(Audrey’s POV)

“I remember,” Florian said, his tone suddenly serious as he contemted my question about Emma Shadowcrest’s fake Serena.

His golden eyes held mine steadily, all traces of mockery gone. “She told the Pack Council at the time that only Emma Shadowcrest and her mother had instructed her to impersonate Serena.”

I continued working on his calf muscles, feeling the tension beneath my fingertips. The injury was worse than he was letting on.

“They couldn’t extract any additional information,” he continued, “and since they couldn’t keep her detained indefinitely, they released her.” His gaze sharpened. “Why do you ask?”

I looked up from my massage, meeting his curious stare. “I saw her yesterday.”

His eyebrows lifted slightly, the only indication of his surprise.

“Last year, didn’t Alpha Luna Riverwind suddenly announce she had a daughter?” I asked, my fingers still working the knots in his muscles. “Guess who that daughter is?”

Florian’s eyes narrowed. “Is it her?”

“Yes,” I confirmed, remembering the young she-wolf’s panicked expression when she’d recognized me. “She’s now called Lyra Riverwind.”

Confusion flickered across his face. He ran a hand through his hair, his brow furrowing as he processed this information. “I’ll have someone look into it,” he said decisively.

That was always what I admired about Florian Stormhowl – he never dragged things out unnecessarily. When action was needed, he took it immediately.

He pulled out his phone and made a call to what I assumed was a pack Beta. The conversation was brief and to the point. By the time I finished massaging his legs, his phone was ringing.

“Speak,” Florian answered, his tone cold and authoritative.

I couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but Florian’s expression grew increasingly annoyed.

“So you’re telling me there’s no trace of information? She just appeared out of nowhere?” he questioned, his free hand tapping impatiently on the arm of his wheeled healing chair.

The caller must have provided an unsatisfying response because Florian’s jaw tightened.

“Can we investigate further?” he asked.

Whatever answer he received didn’t please him. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Investigate first, then we’ll see,” he ordered before ending the call.

He set his phone down on the side table and turned his attention back to me. “You’re stopping already?” he asked, noticing I had paused the massage.

“Massage shouldn’t be overdone,” I exined, trying to stand up.

My legs had gonepletely numb from kneeling on the hard floor for so long. As I attempted to rise, my knees buckled beneath me.

Florian reacted instantly, catching me before I could fall. With surprising strength for someone with an injured leg, he pulled me onto hisp.

Inded awkwardly, sitting across his thighs, my face suddenly inches from his. The clean, minty scent of his skin filled my nose, making my heart race unexpectedly.

My ears burning with embarrassment, I tried to push myself off, but his hands firmly gripped my waist, holding me in ce.

“Audrey Winter,” he murmured, his voice dropping to a lower register that sent peculiar shivers up my spine. “I want to celebrate the Full Moon Celebration too. You can’t be partial to others.”

I red at him, struggling to maintain myposure with our faces this close. “I already told you, I didn’t celebrate the Full Moon with Arthur.”

His golden eyes sparkled with mischief. “Then can I celebrate the Full Moon with you?” he asked, pulling me closer until I could feel his breath against my cheek.

I understood exactly what he was suggesting, but felt too shy to acknowledge it directly. “What’s there to agree to? If you want to celebrate, go ahead. I can’t stop you.”

“What I meant was…” he deliberately dragged out his words, staring at me with an intensity that made my stomach flip. His lips curved into a slight smile. “Celebrating the Full Moon with you. Don’t y dumb.”

My heartbeat quickened. “What kind of rtionship do we have to celebrate the Full Moon?” I asked hesitantly, afraid of his

answer.

He looked at me with amusement dancing in his eyes, though his voice turned unexpectedly cold. “What rtionship? We have quite a few-childhood intended mates, engaged couple, friends, or perhaps… a backup, someone abandoned?”

His words hit like a physical blow. I lowered my eyes, guilt washing over me. “I never treated you as a backup. As for abandonment… I was wrong back then.”

I truly had been wrong. So presumptuous to think that severing our rtionship and returning to Arthur was for Florian’s benefit. Who was I to decide what was best for him?

The yfulness vanished from Florian’s expression. His eyes suddenly turned hard and cold. “Until now, you still haven’t given me an exnation?”

“Florian, the past is the past,” I said, taking advantage of his momentary distraction to free myself from his grip as my legs finally regained some feeling. “For many things, exnations might not be better than no exnation at all.”

He sneered, resentment clear in his voice. “What if I insist? Audrey Winter, this is your only chance. If you don’t exin now, as you wish, we’ll only be ordinary friends from now on.”

The ultimatum hung between us, heavy and threatening. My throat tightened.

“I…” I balled my hands into fists, fighting the emotion rising within me. I sniffed, determined not to cry. “Back then, I did it because-“

The sound of the door clicking open interrupted me mid-sentence.

Cassandra Stormhowl burst into the apartment, shopping packages dangling from her arms. She dropped them

unceremoniously on the nearby sofa before bending down to remove her high-heeled boots, chattering away without looking our direction.

“Florian, aren’t youing to wee your cousin?” she called out cheerfully. “Don’t say I prioritize romance over family!

Even though I went out on a date, I didn’t forget to bring you fresh venison, and there’s progress with your ‘ordinary friend’ and her former mate…”

I froze mid-sentence, staring in Cassandra’s direction. From my angle, partially blocked by a cab, I could only see the top of her head as she continued to prattle on,pletely unaware of my presence.

Florian pinched the bridge of his nose, irritation radiating from him. “Cassandra!” he called out sharply.

She didn’t even pause for breath. “Don’t rush me, I’m changing my boots,” she replied, still bent over. “Let me tell you, you’ll definitely be happy to hear this. Your ‘ordinary friend’ left her former mate in the middle of dinner…”

“Cassandra!!!” Florian shouted through gritted teeth, his patience clearly at an end.

“Why are you so urgent? I’m just saying…” As Cassandra straightened up and followed the sound of his voice, she finally spotted us her jaw droppingically when she saw me sitting there.

I feigned confusion, looking from her to Florian and back again. “Cassandra, didn’t you call me to say Florian’s leg was hurting and asked me toe check on him?”

Cassandra looked momentarily bewildered, blinking rapidly as she processed the situation. But her recovery was impressively quick.

She pped her forehead theatrically. “Oh right! Pregnancy brainsts for three whole moon cycles. I forgot about it already.” Florian ran his tongue along his teeth andughed coldly. “Don’t forget next time.”

“Definitely, definitely,” Cassandra replied with an awkward smile.

She hurriedly picked up her packages and looked at me with forced cheerfulness. “You didn’t get to finish your dinner properly because of this. I brought back plenty of venison, let’s eat together?”

“No need. I still have to return to the Wolf Medical Center,” I replied with a polite smile, seizing this perfect excuse to escape the intensity of the moment with Florian. “You two go ahead and eat. I should be going.”

Florian remained silent, making no effort to stop me. Cassandra walked me to the entrance, her smile never wavering.

“Thank you for alwaysing to take care of Florian,” she said.

I shook my head. “It’s no trouble.”

“Oh, by the way,” Cassandra suddenly perked up, as if just remembering something important. “Let’s exchange pack contact information. If you need any help in Northern Territory, just contact me anytime. I can handle anything short of territory invasion or silver poisoning.”

I nced in Florian’s direction, catching his watchful gaze before turning back to Cassandra with a faint smile.

“Don’t we already have each other’s pack contact information?”