(Audrey’s POV)

    “Florian don’t unreasonable,” I said through gritted teeth, keeping my voice low so Leo wouldn’t hear the tension in it.

    His fingers remained locked around my wrist, his golden eyes challenging me to defy him. I leaned closer, my voice barely above a whisper.

    “Nathan helped both of us during our time at the Inter-Pack Academy. He’s been my support for the past two years while you were…” I hesitated, not wanting to mention his supposed death. “While you were gone.”

    Florian’s expression didn’t change. If anything, his grip tightened slightly.

    “I may not be able to repay him emotionally the way he might want,” I continued, “but I should at least remember his kindness. He came all this way to bring Nova specifically for me.”

    Florian’s eyes darted to the wolf-dog hybrid sitting alertly by my side, but his resolve didn’t waver. “Stay,” hemanded again.

    Nathan, ever perceptive, had been watching our exchange. His eyes softened as he looked at me.

    “It’s fine, Audrey,” he said quietly. “Stay and finish your meal. I’ll see myself out.”

    Before I could protest, Nathan gave a slight nod to Leo, then turned and walked toward the door. The soft click as it closed behind him sent a wave of guilt washing over me.

    I yanked my hand away from Florian’s grasp, my eyes shing with poorly concealed irritation.

    “Are you satisfied now?” I asked, rubbing my wrist where his fingers had been.

    Florian studied my face, his head tilted slightly. “Are you angry?”

    I nced at Leo, who was watching us with wide, curious eyes, then back at Florian in his wheeled healing chair. This wasn’t the time or ce for a confrontation.

    “No,” I lied, returning to my seat. “Let’s just finish eating.”

    The remainder of the meal passed in ufortable silence. I focused on my food, asionally helping Leo cut his venison into smaller pieces, but avoided looking directly at Florian. When we finished, Leo carried his te to the kitchen counter, proudly showing off his responsibility.

    “Aren’t you going to ask me why I didn’t let you walk him out?” Florian asked abruptly as Leo disappeared into the washroom. “No,” I replied, gathering the remaining dishes.

    “You’re unusually quiet,” he observed. “That’s how I know you’re angry.”

    I set the dishes down perhaps a bit harder than necessary. “I have nothing to say. Should I force a conversation?”

    Florian leaned back in his wheeled healing chair, his golden eyes never leaving my face. “He insulted me, yet you seem angrier at me for not letting you see him off.”

    I exhaled slowly, trying to maintain myposure. “Fine. Yes, I’m annoyed. Nathan has helped me through difficult times, and I wanted to show basic pack courtesy by walking him to the door. That’s all.”

    “Basic pack courtesy,” Florian repeated, his voice taking on an edge. “And what am I to you, Audrey Winter? What level of courtesy do I deserve?”

    Before I could formte a response, Leo’s voice piped up from the sofa where he had settled after dinner.

    “Uncle Florian, stop being jealous!” he said with childlike directness. “Alpha Snowfang is just Luna Aunt’s guest. You’re one of her own pack… or something like that.”

    Florian turned to me, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Is that so?”

    Leo nodded enthusiastically, warming to his theme. “It’s like with my parents before they severed their mate bond. Father would get all growly when mother talked to other Alphas, but she told him that was silly because she only treated them like guests.”

    I found myself smiling despite the tension, as Leo continued with his innocent wisdom.

    “Father’s mate bond got severed because he didn’t talk properly,” Leo exined matter-of-factly. “Mother says she-wolves like Alphas who want to make them happy, not Alphas who just tell them what to do.”

    Florian looked at Leo for a long moment, then reached out to yfully pinch his cheek. “Is that right? Your mother sounds very wise.”

    Leo, sensing Florian’s improved mood, approached cautiously. “Uncle Florian, can I sleep over at Luna Aunt’s territory den tonight?”

    He nced at me hopefully before adding, “She tells the best pack lore stories.”

    Florian’s eyes met mine across the room. “That’s up to Audrey, isn’t it?”

    Leo shook his head. “Luna Aunt said it’s up to you because you’re my guardian while mother is away.”

    A slow smile spread across Florian’s face. “Alright, on one condition. You have to wash yourself properly before bed. No rushing through it likest time.”

    Leo’s face lit up with excitement. “I promise!” he eximed, before racing off to the territory washroom, letting out small happy yips as he went.

    As the sound of running water filled the territory den, I gathered my healing formtion drafts from the dining table, intending to continue my work on the balcony where the evening air would help me think.

    Before I could walk away, Florian gently hooked his index finger around my little finger, stopping me without using force. “Am I truly ‘one of your own,’ Audrey?” he asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

    My heart raced, but the lingering irritation from earlier couldn’t be entirely dismissed. “You, like Nathan, are a pack friend,” I replied, deliberately using the neutral term.

    Florian scoffed, releasing my finger. “A ‘regr pack friend’ again, is that it?”

    I paused, looking at his sharp features illuminated by the soft territory den lighting. The question hung between us, loaded with years ofplicated history.

    “What would you call our rtionship, Florian?” I asked finally. “Who even remembers our long-standing intended mate arrangement now? The Stormhowl Pack elders would never ept me, especially after what happened two years ago.”

    Despite my words, something in me yearned for him to contradict me, to insist that we were more than just pack friends, that our bond transcended theseplications.

    Florian’s golden eyes grew serious. “That depends entirely on you, Luna Winter,” he said, deliberately using my formal title. ” But first, I want to know the truth. What really happened two years ago?”

    I took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth I’d been avoiding for so long.

    “Your father approached me,” I admitted quietly. “Alpha Stormhowl made it clear I had no choice. When faced with that kind of pack power, I couldn’t fight back. I didn’t want to drag you down with me, to make you pay for my decision.”

    Florian frowned, digesting this information. Then heughed, a cold sound that held no humor.

    “And yet, you continued being Luna Moonstone by Arthur Moonstone’s side for two whole years after that,” he remarked bitterly.

    “No, I didn’t,” I corrected him, feeling a weight lift as I finally spoke the truth. “I left immediately after your… incident. I just forgot my pack device when I left, and Arthur kept it.”

    Florian’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Then where did you go? What were you doing for two years?”

    The question caught me off guard. I wasn’t prepared to reveal everything about my spirit sickness, about the dark days that followed my belief in his death. How could I exin without making him feel responsible?

    Abruptly, Florian let go of my finger. His expression turned cold as a new thought urred to him.

    “Were you with Nathan Snowfang these two years?” he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

    My surprise at his urate guess must have shown on my face, because Florian’s expression hardened. He chuckled humorlessly.

    “I see. So I don’t even qualify as a backup mate.”