Third Person's POV Lana had just fetched a set of clean clothes from her car for Freya when the shrill wail of a fire alarm tore across the night. She froze. The sound came from the direction of the banquet hall. The banquet hall where Freya was resting. A spike of fear shot through her. Without even closing the car door, Lana sprinted toward the building, boots skidding over the marble as wolves and humans alike spilled out in panic. The hall's loudspeakers crackled, then a cold mechanical voice began looping instructions for evacuation. Staff members were already shouting over the noise, guiding guests out through the side exits. Lana fumbled for her WolfComm, dialing Freya's number again and again. No answer. "Pick up-please pick up!" Her wolf snarled anxiously beneath her skin, pacing. Two guests rushed past her, muttering breathlessly. "Who the hell set a fire during the Ironhold Consortium's annual gala?" "Could be sabotage. I heard it started near the lounge area-" Lounge area. Lana's blood turned to ice. Freya was in that lounge. She bolted forward, only to be yanked backward. A strong arm locked around her waist, dragging her in the opposite direction. "Hey-!" Victor's voice cut through the chaos. "What the hell are you doing running toward the flames?""Let me go!" Lana twisted violently, claws threatening to break through her fingertips. "Freya is inside! She's in the lounge-she hasn't come out!" Victor steered her toward the exit with Alpha-born strength. "Charging in won't help her. Professionals are already responding. You stay where it's safe." "But what if they don't know she's in there?!" Lana shouted, voice cracking. "I need to tell them-if they don't know to look for her-Freya-" Her breaths came out in broken gasps. She couldn't stop replaying every decision she'd made that night. If she hadn't brought Freya. If she hadn't suggested they go to the lounge. If she hadn't told her to wait there- Victor's voice softened but stayed firm. "Freya's capable. If there truly is danger, she'll find a way out. You running into the blaze will only make things worse." "Then why haven't I seen her?" Lana's throat burned. "Everyone else is out-everyone except her. Her WolfComm is off. Victor, let me GO!" Her desperation echoed down the hallway. That was when another voice-sharp, startled-cut in. "Freya is still in the lounge?!" Lana turned to see Parker a few steps away, eyes wide, horror etched across his face. "She spilled wine on her dress," Lana forced out, tears streaking down her cheeks. "She went to change. I called-she didn't answer. I can't find her-" Her words tangled, collapsing into panic. She lunged forward again. "Victor, let me go-I have to find her, I have to-" Victor struck with a swift hand-edge to the back of her neck. Her body fell limp before she even understood what happened, fainting into his arms. He looked down at her face-wet with tears. He knew she might hate him for this if Freya was truly in danger.But he would never let Lana rush into a burning hall and die. All he could do now… was hope Freya had the strength to survive the blaze. With every passing second, that hope thinned. No sign of Freya. No silhouette at the exit. No scent of her wolf. Victor's jaw tightened. Based on the time-the girl should have escaped. Unless something had gone terribly wrong. Inside, staff members continued battling the fast-spreading fire with the building's emergency systems. Fire engines had yet to arrive. And Parker -normally calm, disciplined, almost ice-blooded-was unraveling. "I'm going in." His voice was flat but trembling underneath. Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed a high-pressure hose from a nearby worker, drenched himself from head to toe, then seized two extinguishers. "Parker!" A deep authoritative voice snapped through the hall-Everett Williams, the family patriarch. "Have you forgotten?" Everett barked. "You've been burned before. You said yourself-you carry fire trauma. You can't charge into a blaze like this!" Parker didn't even blink. The flames reflected in his silver wolf eyes. "Yes, I have trauma," he said quietly. "But it won't stop me from finding her." After the incident years ago-after waking in a hospital bed with second-degree burns-he had spent months undergoing psychological desensitization.He thought he had healed. But the moment he heard "Freya is still inside," every trace of fear was buried beneath something far stronger. Everett stepped closer, nearly growling. "You are my son. A Williams. I will NOT lose you tonight. The fire team is already working. The firefight unit will arrive any moment." "Any moment?" Parker repeated coldly. "How many moments do you think she can survive in there?" Everett opened his mouth-then closed it. Because they both knew the truth. Freya wasn't an ordinary wolf. She was Stormveil-born, Bloodmoon-trained. But even the strongest wolves had limits. And in a fire, even an Alpha-blood could fall. Parker took a step toward the flames. "I'm not waiting another second."