Third-person POV: Ryan just got a short break from the military base, so Oliver instantly pulled together a welcome party at Silvermoon Club. He even dragged Darius along, hoping Ryan could see with his own eyes what a "man in love" looked like, especially when that man was the always-cold Darius. Darius sat on the couch, bored out of his mind. The loud music and flashy lights didn't impress him at all. He already regretted agreeing to come. All the rich kids from Starlance were there. They knew Darius well, but even so, everyone kept a respectful distance. Ryan, who barely saw any women while he was on base, acted like a bird finally freed from its cage. The moment he arrived, he had girls on both sides of him. He spotted Darius sipping red wine with calm elegance and shouted across the room, "I heard you signed a Mating Pact! Why didn't you bring your girl out so we can see what she's like?" The moment he said that, everyone jumped in. "Mr. Blackwood went to that dull party for her! He must be crazy about the girl!" "I heard she comes from an old military family. She hasn't awakened her wolf spirit yet, but she's tough as nails. Think Mr. Blackwood can handle someone like that?" "With his looks and status? Girls practically line up to throw themselves at him. Who in the world would turn him down?" The crowd grew louder, all excited to gossip about Darius and his future Luna. Darius didn't say a word, but he didn't look annoyed either. In fact, he had the faintest smile on his face—soft, warm, a little dreamy. Oliver and Ryan both shivered. Darius smiling like that was too much. Ryan, who had been cut off from outside news while at headquarters, finally pieced everything together from the noisy chatter. He stared at Darius in shock. "So your future Luna is Thora Green from the Silverleaf Pack? But I thought only Norman Green worked at the army, and he's just a Colonel." Ryan was a military officer himself, so he knew the Greens very well. "Ever since General Green retired, the Silverleaf Pack and the Greens have both slipped in status. Marrying into your family? They're actually reaching up." He held a curvy woman in his arms and asked in confusion, "And seriously, you can have any woman you want. Why are you into that skinny little girl? She's not even an adult yet!" If Ryan knew he would end up serving under that "skinny little girl," he would probably slam his head against a wall in regret for saying this. Darius shot him a cold look, his voice low and dangerous. "What? Do I look like a pervert who preys on underage girls?"Ryan froze. He suddenly remembered the time he offended Darius and almost got forced into becoming a male escort. In an instant, he backed down. "She's amazing! Thora's great! Give her two years and she'll be stunning! If anyone's acting like a creep, it's me, not you!" The guys around them were stunned. That survival instinct was insane. But that's what you get from a werewolf soldier who lives on the edge of life and death. Darius dropped his relaxed pose, stood up, and straightened his jacket. "I've got pack business. I'm heading out." Listening to these guys talk nonsense was pointless. He'd rather go look for Thora. He heard Astralis College was on break these days. Maybe she was home. He had just reached the door when he overheard some rich kid taking a phone call. "Hello? Harvey? Your friend wants to buy a house? "Oh, she likes that villa in our neighborhood? No problem. Send me her ID, and I'll handle the paperwork later. "What? Thora Green? How come so many people have that name these days?" Darius froze mid-step. He slowly turned around and stared at the guy on the phone. The man felt his scalp tingle under that stare. He stuttered, "M-Mr. Blackwood? W-what's wrong?"