(Arthur’s POV)

    It was a scene I never expected to witness – Audrey Winter, still under the influence of silver poisoning, standing between two males who clearly wanted to im her. The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to cut with a territory marking w.

    Audrey nced at me, her dted pupils struggling to focus. Despite herpromised state, I could see determination shing across her features.

    “Alpha Moonstone, Florian Stormhowl is here to pick me up, so… I won’t trouble you further. Thank you!” Her voice wavered slightly as she pushed herself away from my territory vehicle.

    I watched her carefully, my body tensed to catch her should she stumble. Each unsteady step she took toward Florian’s transport sent a spike of anxiety through me. The silver poisoning was clearly affecting her bnce. Pride be damned – I kept pace just behind her, ready to intervene if needed.

    When she finally reached Florian’s vehicle, I approached the driver’s window. My voice came out colder than the Northern Territory winter winds.

    “She’s been drugged with silverced medicine,” I informed him tersely. “I’m entrusting her to you, Stormhowl, with the clear expectation that you won’t take advantage of herpromised state.”

    Florian’s golden eyes gleamed with dark amusement. His mouth twisted into a mocking smile that made my fists clench involuntarily.

    “And what business is that of yours, Moonstone?” he drawled, his tone deliberately provocative. “You’re not her mate anymore, are you?”

    The words hit their target with precision. I stiffened, momentarily stunned by his bluntness. The mate bond severance was still a raw wound for me, even if Audrey had moved past it.

    “Such matters should only happen when both parties are sober and consenting,” I replied with forced calm, fighting the urge to drag her back to my vehicle.

    I gave Audrey onest look, memorizing the flush across her cheeks, the unfocused gleam in her eyes, the way her chest rose and fell with each shallow breath. Everything in me screamed to protect her, to take her back to safety under my watch.

    “Take care of her,” I said finally, the words moremand than request.

    I shut the car door with more force than necessary and turned away. Each step I took felt heavy with reluctance, my wolf instincts howling at me to turn back, to fight for what was once mine.

    But she wasn’t mine anymore. She had made that abundantly clear.

    (Audrey’s POV)

    As soon as Arthur walked away, Florian instructed his Beta driver to start the vehicle. In one swift motion, he pulled Arthur’s territory marking cloak from around my shoulders and drew me onto hisp.

    His golden eyes were stern as they examined my face. “Why didn’t you call me when something happened?”

    A weak smile formed on my lips as I pointed to my injured lip – still tender from where he had bitten me during ourst confrontation. “It hasn’t healed yet,” I murmured.

    Florian chuckled, the sound reverberating through his chest against mine. “You’re still as forgetful as ever.”

    The silver drug coursing through my system lowered my inhibitions. I found myself wrapping my arms around his neck, leaning closer until I could feel his breath on my face.

    “Would you still bite me?” I whispered, the question slipping out unbidden. It wasn’t something I would normally ask, but the drug had stripped away my usual restraint.

    Florian’s eyebrow arched in surprise. His expression shifted suddenly, eyes sharpening with intensity. “Have you regained your memory?” he asked, voice cutting through the haze of my drugged state.

    “I have,” I nodded, the admission feeling like both a burden and a relief.

    The silver drug was making my body temperature rise ufortably. I attempted to return to my own seat, but Florian’s arms remained firmly locked around me. His scent – mint and forest – wrapped around me, somehow bothforting and overwhelming.

    “I feel hot,” I admitted, embarrassment coloring my already flushed cheeks.

    Florian pulled me closer, his voice unusually gentle. “Hold on until we get to the territory den.”

    He leaned forward slightly, addressing his driver. “Faster,” hemanded, his tone brooking no argument.

    The vehicle elerated through the quiet streets. When we finally reached Moonlight Towers, I expected Florian to take me to my territory den. Instead, he carried me to his apartment on the fifth floor, cing me carefully on his sofa.

    Almost immediately, his pack device rang. He answered, putting it on speaker.

    “Uncle! Did you pick up Luna Aunt?” Leo’s excited voice filled the room. “Sarah and I are still ying at the Moon-Pup Adventure Den. Did you find her? Is she okay?”

    “Yes, I picked her up,” Florian confirmed, his eyes never leaving my face.

    “Don’t bully Luna Aunt!” the pup warned, his voice adorably serious.

    Florian’s lips quirked upward. “What counts as bullying?”

    “Breaking Luna Aunt’s lip would be bullying!” Leo dered firmly.

    A mischievous gleam lit Florian’s eyes. He leaned down and lightly bit my lower lip, the gentle pressure sending a shock through my system.

    “Don’t worry, pup. I won’t bully her,” he said casually before ending the call.

    Once we were alone, Florian leaned closer, his golden eyes darkening with unmistakable desire. “Can I kiss you?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.

    My heart raced wildly, the drug making every sensation more intense. Rather than answering with words, I closed my eyes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled him closer. Our lips met, and I gave myself permission to me everything on the silver drug tomorrow.

    Florian seemed pleased by my initiative. His kiss was tender yet possessive, as if he’d been waiting for this moment for years – which, in many ways, he had. After a long moment, he pulled back slightly, his breath mingling with mine.

    “So we’re just ‘ordinary friends’?” he teased, referencing how I’d described our rtionship to Cassandra.

    My consciousness was growing increasingly hazy. I mumbled something vague in agreement, unable to form coherent thoughts.

    Florian yfully nipped at my lower lip again, the sharp sensation temporarily clearing the fog from my mind. “How many ordinary friends’ like me do you have?” he asked, possessiveness evident in every word.

    “Only you, Florian,” I admitted, the truth slipping out before I could stop it.

    His expression grew more serious, the yfulness fading. “Then why didn’t you call me when you were in trouble? Why didn’t you tell me you’d regained your memory?”

    The questions carried an undercurrent of hurt beneath the usation. “You treat me like an ordinary pack friend, more distant than your former mate.”

    With myst bit of rity before the silver drug overwhelmed my sensespletely, I exined, “Arthur was at the gathering by coincidence. I didn’t know who drugged me… I couldn’t trust anyone else there.”

    Florianughed softly, his fingers caressing my waist. “Finally, you speak the truth, after being silent for so long.”

    I knew he was referring to our two-year separation – the time when he believed I had chosen Arthur over him. I remained quiet, not ready to address that particr wound.

    Florian did not move for a long time, and the air was thick with the unspeakable emotion between us. Finally, he let out a soft, almost silent sigh – a mixture of helplessness andpromise.

    Then he began to move, his fingers grasping my ankles and removing my boots, pausing to check for any injuries from my unsteady walk earlier. When I opened my eyes, I met his gaze, which at that moment was filled with undisguised desire, and I read his silent question, “Do you want it?”

    It waspletely Florian’s style – outwardly carefree and flirty and charming, but he’d been pursuing me for over twenty years. His love was built on a real connection, not just possession. Even with the perfect opportunity, he’s still waiting for my consent.

    Before I could answer aloud, he kissed me passionately, then effortlessly took me in his arms and headed for the bathroom. I could barely even speak in my drugged haze as I whispered, “My legs feel too soft.”

    Florian’s voice was warm and confident as he said, “There’s no problem holding you at all.”