(Audrey’s POV)

    I froze in ce. Leo Stormhowl broke free from Florian’s grip and ran to me, hugging my legs tightly as tears streamed down his face.

    “Uncle is too much!” he cried, his voice breaking.

    Florian looked at us with a faint, bitter smile. “Is it not the case?” he asked, his voice cold.

    I understood immediately. This was a test – onest chance to deny what he suspected about me and Nathan Snowfang. I looked away and crouched down tofort Leo.

    “Leo, sweetheart, could you give Uncle Florian and me some time to talk? We need to exin some grown-up things.”

    Leo sniffled and rubbed his eyes. “Promise you won’t fight?”

    “I promise,” I said, though I wasn’t certain I could keep it.

    I quickly called Sarah, trying to keep my voice steady despite my racing heart. “Sarah, could youe up and take Leo to the birthday gathering? There’s a… situation here.”

    “Is everything alright?” she asked, concern evident in her voice.

    “I’ll exinter. Could you just take him for now?”

    “I’ll be right there,” she promised without hesitation.

    The wait felt endless, with Leo clinging to me and Florian watching us with that cold stare. When Sarah finally arrived, I nearly copsed with relief.

    After quickly assessing the tension-filled room, Sarah smiled brightly for Leo’s benefit. “Ready for an adventure, little wolf?” Once they were gone, Florian and I faced each other in silence. The air between us felt charged with unspoken usations.

    “You’re being childish,” I finally said.

    His eyebrows shot up. “Childish?”

    “Yes. You’re intelligent, loyal, and capable. But when you’re angry, yoush out with words designed to wound, just like when we were pups.”

    Florian’s jaw tightened visibly.

    “We’ve both changed,” I continued softly. “I’ve had to grow up quickly. But you’re still that territorial pup who doesn’t know how to process feelings without turning them into weapons.”

    “So instead of exining, you’re lecturing me?” he retorted. “How convenient.”

    “Is this about what happened two years ago?” I asked directly.

    “What do you think?” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

    “You investigated me, didn’t you?”

    “Of course I did.”

    I rubbed my dry lips. “Florian, has anyone ever said you’re very childish?”

    Before he could answer, my pack device rang. Nathan Snowfang’s name shed on the screen. Florian’s expression turned icier, and I immediately understood the source of his anger.

    I rejected the call and walked up to him, standing directly before him.

    “Nathan Snowfang and I…” I began, but couldn’t find the right words.

    Acting on impulse, I grabbed his cor, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him. After a moment of shock, he embraced me tightly, kissing me with a hunger that took my breath away.

    I lost my strength, wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled back slightly. My eyes were watery, my voice soft.

    “Nathan Snowfang and I have never kissed like this,” I whispered.

    “Exin,” he demanded, his voice rough.

    “Yes, I lived in Nathan’s territory den for two years in the Sunstone Territories,” I admitted. “And yes, he took care of me. But our rtionship was tonic.”

    “He visited you frequently.”

    “He did. But even when he visited, we never stayed under the same roof.”

    Florian pulled me closer, his grip almost painful. “Tell me everything, Audrey. I’m tired of half-truths.”

    I hesitated, then decided to start with what seemed most pressing. “Florian, I’m not seriously ill… and I’m cured now.”

    His body stiffened. “Cured? You were ill?”

    I nodded, suddenly realizing he hadn’t known about my spirit sickness at all.

    “Nathan introduced me to a skilled Mind-Healer in the Sunstone Territories,” I exined. “She helped me tremendously.”

    Florian grabbed my shoulders, eyes wide with disbelief. “Mind-Healer? You had spirit sickness?”

    I nodded again. “It started before your ident. It wasn’t because of you.”

    He pulled me into a tight embrace. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

    “Because I’m foolish? Because I need you? We bnce each other out. You’re too harsh, and I’m too soft.”

    “Idiot,” he scolded affectionately, pinching my cheek.

    Suddenly, a cramp seized my abdomen. I winced as Florian’s pack device rang.

    “I need to use your washroom,” I said quickly, stepping away.

    (Florian’s POV)

    I watched Audrey hurry to the washroom and answered my pack device. “What is it?”

    “Alpha Stormhowl,” Beta Kael’s voice came through clearly. “I need to report something regarding Audrey Winter.”

    I tensed immediately. “What about her?”

    “Melody Moonhowl discovered information about Audrey’s condition but concealed it from you,” he exined. “Audrey Winter has been suffering from severe spirit sickness. She took wolfsbane medication for two years.”

    My heart hammered in my chest. “Go on.”

    “There’s more,” Beta Kael continued gravely. “She attempted self-harm with silverst summer.”

    “When exactly?” I demanded, my voice barely a whisper. “What date?”

    There was a brief pause. “August 23rd, sir. The day of your birthday.”

    The world around me seemed to stop. August 23rd. My birthday. While I had been recovering in the best pack healing facilities, surrounded by healers and family, Audrey had been alone, in such despair that she…

    I could barely breathe through the pain in my chest. Every harsh word I’d spoken to her since her return yed through my mind like a cruel recording. I’d used her of acting, of pretending, when all along she’d been fighting her own battles.

    “Alpha? Are you still there?” Beta Kael’s concerned voice pierced through my thoughts.

    Before I could react, I heard the sound of the door mming open on Kyle’s side. Apanied by Melody’s screams.

    “I’ll send theplete file to your pack data-channel,” Beta Kael said quickly before disconnecting.

    (Kyle’s POV)

    “You!” Melody hissed at me, her eyes shing with rage. “How dare you leak that information!”

    I kept my expression neutral. “I serve Alpha Stormhowl, not your personal agenda.”

    “You betrayed me!” she nearly shouted, advancing toward me.

    I stood my ground. “No, Melody. You betrayed our Alpha by concealing crucial information.”

    Her face flushed dark with anger. “You slept with mest night! You made me believe you were on my side!”

    I saw Florian’s posture stiffen at this revtion, but I kept my focus on Melody.

    “I didn’t know about your willful concealment then,” I exined calmly. “But let me make one thing clear – my loyalty is to Florian Stormhowl. No one has the right to betray him for their own benefit.”

    “I was protecting him!” she insisted.

    “No,” I countered. “You were manipting him. There’s a difference.”

    (Audrey’s POV)

    I sat on the toilet, looking at the sudden arrival of my moon time, feeling a headacheing on. Of all the times for this to happen!

    “Florian?” I called out hesitantly. “Could you… could you bring me some moon-cyclic pads from upstairs?”

    There was a moment of silence from outside.

    “I have them here,” he finally answered, surprising mepletely.

    “You do?” I couldn’t hide my shock.

    “I’ll get them for you.”

    A few minutester, there was a gentle knock on the washroom door. When I cracked it open, Florian handed me a bag filled with various types of sanitary products – overnight pads, daytime pads, and even tampons.

    I quickly took care of my needs and freshened up. When I emerged from the washroom, I found Florian standing by the window, seemingly lost in thought.

    “Is something wrong?” I asked, approaching him cautiously.

    He seemed to shake himself out of his daze. “No, nothing’s wrong.”

    Before I could respond, he pulled me into another tight hug.

    “I was just thinking about how difficult these two years must have been for you,” he murmured against my hair.

    I tried to lighten the mood. “It wasn’t all bad. Master ra was kind to me. So were Sarah and Nova. Even my neighbor in the Sunstone Territories helped me.”

    Florian forced a smile. “Really?”

    “Of course,” I assured him, then narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “How do you have so many sanitary pads at home?”