Aysel's POV I pressed a hand lightly against Skylar's shoulder and turned her in a slow, deliberate circle, my eyes sweeping over the surroundings as if assessing a familiar battlefield. The air here felt clean, sharp, and obedient, responding to her authority. "No thinner," I murmured, a faint smirk tugging at my lips. "Looks like things here are moving even smoother than I expected." Skylar lifted her chin slightly, pride glinting unmistakably in her gaze. Confidence clung to her like perfume, unapologetic and well earned. "Of course," she said. "Who do you think I am? I had an entire pack of foreign wolves eating out of my paw within three months. By the end of the year, I will return to the Pack with every single target met." I knew the wager she had made with her sire. A ruthless one, even by pack standards. She was to boost the overseas branch's profits by thirty percent before year's end. Most wolves would have begged for an extension. Skylar had surpassed it early. Staying longer now had nothing to do with duty. It was ambition, pure and sharp, her attempt to cement her control over this territory and double the profits entirely before she returned. Airports were not places for sentiment, especially not for wolves like us. The scent of departures and arrivals muddled instincts, and lingering emotions only dulled the edge. As we loaded our packs into the waiting car, Skylar took a sip of water and muttered casually, "My lodgings are near Sophia's Wolf Dance Troupe hall. You don't need to move around constantly. Just stay with me. I've already arranged a car. You'll only need to ride daily." I nodded once, already weighing the logistics. "Then Magnus won't need to assign a driver." She nearly choked, coughing into her sleeve before glaring at me. "Driver?" she scoffed. "Fine, fine. Truly, the Shadowbane Alpha spoils everything with his wealth." Magnus' influence abroad ran deeper than most realized. It wasn't that Skylar couldn't ferry me around herself. It was simply that sly wolf finding every possible excuse to demonstrate his reach, his resources, his control. Protection disguised as extravagance. "All right," Skylar relented with a sigh. "Your exclusive driver stays. In unfamiliar territory, a driver is safer than you steering yourself. The car I arranged will be for our outings." She paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "But what else has he prepared?" I couldn't help but chuckle."Nothing. Just a few bodyguards." The villa, the playmates, all of that was Magnus' concern, not mine. I had no intention of staying anywhere but with Skylar. I had even refused the hotel near Sophia's hall outright. Magnus' largest pack of luggage remained behind at home. After returning from Europe and enduring those endless, suffocating days trapped in Mistyhowl Mountain Lodge, I had no desire to bring him along again. His presence would overwhelm Skylar entirely. Besides, a reunion between friends held no thrill with a male companion shadowing every step. As for the bodyguards, they were less about me and more about contingency. About Dariusz. I tilted my head slightly, curiosity sharpening my senses. "When did you spot Dariusz?" Skylar's lips curled into a cold, vicious smile. "A few days ago. At a masked ball." The image snapped into focus immediately. "The first glance sparked nothing but familiarity," she continued. "Dariusz had died spectacularly years ago. Bones turned to dust. No remains. No trace. It wasn't until I saw a wealthy lady pull him behind a pillar, lift his mask, and kiss him that I knew it was truly him." That night, she had never faced him directly. With her half mask in place, he hadn't recognized her. If he had, he would have fled instantly. "I thought I was seeing ghosts," Skylar admitted, her voice low. "Until I saw them lock lips. Then I knew." Indignation laced every word that followed. "That so called accident back then was suspicious. I investigated his current benefactor. No memory loss. No injuries. Every ridiculous excuse ruled out. He met her at a bar. Cautious. Itinerant. But his paws were never empty. Recently, he's been active, constantly entangled with wealthy allies." The timing aligned too perfectly. Right around the time Celestine Ward was imprisoned. If I hadn't restrained her, Skylar would have lunged across the ballroom and torn him apart where he stood. Dariusz's death had triggered too many chain reactions to ignore. That day at sea, my stormy emotions, already strained by conflict with my Moonvale Pack, had spiraled out of control. Damon Blackwood had suggested the voyage as a distraction, a way to calm me.Instead, it had ignited everything.