Third Person's POV Freya stepped back the moment she tossed the pendant necklace toward Everett. The chain arced through the air, glinting faintly under the dim hotel suite lights before landing neatly in his palm. She did not wait for his reaction-her muscles still trembling from the fight, her reopened wound throbbing beneath the torn fabric of her shirt. She simply turned, grabbed Parker's wrist, and pulled him toward the exit. The Williams Family guards moved on instinct, bracing as if to lunge again, but Everett lifted one hand. "Let them go." Even injured, Freya could feel the weight of the Alpha-command rolling off him. The guards stepped aside instantly. Freya and Parker walked out of the suite, the heavy door shutting behind them. Only once they reached the hotel's main lobby-bright, polished, and washed with the cool scent of imported wolfsbane flowers-did Parker speak, worry thick in his voice. "Your shoulder-your wound's reopened. You're bleeding too much. The concierge desk should have basic medical supplies. We need to stop the bleeding now." "It's nothing serious," Freya replied, brushing it off. Blood dripped down her arm, dark and warm. Her wolf stirred under her skin, restless but steady. "I'll heal." "How could I possibly not worry?" Parker's voice cracked. "You're my sister." Freya froze. The words hit her like a punch to the chest-simple, unadorned, instinctive. A truth spoken from a place deeper than memory. For a moment, a warmth unfurled inside her, something old and familiar. Even without his memories, even with three years stolen from him, Parker still felt it. He still reached for her. He guided her to the concierge desk. A female staff member quickly brought out gauze and antiseptic foam, helping rebind Freya's shoulder with practiced gentleness. The tear wasn't deep-her earlier burst of strength had been fueled by adrenaline and wolf-instinct, not recklessness. Only when the bleeding slowed did Parker exhale in relief. "Freya… don't ever do that again," he murmured. "Charging a full circle of guards alone-you could have been seriously hurt.""Today was an exception," she said, voice steady. "If I hadn't acted, Everett would never have taken me seriously." "You were too impulsive. If Everett truly decided to come after you-" "He won't." Freya's gaze sharpened. "And even if he did-this is the Capital, not C-Domain. The Williams Family doesn't get to run wild here." A faint, wry smile touched her lips. "Besides… your intel about what he cares about helped." Parker's expression tightened. "So you risked your life to rip off his pendant?" "It worked, didn't it?" Freya replied. Then she looked at him, eyes softening. "What about you? What will you do now?" Parker was silent for a long moment. "Lina is still in C-Domain," he finally said. "The Williams Family is covering all her treatment, and she still needs Jenny's marrow for stabilization. At least for now… I can't leave." "I understand." And she did. Freya understood the weight of a sibling's life better than anyone. Parker continued quietly. "And Everett's mother… she's a good woman. A painful past, but good. I won't break the promise I made. I'll help her stabilize, help her accept who I really am-Eric." Freya blinked. Parker… willing to claim the identity he lost? He went on, voice firmer. "Once the Williams Family finishes negotiating their trade agreement with the Whitmore Group, I'll return to C-Domain, settle everything, and come back-not as Parker, but as Eric." Freya felt her throat tighten. For a heartbeat, she could see the brother she remembered-the one who always stepped between her and danger, who always shielded her with his body, who always touched her head when they part ways. "Alright," she whispered. "I'll wait for you." Her smile-soft, steady-seemed to pull something loose inside Parker. He reached out, almost unconsciously, hand lifting toward her head.Just like before. But his hand halted mid-air, frozen. "What's wrong?" Freya frowned. "Nothing," he muttered, attempting to lower his hand. But Freya caught it. She guided his palm to the crown of her head, letting him feel the familiar shape, the familiar warmth. "No matter what happened," she said quietly, "you are my brother. You always touched my head when we said goodbye. Always." Parker stilled. And then he felt it-felt the memory in his bones, felt the muscle-deep recognition. A ghost of a thousand past gestures. This wasn't imagination. This was real. Later, after Freya left the hotel, Parker returned to the presidential suite. Inside, Everett stood by the window, holding the old pendant in one hand. The aged photograph inside-of a little girl barely three years old-rested against his palm. Without turning, Everett spoke. "You're back. I thought you might leave with her." "I made a promise," Parker said. "To pretend to be part of the Williams Family for the old woman's sake. I won't break that. I'll help her accept my real identity as Eric. And after the negotiations here are done… I'll return to C-Domain." Everett finally closed the pendant, fingers curling protectively around it. He looked at Parker for a long while. Three years. Three years of living under the same roof. Three years of guiding him, teaching him, watching him grow.Parker wasn't his son. But Everett felt an instinctive, inexplicable closeness to him-something like pride, something like an Alpha recognizing a cub with the makings of something powerful. Parker had lost his past, yet absorbed every new skill like a sponge. His growth was astonishing-his composure, his strategic mind, his ability to adapt. He could already handle the Williams Family's internal affairs with ease. Everett admired him. Respected him. And, though he would never admit it aloud, sometimes even felt as if the boy truly belonged to him. A faint, unreadable emotion flickered in Everett's eyes. "The girl," he murmured, almost to himself. "She's far more dangerous than she appears." But his voice wasn't angry. It sounded… conflicted. And perhaps, just a little impressed.