Aysel's POV I jolted awake from the nightmare, my pulse still thrumming with phantom terror-only to realize someone was holding my hand. The curtains were drawn tight, letting in nothing but a muted gray glow. For a moment I couldn't tell if it was dawn or midnight. But the warmth beside me... the familiar strength of that chest, that scent of night-steel and shadowed pine... it made me think I was still dreaming. "Magnus?" My fingers drifted up, brushing the sharp, commanding line of his brow. A soft kiss touched my forehead. "You're awake? Are you hungry, little wolf?" I shook my head and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face in him. "Why are you here?" He swept aside the damp strands clinging to my cheek-sweat born from the nightmare-and dragged the ridge of his knuckle gently along my skin. My wolf leaned into the touch instinctively. "I felt like I needed to be."I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped me. I tucked my face against his chest, speaking into the steady rise and fall of it. "Mm. I needed you." The world clawed and howled and tore-but he remained my one immutable point of peace. My anchor. My Alpha. Magnus didn't say anything else. His arms only tightened, caging me protectively against him. He was right to come. From the moment Dariusz mentioned he would speak of Yuna Ward's secret, Magnus had chosen to fly straight to M-Territory. He knew I was strong enough to deal with the past alone-even without a mate's comfort. But when he found me curled under the blankets, trembling in my sleep, silent tears streaking from my closed eyes... I felt it through the bond-his heart twisting, his wolf snarling with fury. A sharp, murderous desire radiated off him, as if he wished he could rip Yuna's bones from the earth and shatter them all over again. I was his little wild rose-a blossom meant to grow in Moonvale's soft soil, cherished and sheltered. But someone else's selfishness had dragged me through storms and frost, nearly crushing me beneath a stone weight so heavy even a pup couldn't breathe. Yuna Ward. Celestine's mother. Moonvale's own adults. They would all answer for what they'd done. After resting through the night-and lingering a little longer in Magnus's arms-the storm within me finally settled. "Do you think an accident from ten-plus years ago is easy to investigate?" I asked, playing idly with the buttons of his shirt. "It is." His hand came up to stroke my hair. "Wolves always leave traces-even when they think they've covered their tracks. Yuna never hid things as well as she thought. She only relied on sentiment and perceived moral superiority to avoid suspicion." He kissed the dried tear streak beneath my eye. "When you return home, every truth will be placed before you." Sophia's project wasn't finished yet. And even though urgency burned in my chest, I wasn't the girl from Moonvale who once had no voice and no ally. I had responsibilities now. And Magnus knew I wouldn't leave them half-done. I would finish my work.And he-my Shadowbane Alpha-would drag every buried secret into the sun. I smiled, warmth blooming in my chest. "Magnus." I lifted my head from his arms and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Among all the terrible things in my past, the best part was meeting you." He dipped down to kiss me back, the corner of his mouth lifting. "I feel the same." Our eyes met, and we pulled each other close, laughter and breath mingling, hearts steadying in unison. "Want to get up?" he asked quietly. He didn't want my head to ache from sleeping too long. But I lifted my gaze and countered softly, "When are you leaving?" I knew he'd been dealing with matters of his Pack. The time he carved out to fly here-to me-was time stolen from an already packed schedule. "Eight hours," he murmured, nuzzling into my neck and inhaling deeply, like he was memorizing my scent for the journey ahead. "My flight is then." My fingers brushed the faint shadows of fatigue beneath his eyes. "Then I don't want to get up. Stay. Sleep with me." Magnus huffed a quiet laugh. He kissed me again-slow and deep-before pulling the blanket over both our bodies. We curled together, wolves pressed chest-to-chest, breath shared, necks touching in a soft, instinctive exchange of comfort.