Third Person's POV Some wolves moved through the villas unaware of sun or moon; others bore burdens not their own. Time rolled back to that night of the reunion. Jackson had waited with his pack, intent on dealing with the rival Alpha personally. But all that arrived in the cold, rustling mountain air were empty leaves, swept along by the wind. Jackson never received his Alpha, which meant he couldn't obtain Alpha commands. Jackson exhaled. "...Right. I'm used to it by now." The young assistant smiled bitterly. Day one, no exit. Day two, no exit. Day three-still no sign. Calls were ignored, or occasionally answered before going silent. Jackson could only act on his own, watching and waiting. Damon Blackwood, having been humiliated and "disciplined" the previous night, was dragged out again, pale and trembling. A ghost of a grin flickered across his face. "Alpha Blackwood, consider yourself lucky. Let's disable a limb and send you back." One could not destroy a wolf outright-especially when Magnus and his mate still had plans for him. Karma had its cycles; every wolf would answer for the choices of his own bloodline. Damon stared at his slack, injured right paw, disbelief carving his expression. Jackson's words rang cruelly in his ears: luck? These days had been hell, each moment steeped in agony and the unforgiving cunning of the Shadowbane Alpha. Magnus' methods were ruthless. Damon had experienced the full measure. Jackson tapped his face, voice sharp: "Still unsatisfied, Damon? Don't act meek after trying to take advantage. One paw... only a warning for pestering our Moonvale mate. Next time you appear before her, who knows what else will be taken." Hearing Aysel's name, Damon's eyes flickered. But the emotion was not longing-it was fear.Raised as a favored scion, he had always believed the world bent to his will. Even after Aysel left, he trusted she would return. But since the coronation failed, all control had slipped away. His pride clawed at him. He had tried to reclaim her-and in doing so, fell into a trap unlike anything he had known. In Magnus' presence, Damon felt like an insignificant insect attempting to shift a mountain. Perhaps the Alpha hadn't even truly looked at him. Once he wielded power with arrogance, he watched lesser wolves fight and claw for scraps. Now, in the shadow of a mightier Alpha, he was nothing but a pawn, a worm under claws he had once scorned. When Damon was finally dumped at the Blackwood estate, he hadn't yet recovered from the crushing blow. The past days had shattered not only his body but his pride and very sense of self. He entered his home, pain radiating through his body, only to be greeted not by parental solace but by a living tension, as though the living room itself bore fangs. Alpha Blackwood and a young man of similar appearance sat together on one side. His mother occupied the other, lips tight, a storm of shock and anger written across her face. "Alpha! Allowing a bastard to enter our halls-you would strike my face with this?" she snapped. Alpha Blackwood's expression darkened. "For twenty years, haven't I given you enough face? Had your son not been reckless, would he have risked the family fortune? Do you realize he almost ruined the House Blackwood?" A wolf abandons a prized pup-does the heart not ache? But did they have a choice? Luna Blackwood had no words. She understood, though none had ever imagined the cold, remorseless Magnus would go to such lengths for a mate. Yet he was her son; she had to protect his interests. "No matter what, Quentin is now officially part of the Blackwood lineage. He will reside here from this day forward. And Damon must step down from his current role. Quentin will take his place," Alpha Blackwood declared. "You intend to expel him from the Blackwood Pack?!" Luna Blackwood's eyes flared. "What would you have us do? Die alongside him?" Alpha Blackwood growled.Her fists clenched. "As the firstborn, he must claim what is rightly his." Alpha Blackwood relaxed slightly. "Damon will handle overseas affairs. If he wishes, he may build his own pack elsewhere. I will support him fully." "Father?!" Damon shouted, disbelief cutting through him. To strike out and build anew-his position as Blackwood's eldest scion would become meaningless. And full support? When resources were contested, allegiance would be obvious. Quentin, having emerged from among the pack of illegitimate sons, arched an eyebrow at his disheveled elder brother. Playfulness glittered in his eyes. Luckily, Jackson had replaced Damon's bloodied, tattered garments with clean ones-else his disgrace would have been impossible to ignore. Alpha Blackwood looked upon his fallen son with calculated detachment. "You've returned." His mother, too enraged to notice his sagging injured paw, slapped him hard. "You disobeyed your Moonvale mate! What have you done?" Behind her, Quentin smirked. "Brother, welcome home." The Blackwood household descended into chaos. Had Damon still been mired in romantic despair, thinking of Aysel, he would have had no thought for anything else. Alpha Blackwood's decision was a thunderbolt to his core. Not long ago, he had crushed the illegitimate sons silently; today, a once-subordinate wolf now claimed his place openly. Absurd. Once more, Damon comprehended the full scope of Magnus's methods. Every drop of his pride bled from him. All he had done was show care for Aysel-why must it have gone this far? They were mates. Aysel was loyal; Damon had no fear in revealing Magnus' cold ruthlessness-he wanted her to witness the full extent of his predator nature.