Freya's POV By the time I finally pushed open the door to my temporary residence, Lana nearly pounced on me. "Freya! Moon above-you're only getting home now? You said you started driving back this morning! Even a human courier could've arrived faster. And your WolfComm was off! I almost filed a missing-person report with the Iron Fang Recon Unit!" Her relief crashed into me like a physical force. I exhaled, pulling off my coat. "I stopped on the way," I said. "Went to meet Everett." Lana froze. Then her eyes widened as I told her everything-every detail of stepping into the Alpha's presence… locking his throat with my elbow… ripping the pendant from him. When I finished, she let out a long whistle. "So you actually locked the old man's throat? Freya, he's the head of the Williams Family. Their Alpha-forged backbone. And you tore off his pendant." "I wasn't going to just sit there and wait for him to decide my fate." My voice came out flat, calm. "He cornered me. I fought back." "Cornered you? Freya, he threatened you. You should've punched him through a wall," Lana said furiously, pacing. "If I were there I'd have bitten him myself." My wolf huffed a quiet agreement. I shook my head. "He saved my brother once. I won't hurt him unless I have no choice." What I didn't say-because it still unsettled me-was how much Everett resembled Parker. Same brow line. Same shape of the eyes. Like looking at a version of my brother thirty years older. Like seeing Eric's shadow inside a man who was never truly our kin. Lana's anger softened when she finally sat down. "Alright… what now? You're safe. That's what matters." "I need a day of leave tomorrow," I said. She blinked. "Leave? Why? Are you hurt? Did he hit you? Did the guards hit you? Freya, swear to the Moon-" "I'm fine." I lifted a palm. "I need to go to the Whitmor Tower. To see Silas.""Silas?" Lana's voice jumped an octave. "Why him?" "To talk about Jenny." "Jenny? What did she do again? Didn't Silas already declare he'd strip her from the Williams Family registry?" "He wants her expelled," I said quietly. "But right now… she can't be." Lana stared at me. "Freya. Explain." "My brother's savior," I said, breathing out. "The woman who shielded Eric with her own body… she has blood cancer. She needs Jenny's marrow. Without Jenny, she won't survive. And the Williams Family is preparing to throw Jenny out because Silas is pressuring them." So yes-ridiculous as it was-I needed to protect Jenny. For Eric. His savior is my savior too. Lana fell silent for a long moment, then sighed. "You're too soft-hearted. But… I get it." Sleep barely brushed me that night. My wolf paced beneath my skin, unsettled, alert. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Parker touching the top of my head, confusion and instinct blending in his expression. Eric was still in there, somewhere. Waiting to wake. The next morning, I arrived at Whitmor Tower-the tallest building piercing the heart of the Capital, its walls a mix of steel, blackstone, and reinforced moon-glass. The Ironclad Coalition's insignia gleamed above the doors. I approached the reception desk. The staff member bowed politely. "I'd like to meet Silas," I said. "I'm here on a private matter." "If you don't have an appointment," she said with a practiced smile, "the chairman won't be available." I lowered my gaze, tapping my WolfComm. My finger hovered over Silas's contact for two full seconds before I finally pressed call. The line rang. And rang. Just when I thought he wouldn't answer, the familiar voice cut through. "What do you want?" A voice sharp as winter steel. The voice that once softened for me."Yes," I said softly. "I need to see you. I'm downstairs… in the lobby of your tower." "If it's business," he replied, tone cold, "use the proper channels." "It's not business. It's personal." His silence was colder than his voice. Then he said, "Do we still have anything personal between us? You were the one who wanted clear lines-your path, my path, no crossing. And you were right. There's no reason for us to meet." The call ended. I stared at my screen for a full breath before lowering it. A bitter, humorless smile tugged at my lips. I was the one who cut it off. I was the one who insisted we separate our worlds. And now here I was, standing in his world again, asking for his help. I exhaled slowly and scrolled to another contact-Wren, Silas's aide. I hadn't called him since the days when I served briefly as Silas's guard during the Coalition's summit. My finger hesitated only a moment before pressing. He answered almost immediately. "Freya?" "Hello, Wren." My voice softened. "I… need a favor. Could you tell me when Silas might have time today? I tried calling him. He refused to see me." Wren inhaled. "Chairman Silas has two meetings today. Both long." I knew what that meant-dense, political battles between Alphas and economic heads. Hours of stone-faced discussion. No breaks. No windows to slip through. Still, I steadied my voice. "I just need one moment with him," I said. "A short one. It's important. Life-and-death important." "I can't promise anything," Wren said honestly. "But… I'll see what I can do." "Thank you."As the call ended, I stood there, surrounded by the cold shimmer of moon-glass pillars, the hum of drones patrolling above, and the scent of silver-forged steel in the air. Silas was somewhere above me-Alpha of the Ironclad Coalition, a man feared by nations, a wolf whose presence once felt like a storm wrapped around my heartbeat. Now he wouldn't even look at me. My wolf bristled faintly, not in anger, but in something far more complicated-pride wounded, instinct unsettled, heart tightening in a way I didn't want to acknowledge. But I straightened. This wasn't about Silas. This wasn't about our past. This was about Eric. About the woman who saved him. About Jenny's fate-and what her life meant to my family.