Ch. 116..120: A Warrior Luna's Awakening Chapter 116-120
Chapter 116
Caelum’s POV
Aurora and I returned to the hotel suite.
Finished
Since leaving the banquet hall, I hadn’t said a word. Silence clung to me like a second skin, and with every step I took, my chest grew heavier.
Aurora noticed. Of course she did. Her voice broke the air, sharp with a note of frustration.
“Caelum, Freya Thorne is outrageous. Barely divorced, and already flaunting herself beside Silas Whitmor. Jocelyn told me she’s been clinging to him ever since she set foot in Ashbourne. And these past few days–they’ve been inseparable, as if she’s desperate for the entire realm to know she has ties with the Ironclad Coalition.”
Her words hit me, though not in the way she expected.
I bowed my head, staring at the floor, letting her tirade wash over me. My chest burned, but I kept my tongue still.
“Caelum?” Aurora’s voice rose, impatient now.
I startled. “Ah? What… what did you say?”
She bit her lip. Her pale blue eyes narrowed on me. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been distant ever since the banquet /ended. You’re not even listening.”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “I’m just… tired.”
But even as I spoke, the words rang hollow. The truth pressed against the back of my throat, threatening to claw its way out.
Her next question landed like a blade.
“You’re thinking about Freya, aren’t you?”
I didn’t answer. Couldn’t.
Aurora pressed on, relentless. “Of course you are. You shared three years of a bond with her, even if it ended in the Lunar Severance Phase. I just never thought she’d fall into another Alpha’s arms so quickly. I honestly believed she cared about you -at least a little. When I returned, I didn’t want to intrude on your marriage. But clearly, I was wrong about her. She’s shameless.”
As she spoke, Aurora lifted her hands, cupping my face gently, forcing me to look into her eyes. “Caelum, if it were me… if I truly loved someone, I would never stray. My heart would belong to him alone. For life.”
Her gaze softened, and her eyelids fluttered closed. Slowly, deliberately, she leaned closer, her lips parting, drifting toward
mine.
My body tensed. A wolf’s instinct surged inside me, warning and urging in equal measure. I knew what she was offering. If I accepted–if I let the kiss happen–our fates would be sealed. It would be the unspoken promise that we belonged to one another, that I was finally ready to let Freya go.
And once, before the bond… before Freya became my Luna, perhaps I would have kissed Aurora without hesitation. She had been a figure from my youth, a dream I never dared to claim. Back then, her attention would have felt like a gift from the Moon Goddess herself.
But now…
Now her face blurred, and all I could see in my mind was Freya. Her eyes–storm–gray, unflinching even when the world turned its back on her. Her voice, low and steady when she challenged me in the council chamber. Her scent, the one my wolf still recognized as home, even after the bond was severed.
My chest ached.
I turned away. “It’s late, Aurora. You should rest.”
Her eyes flew open, shock flashing like lightning. “What?”
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Chapter 116
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“I” My throat tightened. I forced the words out. “You’re important to me. More than you know. But tonight–we’re both exhausted. Go, get some sleep.”
Aurora froze. For a heartbeat, the mask slipped, and I saw the hurt in her expression. Then, just as quickly, she gathered herself. A brittle smile curved her lips.
“You’re right,” she whispered. “It is late. We’re both tired.”
She left with measured steps, her gown swishing against the carpet. But the faint tremor in her voice betrayed her.
The door shut softly behind her.
Alone, I let out a ragged breath and pressed a hand over my face. My heart hammered like a war drum in my chest. What was wrong with me?
Aurora had opened her heart, given me a chance to take what she’d long wanted to offer. She was the daughter of the Bluemoon Beta, a skilled pilot of their Airborne Wing, respected and fearless. Any Alpha in the realm would have considered it an honor to stand at her side.
And yet… I had refused her.
Because of Freya
Because even now–after our bond was dissolved, after she chose Silas Whitmor, after she looked at me as though I were nothing–I still couldn’t forget her.
I remembered how she had walked beside me during our three years as mates, silent but steadfast, never demanding, never complaining. And tonight, when I saw her with Silas, something inside me snapped. For the first time, I felt the pang of true regret.
