---- and cold. "Shawn, are these all your alumni?" He nodded, a gentle smile tugging at his lips. My breath - if I still had one - stopped. As expected, the entire reunion revolved around him. Everyone surrounded Shawn, flattering him, laughing too loudly at his jokes. He was the center of it all. Just like he had always been. Then, suddenly, someone glanced around the crowded room and raised a question - casually, but it landed like a knife. "So... Kendra's the only one missing?" "who knows where she is? She practically vanished after graduation five years ago." "Exactly. I mean, Shawn - the Lycan King - appears in the news all the time. But Kendra? She's like a ghost. Mysterious as hell. Maybe she's ---- been claimed by some powerful alpha and just disappeared." Their voices overlapped, opinions flying everywhere like careless daggers. And then, Elizabeth - who had been silent the whole time, calmly sipping her wine - finally spoke. "Nonsense," she said coldly. ''How could she be claimed by an alpha? She's working - serving alphas, not being claimed by one." "She's working as a werewolf flight attendant for an airline now. She's just... busy." Elizabeth was gorgeous as always, dressed in elegance, her voice steady. She had mated with a beta last year - a good match, everyone said. "Did you see her there?" The question sparked a flurry of curiosity. One by one, they leaned in, hungry for gossip. "A flight attendant? What a fast-track way to get ---- close to alphas - especially with that airline aiming at prestigious wolves. She's always been... ' smart' like that." "Which airline is it? Can't believe I've never run into her before." Elizabeth smirked, slowly setting down her glass. "FullMoon Airways." Amurmur rippled through the crowd. "Wow, FullMoon's famous for its gorgeous attendants and handsome stewards." "Absolutely. I heard many of their attendants have been claimed by single alphas. It's practically a mating hub in the sky." As the name FullMoon Airways echoed again, my soul drifted to where Shawn sat at the center of the hall. His expression had darkened. He didn't speak - but the glass in his hand trembled slightly. His claws began to emerge,