Chapter 162

Silvano I felt my wolf stir as soon as Isabella's call came through. No matter where I was or what I was doing,her voice always triggered my protective instincts. "Dad,did you know about this?" Her voice trembled over the line. I continued flipping through the territorial reports on my desk,keeping my voice steady despite the tension building in my chest. "Yes." "When did you find out?" "A while ago." I deliberately kept my answers short. My wolf paced restlessly inside me,sensing the distress in our pup's voice. "You... Dad,you're so mean..." Isabella's sobs tore at me as I pictured her clutching that ridiculous pink pig plushie I'd bought her last moon festival. "Why didn't you tell me? I can't bear to part with Aunt Aurora. If she's not here,I don't want to study here either. I want to go home,Boohoo-" I set down the border dispute document I'd been reviewing. The Northern Territory had been stable enough lately. The full moon had passed without incident,which meant my presence wasn