It was rare to see Darius this serious. Thora wasn't used to it, so she instinctively looked away, avoiding his eyes. Sensing her discomfort, Darius shifted the topic. "You awakened your wolf, didn't you?" He had clearly picked up on her wolf power when she fought those assassins earlier. "Yeah." Thora didn't deny it. There was no point in hiding something like that. Suddenly, Darius leaned in and sniffed her. Thora immediately stepped back, alert. "What are you doing?" "I'm just curious. Anyone who's awakened their wolf spirit should have a stabilized pheromone signature by now. So why can't I smell yours?" Darius said, dead serious. He was also hoping to confirm whether or not she was his fated mate."Obviously because I can hide it," Amie chimed smugly in Thora's mind, lazily swishing her tail. For werewolves, their soulstone held both the wolf spirit and their wolf power. Once awakened, pheromones and spiritual pressure naturally leaked out, just like breathing. It was a sign of power, dominance. But Thora had been reborn. Her soul and wolf spirit were truly hers, but her body and soulstone belonged to the original Thora. That unique mismatch meant her pheromones and spiritual pressure only activated when she consciously drew on her wolf power. As long as she didn't use it, she could perfectly mask herself as an unawakened werewolf—making life a whole lot easier. Of course, she wasn't about to explain all that to Darius. "It's just awakened—it's not stable yet," she said casually. Darius raised an eyebrow.She sure didn't look unstable when she was tearing through those assassins with pinpoint wolf power. "Looks like I'll have to wait a bit longer to meet her wolf. She's clearly on guard with us," Darius said through the mind-link to Lorcan. Lorcan let out a disappointed sigh. "I don't know what Thora's doing, but I can't sense her wolf at all. And if she really were our fated mate, shouldn't she react to our pheromones? She's still so indifferent." "Buddy, she's only sixteen. Werewolves can't recognize their fated mates until they're fully grown." "Right." Lorcan slumped further. "Two more years. That's gonna feel like forever." "At least she's already our mate by law, isn't she? As for confirming we're fated ... that's just a matter of time," Darius said optimistically. Lorcan instantly perked up. "You're right!" After ending his mind-link with Lorcan, Darius glanced at Thora, who was sitting perfectly upright beside him. His eyes shifted slightly. Then he closed them, let out a few fake groans like he was in pain, and pretended to fall asleep. A second later, his head started drifting toward Thora's shoulder ... Carl, driving up front, happened to catch the moment in the rearview mirror. His grip on the steering wheel nearly slipped. Is Alpha seriously doing it on purpose? Just blatantly trying to get close to Ms. Green like that? Right then, the car hit a tiny bump, just enough to jolt Darius's head directly onto Thora's shoulder with precision. Thora didn't flinch, but her brow twitched. Without hesitation, she shoved his head away. But sure enough, a few seconds later, Darius leaned in again. She pushed him off a second time and said in a flat, unamused tone, "Wanna find out what's harder—your head or the car door?" The warning was crystal clear. Only then did Darius open his eyes a crack and glance at Carl up front, visibly annoyed. "Carl, can you drive properly? If you keep bouncing us around like that, you're getting written up when we get back." Carl, caught in the crossfire, replied quickly, "Yes, Alpha!" ... Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up to Skybound Group. Darius went to get his injury treated first and had someone escort Thora to the R&D center to wait. She sat there for a long while before he finally showed up. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Thora," Darius said as he walked in. The wound hadn't been deep, just needed a quick clean and dressing, but changing clothes had taken some time.Thora's eyes drifted briefly to his chest, but her response was neutral, "Mm." Darius caught the glance, and the corner of his mouth curled up in amusement. That tiny flicker of attention from her was enough to put him in a good mood. What he didn't realize was that Thora had only looked because she thought, Seriously? A grown man taking this long over a tiny wound? What a waste of time. "I want my stuff," Thora said bluntly, cutting straight to the point.