Aysel's POV Magnus gave a low, derisive laugh. "Her? Worthy of me?" A growl rippled through the room - his father, ready to argue again - until the old Alpha Bastien, slammed his cane against the marble. "Enough! You're making a spectacle before the entire pack." The air froze. Even the youngest wolves silenced their hearts at Bastien's tone. I let my eyes wander around the grand hall. So many faces, so many scents, too many names. I couldn't remember half of them - and I didn't care to. But one girl did catch my eye. Sandy Sanchez, daughter of Magnus's third uncle - watched me for a long moment before frowning. "Vale... as in the Moonvale Pack? Are you related to Celestine Ward?" I arched a brow. "You might not be mistaken." Her expression twisted at once. I saw it - the spark of recognition, the gossip she'd heard whispered through the pack channels. Celestine's sister. The scandal. The unwanted daughter. Someone murmured behind her, and soon the scent of contempt filled the air like rot. Wolves thrived on hierarchy, and nothing entertained them more than a fallen noble. Ulric's snarl came next. "Not every lowborn wolf is fit to be Shadowbane's Luna." His voice was sharp, hungry - the kind of tone that sought to draw blood while pretending to be righteous. He wanted to humiliate Magnus. To crush his authority through me. I tilted my head, feigning innocence. "That's fine," I said sweetly, my voice dripping with quiet venom. "I don't mind Magnus marrying into my pack instead." The hall went dead silent. Even the fires in the sconces seemed to flicker in disbelief. Moon above, I could feel the shock wave that rippled through the room. I could taste it - sharp, metallic, delicious. Magnus didn't correct me. Didn't even flinch. He only looked down at me with that same wolfish amusement - indulgent, protective, dangerous. "Absurd!" Bastien roared again, slamming his cane so hard I thought the floor might crack.From across the table, a younger she-wolf - Rudi Sanchez, Alpha Bastien's favored daughter - finally snapped. "How dare you speak that way at a Shadowbane feast? You are an outsider, and this is a sacred family gathering!" She spoke with the arrogance of the spoiled - her scent full of privilege and smug assurance. She thought I would cower, apologize, maybe tremble a little. I only blinked at her, feigning confusion. "Me?" I asked, pointing to myself. Then I smiled, slow and sharp. "Oh, don't worry. We're all kin, in a way. I'll work hard to make sure the Vale in my name becomes ‘Sanchez' soon enough. We'll be one pack before long." I paused deliberately, eyes drifting toward her companion. "But forgive me... who might you be to Magnus? A sister, perhaps?" Her face went rigid. They wanted to shame me with bloodlines; I dragged their secrets into the open instead. Magnus chuckled under his breath - that low, dangerous sound that always meant trouble. His hand found my jaw, tilting my chin up just enough for me to meet his eyes. "Careful," he murmured. "You're playing with wolves who bite." "Good," I whispered back. "So do I." Then, to the entire table, Magnus announced smoothly, "My mother birthed one son. I have no siblings." The words dropped like a thunderclap. Every gaze swung toward Ulric and Ivy. The elder Alpha's face turned red; his mate's knuckles whitened around her glass. No one dared breathe. Magnus smiled faintly, predator calm. And just like that, the game was his again.