## Chapter Forty-Nine: The Puppeteer's Gambit
**Skylar Deville**
"You're brooding again, Skylar. It doesn't suit an Alpha who's supposed to be celebrating a narrow escape from a dark ritual."
I didn't turn around. I didn't need to. The scent of sandalwood and pine announced Tyler's presence long before he stepped into the dim light of my study. I remained by the window, my hands clasped behind my back, staring out at the Silver Haven skyline. The moon was waning, the silver light cutting sharp angles across the Deville estate.
"I'm not brooding, Tyler," I said, my voice as cold and precise as a surgical blade. "I'm calculating. There is a difference."
