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Back at the Shadow Pack house, time crept toward nine. Isabella had bathed, brushed her hair, and changed into her pajamas, but her mother still hadn't returned. The night pressed in close around the windows, and every creak of the old wooden floors made her ears twitch.
Her wolf hearing was sharp; every car that passed outside made her heart leap—until it didn't stop, and she realized it wasn't her mother.
At ten o'clock, she finally heard the sound she'd been waiting for: an engine pulling up outside. Her face lit up, joy bursting through her as she ran down the stairs. "Mama!"
But when the door opened, it wasn't her mother.
It was Silvano.
Her smile faltered instantly, hope crumbling into confusion and disappointment. "Dad?"
He handed his coat to the butler
