Denzel's directness left Juniper stunned. She stared at him, forgetting to blink, wondering if she'd heard him correctly.

"Are you asking me out?" she breathed, the words heavy with disbelief. In her mind, she was damaged goods, a divorcee with a messy past and a reputation for chaos. She couldn't imagine why any man would willingly step into her life.

"Yes," Denzel replied, his hands planted firmly on the counter as he held her gaze.

She let out a dry, incredulous chuckle. "Why? I'm older than you, I'm a divorcee, and my family cut ties with me. You know exactly what kind of mistakes I've made." Her voice wavered, and her eyes grew misty as she forced herself to keep looking at him.

"I don't care about any of that," Denzel said. "I live in the present. Think about it."

He turned back to the stove, though his movements were slightly stiff. He was nervous. Asking out an Alpha she-wolf was a gamble; he knew their nature, fiercely independent and often guarded. But the more time he spent with Juniper, the more he realized the woman standing in front of him wasn't the broken, reckless person she claimed to be.

He drizzled a small amount of oil into the pan and turned the burner to medium, watching as the liquid began to shimmer.

"There isn't a rulebook that says an older woman can't date a younger man, nor does it forbid a divorcee from moving on," he said. "Everyone carries a messy past, Juniper. At the very least, you've learned from yours and transformed that struggle into independence. That is a rare strength. Not everyone can do that."

Juniper was stunned, hearing his words.

Since the day they met, Denzel had never once judged her. While everyone else in her life seemed intent on pinning the blame for her failures on her, Denzel saw something entirely different.

Refusing him now, when she felt such a pull toward him, would be nothing short of foolish.

"I am an Alpha," she said softly, testing the weight of the words. "And you are a Gamma. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

Denzel turned away from the stove, his expression completely unbothered. "What possible problem would I have with that? I've always found myself drawn to strong-willed women." He offered a gentle smile, one meant to soothe the spike of anxiety she felt, and turned back to the pan.

"Then, let's date," Juniper asserted, her heart racing suddenly.

Denzel smiled at her, feeling his nerves finally calming down.

~~~~~~~

After concluding her video call with Casaio and Idris, Zilia realized she needed to let Juniper know she was leaving. She opened their chat and sent a quick message.

The reply pinged back almost immediately: "What? So soon?"

"Yes," Zilia typed. "Cas is missing me. Besides, I mainly came here to see you."

"Let's meet in the morning," Juniper replied. "Is your flight in the early morning hours?"

"No, around noon," Zilia clarified.

"Then I will come to the mansion to meet you."

Zilia smiled at the screen and set her phone on the bedside table. Slipping her feet into her slippers, she decided to take a walk through the quiet.

As she reached the living room, she found Gabriel and Karmen hunched over a spread of documents, deep in discussion.

"I will see you tomorrow," Karmen said, offering a respectful bow. He gathered his files and headed out, leaving the room quiet once more.

"You're still working?" Zilia remarked, causing Gabriel to look up from his desk.

She walked over to the couch and settled into the cushions. "Are Amelie and Noah asleep?"

"They are," Gabriel replied, setting down his pen. "But what about you? Why aren't you resting?"

"I had a surprisingly long nap earlier today," she admitted with a shrug. "I thought a walk might help clear my head."

Gabriel stood up, closing his ledger. "Come, let's go to the garden. I'll keep you company." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Zilia hesitated, glancing at the documents still strewn across the table. "Aren't you tired?"

"No. I don't want my sister-in-law wandering around alone. If you were to get hurt, heaven forbid, Cas would burn my place to the ground," Gabriel muttered, already rising to his feet.

Zilia laughed. She stood, instinctively placing a protective hand on her baby bump. "Cas is afraid of you, Gabriel." She looped her arm through his elbow, and they began their walk toward the garden.

"Why would he be afraid of me?" Gabriel chuckled.

"Don't you know? Out of all four Sinclairs, your temper is the shortest," Zilia noted. "And Cas loves his youngest brother; he doesn't want to have to scold you."

Gabriel rolled his eyes as they stepped out into the night air. A cool breeze brushed against them, carrying the scent of the evening flowers.

"So much has changed in just a year," Zilia mused. "Do you like the change?"

"Of course," Gabriel replied instantly. "Unlike my previous, dull years, I'm no longer perpetually on edge. What about you, Zilia?"

"I never imagined a life like this," she admitted, looking up at the stars. "I no longer live in constant fear of being hunted. I should thank you for this."

Gabriel paused mid-step, his expression sobering. "I threw you into prison, Zilia. You should have hated me. Cas even tortured you because I pushed him."

"Umm… Gabriel, from the beginning, I never thought bad for you. You were doing your duty in my eyes. Besides, you have done so much for us. Cas always speaks about how you helped him. His anger toward me was right, too. I never blamed anyone. And later, he even accepted me."

"I never said this before, but if I was envious of anyone, then it was Cas. I felt his life was perfect and even got a mate so early, unlike me, who was burning every day in agony for not finding my mate," Gabriel asserted. "Thank you for being a warm sister-in-law even after my bad attitude."

"Amelie has indeed changed you," Zilia pronounced with a cheerful smile. "I pray that you always stay happy with your family."