Aysel's POV "Three days from now, my mother will undergo an artificial heart transplant in M Country. I will accompany her," Alfie's calm voice cut through the quiet of the hall, his words carrying that same ethereal detachment I'd noticed before. I tilted my head, suspicion flickering in my amber eyes. Was he actually speaking to me? I forced a polite nod. "Oh... that's good," I murmured, though my mind was already sorting through the layers of strange familiarity and distance he exuded. Then he added, "After her surgery succeeds, I will go to South America to study the rare tropical rainforests' flashing butterflies." My brow furrowed slightly, the wolf-sense in my chest stirring. Wait... we barely know each other. Why is he telling me this? Yet, beneath that question, a spark of realization glimmered. He was leaving the continent to continue his studies, choosing the wild forests over the labyrinthine politics of the Sanchez den. So, he was stepping away from the den's endless intrigues. Magnus had said the Alpha patriarch, Bastien, wouldn't reclaim what had been allotted to the fifth house, and a substantial inheritance would be left to compensate them. But Alfie hadn't mentioned money. Perhaps it didn't matter. I shook off the tangle of thoughts. A wolf always calculates risk-this man, with his complex lineage and unpredictable nature, posed no threat to Magnus. No harm, no obstacle. That was enough. "Sounds good," I said finally, voice calm, yet carrying the quiet steadiness of a Moonvale wolf defending her own. "I wish you a safe journey." Alfie gave a wry, almost helpless smile, but his gaze followed Magnus as he approached, carefully balancing a small tray with cake and pomelo juice from the dining hall. Magnus, my wolf mate, never missed a beat. As Alfie drew near, he suddenly raised his voice over the gentle clatter of the hall. "When I return, I will bring you a butterfly specimen from South America." I blinked. "???" Alfie just left when he finished the words. But the words hung in the air, like an invisible scent trail only my heightened wolf senses could trace. I tilted my head, studying him, trying to make sense of his boldness. One conversation, and now he promised a gift? Would he really harvest every rare butterfly in their forested valleys? The thought made me laugh softly, a shiver running down my spine-not from fear, but from the wolfish thrill of unpredictability in another pack's member.Then, a low, dark voice curled along my nerves, setting the hair on the back of my neck on edge. "So pleased?" I jumped, heart thrumming in wolf-speed panic and delight, and spun around. Magnus loomed behind my chair, chest broad and sharp with alpha energy. I couldn't help but laugh, patting his chest as I leaned lightly against him. "Why do you sneak up so silently?" He set the tray down with the precision of a hunter marking his territory and took the flower from my hands. There was a trace of bitterness in his tone, and I could feel the subtle grinding of teeth beneath his calm veneer. "It seems you were too busy enjoying conversation with another male to notice me coming." Did I enjoy the conversation? I pondered, sensing Magnus's alpha tension radiate from him in low, vibrating pulses. Not really. But seeing his handsome face twist in that possessive, wolfish jealousy made me laugh softly. "No, we didn't talk much," I explained earnestly, letting my words trail over him like the careful padding of a wolf through leaves. "I just thought it funny that he would need to collect so many butterfly specimens to bring one to every Sanchez in the den."