Third Person's POV The great hall of the Moonvale Pack was drowned in chaos. What should have been a night of elegance now reeked of blood, lust, and shame-like a battlefield drenched in sin. The sight before the gathered wolves was obscene enough to make even seasoned Alphas recoil. Gasps and snarls cut through the air as the guests caught sight of the limp young wolf suspended from the upper balcony, and of Celestine-her clothes torn, her face pale as moonlight-collapsing under the weight of so many horrified eyes. Luna Evelyn's shriek tore through the tension. When her gaze found the boy hanging from the window frame and the state her daughter was in, her voice broke, and she rushed inside, skirts sweeping like stormclouds. Alpha Remus sensed disaster with the instinct of a beast cornered. "Everyone," he declared, his voice sharp as a command through the mind-link, "thank you for joining tonight's feast. But the Moonvale Pack must attend to... private matters. The gathering ends here." The assembled wolves-Lords, Betas, and noble heirs-hesitated. They could smell the scandal. They could taste it. But none dared defy an Alpha's dismissal. One by one, they began to leave, whispering like the hiss of snakes in the dark. The Blackwoods lingered the longest. Damon's eyes were cold as obsidian. The Eastern Alpha's patience had been tested all evening, and what he'd just witnessed had turned distaste into disgust. Even as he offered a curt nod and moved to depart, it was clear the Blackwoods' alliance with Moonvale had fractured beyond repair. And then- before the last guest had stepped past the courtyard gate- the night split open. Above the manor, the heavens erupted in light. Fire bloomed against the darkness, painting the sky in the colors of blood and magic. The wolves looked up in awe as the moonlight shattered across a thousand glittering shards of flame. Then came the voice. "Who said the celebration was over?" The sound rolled across the land like thunder through ancient mountains-rich, lazy, magnetic-and yet carrying the weight of command that no wolf could ignore. Every head turned toward the source.Through the haze of smoke and falling sparks, a tall figure emerged from the hall edge-his presence eclipsing the stars themselves. Magnus Sanchez, the Alpha of Shadowbane. The strongest wolf on the continent. The Rafe of the Under-Moon. His gait was unhurried, yet every step made the earth itself seem to pulse beneath him. His aura rolled out like a living storm-raw dominance, old power, something sacred and untamed. The lesser wolves bowed without realizing they had done so. Gasps rippled through the crowd. "By the Spirits... that's Magnus Sanchez!" "What is the Rafe of Shadowbane doing here?" "Is he here... for Celestine Ward?" "No. Look-look where he's staring. Moon's mercy... it's the other one-Aysel Vale." Alpha Remus felt the blood drain from his face. He hadn't dared send Magnus an invitation; the Shadowbane Pack stood far beyond Moonvale's reach. And yet here the Alpha King was-walking straight into his hall, eyes burning with purpose. Remus forced a smile, stepping forward with trembling composure. "Lord Magnus," he greeted, bowing low. "An unexpected honor. The Moonvale Pack is humbled by your presence." But Magnus's gaze did not even flick toward him. He moved past with the effortless disregard of a higher predator ignoring a lesser one, and his deep voice-dangerously calm-cut through the murmurs. "Come here." Every wolf turned to see where he was looking. There, half-hidden in the shadows of the staircase, stood Aysel Vale. Her wrist was caught in Damon's grasp, his claws biting into her skin, his dominance pressing down to make her submit. Yet when Magnus spoke, Damon's control faltered-the air itself seemed to bend toward the newcomer. The fireworks still burned overhead, casting silver and crimson light across Magnus's face. For a heartbeat, he looked almost divine-like a god carved from the moon itself, come down to reclaim what was his. The crowd's whispers roared. "She knows him." "He came for her." "Moon save us... the Shadowbane Alpha walks for Aysel Vale." In that single breath, the balance of power at Moonvale shattered. No one dared speak again. For under the moon's holy light, Aysel lifted her chin-and met the gaze of the Alpha King.