If I hadn’t let her go…
If I hadn’t agreed to the severance…
If I had fought harder….
Would it be me standing at her side tonight? Would it be me she leaned on instead of Silas Whitmor?
The thought burned. I shook my head violently, as if I could scatter it into ashes.
“No,” I muttered under my breath. “I can’t think like that. I can’t regret.”
Aurora had saved my life once. I owed her more than gratitude. She deserved loyalty, devotion, recompense for what she had risked. She was the one I should give my heart to now, not Freya–the woman who had left me.
Yes. That was what I needed to remember.
Still, even as I whispered the words, a hollow ache lingered in my chest.
The truth I didn’t want to admit whispered back to me, a voice I couldn’t silence:
Caelum, you are lying to yourself.
I clenched my fists.
“Freya, I don’t regret,” I said aloud, the words spilling into the quiet of the room, meant for no ears but my own.
But even as I spoke them, my wolf stirred uneasily within me.
Because deep down, I knew it wasn’t true.
Chapter 117
Freya’s POV
Finished
I was dragged out of sleep by the sharp trill of my WolfComm. The glowing screen nearly blinded me in the early dawn haze.
I groaned and fumbled for it, only to hear Lana’s voice explode through the receiver.
“Freya, are you kidding me? You’re with Alpha Silas, and you didn’t tell me?”
My eyes cracked open. “What?” My voice rasped, still half–asleep. “Since when am I with Silas?”
“Don’t play dumb!” she shrieked. “Last night, at the banquet–he confessed to you in front of the entire Ashboon delegation It’s all over the feeds. You’re trending!”
That jolted me awake. I sat up, tangled in the hotel sheets, and swiped across my WolfComm to check. Sure enough, the top headline blazed red:
SHOCKING: Alpha of Ironclad Coalition Linked to Divorced Woman of the Stormveil Pack
And beneath it–pictures. Me and Silas, frozen in a thousand camera flashes. One shot caught the exact moment his cold, steel–gray eyes softened as he looked at me. A tenderness there that no one had ever seen before, not from the infamous Ironclad Alpha.
I cursed under my breath. No wonder the comments were feral.
“That’s Whitmor? The coldest Alpha in The Capital? No way he actually cares about her.”
“She’s just a divorced she–wolf, what could he possibly see in her?”
“If he looked at me like that, I’d throw myself into his arms this second.”
“Moon above, those eyes…. one flicker of warmth from a man like him is enough to destroy you.”
I scrolled, heat creeping up my neck. Silas Whitmor, the Ironclad’s stone–hearted Alpha, was being dissected like some forbidden fruit—and I was standing in the middle of the storm.
Lana’s voice bellowed again from the phone, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Well? Are you together or not?”
“No,” I said flatly. “Of course not. Do you think I’m the kind of wolf who leaps into another’s arms the moment a bond is severed?”
Lana scoffed. “You’re not seriously still hung up on Caelum Grafton, are you? That bastard—”
“I’m not,” I cut her off quickly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to start… dating Silas.”
“You’re insane.” She huffed. “Silas Whitmor just confessed to you in front of half the realm. He’s been voted the most desirable Alpha in The Capital–women literally dream of conquering him. And you’re telling me you didn’t even feel a spark?”
Her words echoed too loudly through the speaker. I cringed and glanced at the walls. Damn it–I’d left it on loudspeaker. The entire room was echoing with her ridiculous claim. Most desirable Alpha to conquer? What kind of ridiculous magazine put that on print?
And yet… my lips tingled faintly, unbidden. As if they remembered the heat of his hand when he’d brushed against me last night. My skin still carried the ghost of his touch.
“No,” I muttered, a little too quickly. “Definitely not.”
But even to myself, it didn’t sound convincing.
When Lana finally let me go, I tossed the WolfComm aside and stumbled into the shower, trying to wash away the lingering warmth I refused to name.
By the time I made it downstairs, Silas was already waiting in the dining room. Of course he was. Impeccably dressed, posture rigid, eyes cool as winter steel. The Alpha of the Ironclad never looked anything less than carved from iron.
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Chapter 117
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1 sat, poured myself a bowl of congee, and tried to ignore the weight of his gaze. But then–his voice cut through the silence.
