Aysel's POV Magnus's face remained perfectly impassive as he replied to Rudi. "Bad temper keeps you from being bullied, little aunt. Don't you agree?" His eyes-those obsidian, cold, Rafe-wolf eyes-cut through the air like winter steel. Even I felt the pressure of that gaze. Rudi visibly shivered. A rush of old memories flickered across her expression, the kind a wolf tries hard to bury. Was Magnus hinting at something from the past? She must have thought so. With a irritated huff, Rudi dropped her elder's posture and stormed off. I watched her leave, tail nearly tucked. If even Bastien Sanchez's most beloved daughter couldn't throw her weight around me, the rest of the onlookers clearly took note. Magnus's fingers curled around mine, guiding me forward. As we passed Celestine, I tilted my head toward her, letting my voice fall into a soft, deadly whisper. "Celestine... do you know why a wolf becomes unbreakable when she wants nothing?" Her eyes snapped up. But I was already smiling and walking away. Her bright red performance invitation lay crushed beneath my heel, smudged and filthy. Just like her schemes. I used to have no proof-only suspicions about Celestine and my grandmother, only quiet guesses swirling in the shadows of the Moonvale Pack. But after her admission in the graveyard... did she truly think I would ever spare her again? If anything, I should thank her.Thank her for pushing me, step by step, until every pillar of my life collapsed-my parents, my brothers, my mate, my dream. Everything I lost because of her carved away the softness in me, until only bone and instinct remained. No more hoping for affection. No more tiptoeing around Damon's misplaced guilt toward Dariusz and the Wards. No more carrying a death that was blamed on me for over a decade. If I desired nothing, what could they ever use to shackle me again? A touring performance? Fine. I heard her message loud and clear. And I sincerely hoped they would enjoy the gift I planned to return. In the car Magnus's gaze lowered to my feet as I slid off my heels. "Should you get another examination?" he asked. I shook my head. "No. The healer back then was the best in the continent. My injury doesn't affect my daily life. Even intense physical training is fine... it just isn't enough for the stage." For a top-tier dancer, body control must be absolute-like an elite wolf honing every muscle fiber for battle. Even with talent, if the body fails to match, the peak remains out of reach. In our field, Celestine would forever have the advantage. That was one of the reasons I abandoned dance for painting years ago. Magnus had clearly learned the truth during his investigation into my past. The Moonvale alpha pair had always favored Celestine, but they would never have neglected something as crucial as my future.Money had never been an issue; the healer had been exceptional, and they had done all they could. But the memory of that vile woman flaunting herself before me tonight... it made Magnus's scent spike with cold fury. "Break her legs," he said, voice low and lethal. "If you can't dance again, then Celestine will never step on a stage for the rest of her life. Let the Moonvale Pack taste the pride they cherish being shattered. Let them ache for her the way they barely cared when you were the one hurt." My heart didn't waver. I simply shook my head. "Not yet." His eyes sharpened. "You have a plan?" "Mhm." "If she retires because of an injury, the public will immortalize her as a pure, tragic white moon-beautiful and fallen by misfortune. But I want to peel away her mask piece by piece... grind her pride into dust... until she's not even worthy of pity." Everything she gained through deceit-I would make her lose irreversibly in front of everyone. "Destroying the heart first... cutting with a dull blade." I winked. "You taught me that." Magnus chuckled softly and ruffled my hair. "Then you lead." He paused. "Jackson is at your disposal." My wolf stirred, emboldened by the offer of a loyal Shadowbane hunter at my command. I leaned over, catching his arm in a small embrace, my chin resting lightly against him as I looked up. "Magnus," I murmured, "do you want to see me dance?"