Thora's POV: As Silverleaf Pack's territory came into view, I finally let out a breath. Darius hadn't lied to me. He really was bringing me home. The car stopped at the Silverleaf Pack's territory entrance. A guard stepped forward, signaling us to stop. "This is Silverleaf Pack's core territory. Only vehicles with proper clearance are allowed in." The driver rolled down the window and handed over a solid black card. The guard's eyes widened at once. He held the card carefully with both hands before returning it respectfully, giving a formal pack salute. "Sorry, sir. Please proceed." The driver put the card away, and we passed through without a hitch. But I found myself frowning. The Astralis Empire had three types of access cards: red cards for core military clearance, silver cards for top parliament officials, and the black card, which outranked them both. Whoever possessed the black card had the authority to enter any pack territory across the entire Astralis Empire. Showing it was as good as presenting the highest command in the empire—no one could refuse entry. I glanced at the young man beside me. His status was clearly beyond what I'd imagined. "Who are you, really?" That was the second time I'd asked him that question today. He grinned. "Didn't I already tell you my name?" He turned to look at me, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I believe if you want to know, you'll find a way to figure it out."After hearing that, I didn't press further. The car pulled up in front of Green Villa and stopped. I thanked Darius, unbuckled my seatbelt, and got out. Just as I was about to enter my house, I heard a voice behind me. "Thora." I stopped and looked back, only to find Darius had gotten out of the car, too. I stared at him, waiting for what he'd say next. He suddenly smiled. "Just wanted to let you know something." "What?" "I've agreed, my parents have agreed too. As for our pack's elders, they all listen to me." He said it without any context. What's that supposed to mean? I frowned, then remembered the words I'd snapped at Caleb earlier, and a ridiculous suspicion popped into my mind ...I tried to confirm it. "Agreed to what?" Darius looked me over and replied thoughtfully, "They've agreed to let you break off your engagement to the Argenvale Pack's heir. My parents even agreed to have you as their daughter-in-law. You're not of age yet, but I can wait." I couldn't help rolling my eyes at his matter-of-fact tone. After a moment, I just told him, "You're insane." Darius's POV: Watching her walk away without looking back, my smile froze. Insane? I had just told her honestly that I wanted to be with her, and she called me insane? Watching her disappear through the door, I wanted to drag her back and set her straight. But all I could do was mutter, "Ungrateful little punk!" "See? Your way of courting girls is too roundabout! You should've done it my way—put out some pheromones and tell her you want her as your mate! She'd get the message right away!" Lorcan's voice echoed in my mind, full of annoyance and mockery. "Shut up. Right now, she's only calling me insane. If I did what you said, she'd probably slap me." Annoyed, I got in the car, radiating a bad mood the whole way. Carl kept sneaking glances at me in the rearview mirror, looking like he wanted to say something but didn't dare. I frowned. "Spit it out." Carl hesitated, then suggested, "Alpha, maybe you could ask Mr. Cole or Mr. Caldwell? They seem to have plenty of experience with women ... " "Enough!" I snapped.Carl fell silent and focused on driving. The car went quiet. I drummed my fingers restlessly on the leather seat, struggling internally for a while. Finally, I grabbed my phone and called Oliver Caldwell. Oliver and Ryan Cole had been my friends since we were kids, and they'd had their share of girlfriends. They definitely had more experience with girls than I did ... "Wow, Darius? You actually called me? Did the world turn upside down?" The second he picked up, I heard nothing but teasing. "Come to my estate tomorrow," I said straight out. "What's going on?" "I need to figure out how to get a girl." "What?"Oliver's yell almost made my ears ring, so I hung up before he could say anything else. "Pfft—" Carl burst out laughing behind the wheel. I glared at him in the rearview mirror. He immediately straightened up, but the shaking in his shoulders gave him away. I didn't bother with him. I told myself it was better to get teased than to lose my future mate for good ...