Freya's POV The moment I stepped out of Whitmor Group's towering headquarters, the cold wind of The Capital cut across my face, carrying the faint metallic tang of winter and wolfsteel from the forges nearby. Before I could breathe properly, I saw someone striding toward me with urgent steps. Kade. His scent-cool pine layered with the smoky trace unique to the Iron Fang Recon Unit-hit me first. His brows were knit tight, eyes scanning me from head to toe in that protective, quietly stubborn way he always had. "What are you doing here?" I asked, startled. "I heard from Lana that you came to see Silas," he said, voice low but edged. "I came to pick you up. Did he give you a hard time?" He already knew why I had come. Lana must've told him everything-Eric's situation, the donor match, the Williams Family's refusal… all of it. "No," I replied. "Then… did he agree?" Kade pressed. "More or less." Kade's frown deepened. "What does more or less mean?" "He wants me to go somewhere with him tomorrow. In exchange." Kade's reaction was immediate. "Where?" "I don't know. He didn't say." "And you're still going?" His voice sharpened, wolf instincts rising. "Yes." My answer was firm enough that even he paused. "This is about the person who saved Eric's life. If I don't try-if that person dies because Jenny Williams refuses to donate… I won't forgive myself. Not in this lifetime." Kade exhaled sharply. "Then I'll go with you." "I can go alone. And Silas wouldn't let you follow anyway." I touched his shoulder lightly. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen.""You trust him that much?" he asked quietly. "He didn't even tell you where he's taking you." I looked at him-at the conflict twisting his expression. Why was he this uneasy? Maybe because he'd always known: My feelings for Silas had never been simple. "If Silas truly meant to harm me, he wouldn't bother with games," I said. "And besides… he's never hurt me. Not once." Except for the lie. Except for the day my trust in him shattered. Kade didn't answer. His gaze drifted up to the shining Whitmor Group building, jaw tightening. He knew-maybe better than anyone-that Silas and I had ended because trust had died between us. But maybe he also saw what I refused to admit: Even after everything, a part of me still believed in Silas. And that frightened him. It frightened me, too. Kade's lips pressed into a thin line. For a heartbeat, he looked almost defeated. Then he turned away, as if the sight of the building itself made something inside him ache. I didn't know what to say. The Next Morning When I walked out of my apartment at dawn, frost still clung to the pavement. Silas's armored black vehicle was already waiting, gleaming like a predator crouched in the shadows. The driver stepped out immediately and opened the door. "Freya," he said respectfully. "Please." I climbed into the back and saw Silas sitting there, a silent storm in a tailored dark coat, the faint aura of Alpha dominance simmering under the surface. As the car pulled away, I asked quietly, "Can you tell me where we're going now?"He didn't even hesitate. "To meet my mother." I blinked. "Your mother…? But she-" Gone. She'd passed away years ago. Was he taking me to her resting place? Half an hour later, we stopped before a serene hillside cemetery. The wind here felt colder. Cleaner. Sacred. A single marble headstone stood before us, adorned with flowers that hadn't yet wilted. A black-and-white portrait of a young, vibrant woman was embedded at its center. Silas's mother. My chest tightened. Two days ago, Eric and I had visited our parents' memorial at the Stormveil Primal Hall. I hadn't expected to stand before another mother's grave so soon-especially hers. "Why bring me here?" I whispered. Silas's gaze never left the stone. "I wanted her to meet you." The words struck me harder than I expected. Once, during our relationship, I imagined coming here with him on sacred days-Winter Solstice, Remembrance Night-but we never did. There was always something else, always another crisis at the Coalition, always another reason. We never came. But now, after everything… I was here. He lowered his head slightly, eyes dark with memories. "I'd wanted her to see the woman I planned to spend my life with," he said. "I never brought you then. So I'm bringing you now."Before I could respond, his voice shifted-rougher, lower, almost trembling. "Freya… I swear I won't let you end up like her." I froze. "What?" "From now on," he murmured, "stay away from me. As much as possible. Don't appear in front of me unless you must. If I ever lose control… I don't want it to be you who gets hurt." Something inside me cracked. His mother had died because of that uncontrollable Alpha fury-his father's, not his. And Silas had carried that fear like a chain ever since, binding every choice he made, every emotion he repressed. He genuinely thought he might destroy me. He genuinely feared his own blood more than I ever had. And in that moment, standing beside his mother's grave, I understood that what he believed was distance… Was, in truth, protection. My voice came out hoarse. "Silas…" But he just shook his head, gaze fixed on the stone, as if speaking directly to his mother instead of me. "I'm not my father," he whispered again. "But if I stay near you… I'm afraid I'll become him."