Freya's POV "What martyrs?" Jenny sneered, her voice shrill enough to grate against the walls of the Ironhold Tower lobby. "Don't tell me your parents were some kind of noble heroes. If they were, they probably weren't that great to begin with. That so-called ‘martyr' title? Who knows if it was even real-" The sound of a slap cracked through the air before she could finish. It wasn't me this time. It was Silas. The Ironclad Alpha himself had crossed the distance in one sharp stride, his gloved hand leaving a furious red imprint across Jenny's face. The force of it spun her halfway around. She stumbled, heels scraping the polished marble floor, almost falling before she caught herself against a column. A ribbon of blood trailed from the corner of her mouth, vivid and obscene. For a moment, everything stopped. Even the security guards froze mid-breath. I felt my own lungs lock in my chest, stunned as much as the others. Silas who never raised his voice, who treated the world like an endless negotiation table-had just struck someone in public. Jenny clutched her cheek, trembling. "You- you hit me?" she choked, disbelief replacing her arrogance. Silas didn't shout. He didn't need to. His voice dropped, low and lethal. "Seems the Williams Pack failed to teach you how to survive outside your own walls," he said. "In this land, you watch what comes out of your mouth." Wren, his assistant, stepped forward immediately, offering a handkerchief. Silas took it with detached grace and wiped his hand as if he were erasing filth. I saw no regret, no hesitation. Only cold precision-the kind that reminded everyone why the Ironclad Coalition feared and respected him in equal measure. Jenny's face turned scarlet with fury and humiliation. "Mr. Whitmor," she stammered, "you said earlier you had no relationship with Freya Thorne!" Silas's eyes flicked toward me-just a glance, a sliver of that mercury-grey coldness-and then away again. "That's true," he said, voice even. "But that doesn't mean you get to insult the dead of my homeland." His words struck harder than the slap. Jenny paled. "You- you can't be serious! I'm with the Williams Family! I'm a guest of the Ironclad Coalition! You can't just hand me over to the authorities-"Silas's gaze didn't waver. "Unless the Williams Pack removes you from their lineage," he said icily, "the Coalition will cut all ties. From this day forward, any Pack or company that deals with the Williams will be blacklisted by the Ironclad." "What?" Parker's voice broke through the silence, his composure cracking. Even he hadn't expected this. Jenny looked as if the floor had opened beneath her. "You're- you're doing this because of her?" she screamed, pointing at me with a shaking hand. "You're in love with that Thorne bitch, aren't you? You'd ruin an entire family for her!" A silence fell like a blade. Every wolf in the room stilled. Silas's lashes flickered, his expression still as frost. "No," he said. "I don't love her." His tone was calm, detached. "But I do despise you." Then he turned away and walked into the Ironhold Tower, his long coat sweeping behind him like a shadow. Wren hesitated for a heartbeat before following, but I caught the faint flicker of surprise in his eyes. He'd served Silas for years-he knew better than anyone that the Ironclad Alpha did not act out of emotion. Yet here he was, breaking his own rules for someone he claimed not to care for. My heart clenched painfully. I hadn't expected him to defend me-especially not after the way we'd ended things on that damned island. After everything he'd said, everything I'd said. And yet… he'd still stepped in, not for me, but for what my parents stood for. My parents-wolves of the Stormveil Pack, soldiers of the Iron Fang Recon Unit, names forever carved into the Ashbourne Legion's Hall of Martyrs. He had defended their memory. Just like he'd once bowed his head before their ashes. That reverence wasn't for me-it was in his blood, that old Ironclad honor, that relentless loyalty to the fallen. For a moment, I almost forgot how to breathe. Lana exhaled beside me, whispering under her breath, "Well damn. I didn't see that coming. The man says he's done with you, and then he goes full-on Alpha Fury for your parents." A humorless smile tugged at my lips. "He's always respected the dead," I said quietly. "Especially those who gave their lives for the Packs." Even when his heart had turned cold toward me, his reverence for the fallen never faltered. That was Silas-steel and principle to the last breath.Lana nudged me lightly. "You should still go in, Freya. The bid's about to start. You don't want SkyVex to lose the contract because of this mess." "I know." My voice came out softer than I intended. "I'll stay until the enforcers arrive. I was the one who threw the first punch." She frowned. "You sure? I can stay-" "I'm not a pup," I interrupted gently. "I can handle it." After a moment, Lana gave a reluctant nod and strode toward the tower's glass doors, muttering curses about entitled noble-born wolves as she went. I stayed where I was, surrounded by the heavy silence that followed Silas's departure. The air still smelled faintly of his scent-cold metal, cedar, and storm. Jenny clung to Parker's sleeve, panic unraveling her voice. "You have to help me," she hissed. "You can't let him do this. If the Coalition blacklists the Williams, your father will destroy us both!"