Tell me,” he said, tone calm but deadly direct, “do I not stir in you… the desire to conquer me?”
I nearly choked. The spoon froze halfway to my lips. The porridge suddenly tasted like sand.
“What did you just say?”
He repeated it without shame. “Do I not make you want to conquer me?”
My jaw dropped. My gaze shot to Wren, his ever–stoic secretary, who stood nearby holding a data pad. The poor man’s eyes bulged like a startled pup.
Silas Whitmor. The Ironclad Alpha. Asking if I wanted to conquer him.
Moon above, had the world gone mad?
“You I sputtered. “You overheard my call this morning, didn’t you?”
His answer was matter–of–fact. “Your friend’s voice carries. I was in the next suite. It was impossible not to hear.”
Lana’s thunderous voice. I cursed her again silently.
“And?” he pressed. “Am I so unappealing that I fail to stir even a flicker of desire in you?”
I stared at him. Silas Whitmor was… infuriating. Objectively, he was beautiful–every line of his face, every taut line of his body radiated dominance. His presence alone could make lesser wolves drop to their knees. But I wasn’t going to feed his
ego.
“You’re attractive,” I admitted carefully, “but I prefer… lighthearted men. Warm, humorous. The playful type.”
The complete opposite of him.
He lowered his lashes, expression unreadable. “I see.”
I thought that was the end of it. But his silence carried weight, and behind his eyes something unreadable flickered.
“Today,” I said quickly, changing the subject, “I need to go to my family’s hall. Ken Thorne hasn’t been well. I want to visit him. I’ll be gone most of the day.”
“I’ll drive you,” he offered immediately.
“No need. I’ll take a cab.”
“Very well,” he said smoothly.
I finished my meal faster than usual, eager to escape the heavy atmosphere. As I left, I felt his eyes on me, burning holes into my back until I disappeared through the lobby doors.
Behind me, I could almost hear him speak–low, frustrated, but laced with a longing he’d never admit openly.
How do I get closer to her?
Wren murmured something in reply, but I didn’t catch it.
The Stormveil Pack’s ancestral estate loomed before me by midday. Ken Thorne sat in his armchair, his once–mighty frame diminished with age, though his spirit still clung stubbornly to life.
“Grandfather,” I said softly, kneeling beside him. “How are you feeling?”
He smiled faintly, eyes glinting. “Don’t you worry about me, child. The bones of an old wolf don’t break so easily. But I hear whispers you’ve no intention of joining the Thorne enterprises?”
His voice carried both curiosity and disappointment, and my heart clenched. The weight of family, of legacy, pressed against
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I bowed my head. The truth lay heavy on my tongue, but I wasn’t sure I could give him the answer he wanted to hear.
Chapter 118
Freya’s POV
Finished
I didn’t plan to linger in Ashbourne. The city was too small to hold a wolf like me, and its streets felt more like cages than paths.
“I won’t stay in Ashbourne for long,” I told Grandfather Ken as I looked out across the estate’s manicured grounds.
He sighed softly, a wistful sound that carried decades of pride and worry. Small towns, small cities–they could never contain a Thorne, not me, not my brother.
“So where will you go next?” Grandfather asked, his voice calm but probing, like a predator testing the wind.
“I’ll return to The Capital,” I said. “My friend Lana has a company there. I’ll join her team. And… I need to keep searching for Eric. The borders are vast, but I won’t stop until I find him.”
Ken’s sharp eyes softened, but his concern lingered. “That’s wise, Freya. But remember to come back and see your old Grandfather every now and then.”
“Of course,” I promised.
Then, after a pause, his gaze sharpened with curiosity. “And… what about Alpha Silas? Is this…. serious?”
I froze, blinking at him. Even now, he had the instincts of a wolf Alpha. He could sense the undercurrents, the unspoken
tension that humans would dismiss as trivial.
“I saw the headlines this morning, Freya,” he said softly. “I want to know the truth. That WolfComm frenzy—is it real?”
I shook my head firmly. “Grandfather, Silas and I… we only have a professional relationship. Nothing more. That’s all.”
Ken’s expression softened, yet remained layered with wisdom and a hint of amusement. “Good. And just so you know… even if you were to pursue a mate in the future, choose carefully. Our Freya may have divorced, but she deserves the finest Alpha
-or any wolf who dares to court her.”
