Freya's POV The moment Parker froze, I knew he hadn't expected me to break free from his grasp so easily. His eyes flickered-sharp, calculating, a predator caught off guard. Before either of us could speak, Jenny's shrill voice cut through the tension. "Where are the guards?!" she snapped, fury twisting her perfect features. "What kind of place is this-letting strangers just touch my brother?" The room shifted. I felt dozens of eyes burn against my skin as uniformed security wolves began closing in. Jenny Williams wasn't just anyone-her name carried weight even here, far from her homeland. The Williams family might have been C-Nation's exiled purebloods, but in D-Nation's high society, she was still a glittering jewel-vain, loud, untouchable. "She hurt my hand," Jenny declared coldly, flashing her wrist for sympathy. "Throw her out." Then she stepped closer, the sharp scent of her floral perfume stabbing my senses. "Or," she said, smiling, "you could just apologize. Maybe I'll be generous enough to forgive you." I stared at her, anger simmering low in my chest. "Shouldn't you be the one apologizing to me?" Jenny's laughter rang like shattered glass. "You? Apologize to you? Don't be ridiculous." "Everyone is born equal," I said quietly. My voice was steady, but inside, my wolf growled against the restraint. "Equality?" Jenny scoffed, tossing her hair back. "Only lowborns say that to make themselves feel better. In the real world, power decides everything. If I want you to apologize, you will." She flicked her gaze toward the guards, giving a small nod. Instantly, two of them stepped forward. "You heard Miss Williams," one said gruffly. "Apologize, or we'll have to remove you by force." The air thickened. Even they knew what it meant to cross the Williams siblings. Parker Williams wasn't just any Alpha-he was the sole heir of the C-Nation lineage, a wolf whose name still made the old packs tremble. I clenched my jaw. I didn't want to make a scene. Not yet. Not before I got answers. "I'm Silas Whitmor's guest," I said evenly. A murmur rippled through the crowd. The guards hesitated. Jenny blinked, then smirked. "Silas Whitmor? The Alpha of the Ironclad Coalition? Oh, please. Everyone knows he never brings companions to public events. If you're going to lie, at least pick something believable."The laughter that followed was cruel. Sharp. Jenny leaned closer, voice dripping with venom. "You know what? I changed my mind. I don't want your apology anymore. I want your hand." I could feel it then-the malicious satisfaction radiating from her. For some reason, she hated me on sight. Or maybe she just couldn't stand the way Parker had hesitated when I'd looked at him. Before I could react, a cold, commanding voice rolled through the hall. "If Miss Williams wishes to lose a hand tonight," Silas Whitmor said, stepping into the light, "then I'll be happy to oblige her." Gasps echoed. I turned toward the familiar voice, relief flooding me like a wave. Silas was striding toward us, his expression carved in frost. Beside him, Kade Blackridge moved like a shadow, his eyes darting between me and the others. "Freya," Kade breathed when he reached me, his tone laced with concern. "What happened?" "It's nothing," I said quietly. "Nothing?" His gaze hardened when he noticed the bruise marring my cheek. "You were hit." "Who did this?" Silas's tone dropped, lethal and low. The crowd had gone silent now. For years, the Ironclad Alpha had been known as detached, untouchable-a wolf whose emotions were locked behind iron walls. And yet here he was, fury radiating off him in waves, his gaze cutting like a blade. Every witness understood instantly: this wasn't just anyone to him. Jenny stiffened, color draining from her face as she realized the shift in power. Still, she tried to keep her voice steady. "I did. She grabbed my brother out of nowhere, and I-" "Ten times," Silas interrupted coldly. Jenny blinked. "What?" "You hit her once. You'll repay it tenfold." Before anyone could stop him, Silas raised his hand. The movement was swift, ruthless- "Stop!" The shout came from Parker. But it wasn't Parker's hand that stopped Silas-it was mine. I caught his wrist, fingers trembling slightly from the force of his aura. "Don't," I whispered.Silas looked down at me, disbelief flickering through his expression. "She hit you, Freya." "I know." "Then she should pay." "I'm fine," I said, though the sting on my cheek burned with humiliation. "This isn't worth it." "Freya-" "I said I'm fine." Kade's jaw clenched beside us. "No, you're not. She humiliated you in front of everyone. You can't just-" But I barely heard him. My focus was on Parker-the man who looked so achingly familiar, the man whose face mirrored my brother's so precisely it made my chest ache. He pulled Jenny behind him, meeting Silas's glare head-on. "If you want to fight," he said evenly, "then I won't back down. The Williams name isn't one you can trample over." For a moment, it felt like the air itself trembled between them-two Alphas, two worlds colliding. Silas's eyes narrowed. Kade shifted his stance, ready to move. And I-caught between them-felt my pulse hammering in my throat. Because somewhere beneath the tension, beneath the fury and pride and pack posturing, I could feel it again- that same pull. That same spark I'd felt years ago before my world burned down. Was he really my brother? Or just a ghost wearing his face?