Aysel's POV "It's just a scratch," I finished, staring at the faint mark on my forearm where Magnus's voice still echoed in my head. He hadn't said goodbye before the call ended-just that cold silence, the kind that carried through the bond even oceans apart. I should've been asleep. Instead, dawn was bleeding through the blinds when I finally drifted off, lulled by the hum of my wolf's contentment. She liked his voice-annoyingly so. When I woke, the sunlight was high and hot. My phone blinked with notifications: five from Skylar, three from pack chat, and one from an unfamiliar number that made my wolf lift her head. Serena: Aysel, have you met anyone... new lately? The words were polite but probing, laced with unease. I frowned. Serena Draven wasn't the type to make small talk. Me: Not really. Why? A pause, then her reply: Serena: No reason. Just wanted to tell you that Knox won't be bothering you again. He's being sent abroad. Sent abroad. In our world, that was a polite way of saying banished. My wolf gave a satisfied growl, low and sharp. He should be grateful we didn't end him outright. I tossed the phone aside, stretching my sore shoulders. My body still ached from the fight at the bar-every muscle alive with that wild electricity that comes after you've reminded a predator where they stand. Magnus's voice brushed through my memory: You blocked it. And I had. Blocked, struck, commanded. My wolf had purred through every second of it. By noon, whispers had already begun slithering through the packs. Ironhowl wolves were panicking. Word was that half the young elites who'd followed Knox last night woke up to find their family accounts frozen, their pack lands under investigation by the Council. I didn't have to see it to know who had moved the pieces. Magnus was continents away, but his reach never slept. Still, I played dumb. When Skylar called, breathless with laughter, I let her fill me in. "They're losing their damn minds," she said between giggles. "Serena's pretending she knew the whole time, but I swear the look on her face when the Ironhowl elders got the call-chef's kiss. Apparently Knox's grandfather slapped him so hard his wolf yelped." I grinned, wolfish. "Good. Maybe it'll teach the pup some manners." Skylar snorted. "Manners? He's lucky he still has a pack name. You know they're saying you cursed him?" "Cursed?" I stretched lazily. "Oh, please. If I wanted him cursed, he'd still be crawling on the floor." Her laughter cracked through the line, bright and cruel. For a moment, the weight of everything-the politics, the whispers, the storm brewing under the surface-felt almost light. By the time the sun dipped low, my good mood shattered. The caller ID flashed Alpha Remus Vale-my father. I stared at it for three full rings before answering."What now?" His voice came through like a thunderclap. "Aysel Vale! What the hell did you do this time? I just got a call from Luna Evelyn-she says you put an Ironhowl heir in the hospital!" I rolled my eyes. "He attacked me first." "That's not the point!" he barked. "The Dravens are old blood, their influence goes deep. Do you have any idea what kind of damage you've-" "Relax, Father. They're not going to retaliate." "How would you know that?" "Because they're too busy trying to survive," I muttered. There was a long pause, thick and crackling with disbelief. "You think this is a game, don't you? You'll march to Ironhowl tomorrow and apologize." My wolf bristled. Apologize? To prey? "I'm not apologizing," I said flatly. "You will. The Moonvale Pack's alliances are already strained, and I won't have you wrecking what's left of our reputation."His tone softened slightly, but it only made my stomach twist harder. "Aysel... you can't keep fighting everyone. You're not-" "Not what?" I snapped. "Not like you? Not tame enough to play politics while our so-called allies bite at our heels?" I could almost hear him grinding his teeth. "You sound just like her." That shut me up for a heartbeat. He didn't have to say her name-my aunt's ghost haunted us both enough as it was. When I spoke again, my voice was colder. "Maybe that's not a bad thing." He sighed heavily. "You'll be at the estate by morning. That's not a request." The line went dead. For a long while, I just sat there, staring at the dark screen. The wolf inside me was pacing now, restless and defiant. "Apologize," I murmured, bitterly amused. "Right. If they can afford it."