the air reeked of perfume, ambition, and wolf musk. My pulse quickened. I wasn't here for spectacle. I was here for one reason: Parker Williams. If Silas's intel was right, he would be at this gathering tonight. The thought alone made my chest tighten. Parker might be the only lead to my brother, Eric Thorne. Or… perhaps Parker was Eric. My eyes swept the crowd, nerves taut like a bowstring. Behind me, two shadows moved in sync-Kade and Silas. They flanked me like bodyguards, but their presence was anything but simple. Their raw Alpha energy pressed against my skin, prickling like sparks of lightning, drawing curious stares the moment we crossed the threshold. Whispers rose immediately. Two Alphas in one room was enough to stir gossip. Add me between them, and it was a storm waiting to break. Silas drew the lion's share of attention; the Whitmor name carried weight in the Ironclad Coalition, and his striking looks weren't easily ignored. Yet to my surprise, Kade also drew recognition. Of course-his WolfComm ties to Victor Ashford's legal empire extended far beyond the Capital. It made sense that some of D-Nation's power brokers would know his face. But for me, all of this was noise. Every handshake, every lingering stare, every simpering smile from a woman drawn to either of them-it all slowed me down. And I couldn't afford delays. "We should split up," I said sharply, eyes scanning for even a flicker of Parker's silhouette. "We'll find him faster that way." Kade's brow furrowed. "But-" "No buts," I cut him off. "Time isn't on our side." Before I could step away, Silas's hand wrapped around my wrist, firm and hot. His grip was more than possessive-it was a tether. His voice, low and steady, brushed my ear. "I'll come find you later." I swallowed, uneasy at the intensity in his gaze. "Fine." Only then did he release me. But others had already noticed. A local pack elder leaned closer to Silas, voice curious. "Rare to see you bring a companion, Whitmor. Who's the lady?" Silas didn't hesitate. "She's my mate."The words struck me like a blow. My lungs stalled; even Kade's eyes hardened in disbelief. The men nearby blinked, startled. "Your mate?" one murmured. "Then she must be truly fortunate." Silas's gaze never left me. "Fortunate? No. I'm the fortunate one." His tone was reverent, almost desperate, as if by claiming me before witnesses, he could bind me back into his orbit. Kade stepped forward, seizing Silas by the arm, dragging him aside. His voice was low, edged with steel. "She ended things with you. Stop calling her your mate." Silas's lips curved in a humorless smile. "We're only apart for now. She'll return to me. She has to." Kade's jaw clenched. The temperature between them dropped to ice. "If you so much as think of forcing her, Whitmor, I swear on my bloodline-I'll tear your Coalition down stone by stone. Don't test me." Silas's eyes narrowed, shadows curling in their depths. "Do you really believe you could bring down my family?" "Try me," Kade said, gaze unflinching, his wolf prowling just beneath his skin. The two of them locked in a silent battle, Alphas radiating hostility so thick the nearby crowd instinctively shifted back, giving them space. I didn't wait for it to escalate. My focus had to remain on Parker. Heart hammering, I pushed deeper into the sea of glittering gowns and sharp suits. Everywhere I looked, faces blurred, but none of them were his. Doubt gnawed at me. What if Silas had lied? What if Parker wasn't even here? What if I lost the chance to find my brother all over again? My wolf paced restlessly inside me, nose lifting, desperate for a familiar scent. The thought of Eric-his laughter, the shadow he cast over my childhood, the way he had vanished-tightened my throat. If Parker was him, if I could just see… I turned another corner, breath shallow. And then- My steps faltered. My entire body froze. There, across the room, in the flood of lamplight, stood a figure I knew too well and not at all. The tilt of his head, the line of his shoulders-it was Eric's posture, Eric's presence. But the air around him was darker, more guarded, stamped with authority that didn't belong to the boy I remembered.Parker Williams. Or Eric Thorne. Or both. My heart seized. Every rational thought scattered. Instinct took over. My feet moved before my mind caught up, propelling me across the ballroom. I couldn't lose him again. Not this time. The crowd blurred around me, voices drowned beneath the rush of my own pulse. My wolf howled inside me, urging me forward, clawing at my ribs with need. Closer. Closer. And then-I was there. My hand shot out, trembling but sure, and clamped onto his wrist. His skin was warm, solid, alive. He turned, startled, eyes widening as he saw me. For one breathless moment, the world stopped. I stared into his face, torn between hope and dread, and whispered the word that had been clawing at my chest for years: "Brother…?"