I smiled faintly. “These things… are left to fate for now. I’m not seeking a mate.”
Ken nodded, approving. “Good. No rush. And if one day you do develop feelings for Silas… it won’t matter. No need to concern yourself with Jocelyn or the pack gossip. That’s only the wishful thinking of some, nothing more.”
I let out a small breath, diverting the conversation to other family matters. We spoke at length, until I sensed his energy waning and realized it was time to leave.
Stepping outside the gates of the Thorne estate, the morning sun glinting off the stone walls, I froze.
Caelum and Aurora were stepping out of a sleek SilverTech vehicle, and my nostrils flared instinctively. The scent of their pack dominance mingled sharply with the morning air.
Aurora’s amber eyes snapped toward me, her expression hard as iron. “Freya, what are you doing here?” she demanded, her voice trembling with the threat of territorial challenge.
I smirked, letting a faint growl escape my throat. “I’m a Thorne, Aurora. I think I have as much right to be here as anyone.”
Her face hardened, lips curling into a sneer. “So now that you have Silas Whitmor as your… anchor, you feel you can act without respect? Just divorced, and already wrapped up in another Alpha’s arms. You’re reckless with your affections.”
I tilted my head, letting the sun catch the edge of my fangs in a subtle glint. “Reckless? Hah. At least I’m not trying to seduce another wolf while he’s still married.”
Aurora’s snarl turned into fury. “Who are you calling-”
“Caelum gave you five million in jewelry during your marriage,” I interrupted coldly, letting each word strike like claws. “If that doesn’t make you a secondary, then what? The necklace on your neck now… it’s one of them. When I return to The Capital, I’ll call my lawyer. Let’s see if you still get to keep them.”
Caelum’s eyes flickered uneasily, and Aurora’s chest heaved, but she didn’t move.
Chapter 118
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“You’re overstepping,” Caelum said finally, his deep voice steady but threaded with tension. “The divorce is between us. Freya. I’ve already explained–Aurora saved my life. If you think there’s compensation due, I’ll make it right someday.”
I laughed, low and sharp, letting the wolf in me flare. “Compensation, is it
Fine. Start by removing the necklace from her
neck.”
Aurora’s eyes widened, anger flaring hotter than any flame. “Freya, don’t be absurd! Do you really think Caelum would—”
Before she could finish, a new presence made itself known.
“Kade.” I said quietly, and my heart thrummed with relief and the familiar thrill of my packmate’s unwavering support.
He moved with predatory grace, and in one swift motion, the diamond necklace was in his hands, torn from Aurora’s neck. She shrieked, utterly stunned, her dominance shattered in an instant.
I blinked, momentarily stunned myself. “You… came here?” I asked, incredulous.
“I called you earlier,” Kade said simply, his gray eyes sharp. “You said you were coming to the Thorne estate. I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
Ah. That explained it. I had been so focused on Caelum and Aurora that I had almost forgotten Kade had been tracking me from the moment I left The Capital.
Caelum’s jaw tightened, and his voice rumbled low, like distant thunder. “This is too much. You can’t just–steal from me-”
Kade’s gaze didn’t waver. “If she’s displeased with what she sees, it’s as simple as taking it back. Consider it… enforcing balance.”
Aurora hissed, rage snapping like a whip. But I simply smiled, wolf’s instinct humming in my chest. Today, territory had been claimed. Dominance had been marked. And the world, for once, would bend to those who knew the law of the pack.
Chapter 119
Freya’s POV
“Steal?” Kade scoffed, the corner of his mouth curling in that lazy, infuriating smirk of his as he weighed the diamond necklace in his hand. “I’m just helping Freya reclaim what’s rightfully hers. You really think you could take me to wolf court for this?”
The words hit Caelum like a cold gust of wind. He had almost forgotten that Kade Blackridge came from one of The Capital’s most formidable legal dynasties. The Blackridge family’s influence was absolute; their protégés dominated the top law firms. A single word from Kade’s father could make or break a case, and the very thought made Caelum stiffen.
Aurora’s glare burned into Kade, her jealousy sizzling in the morning air. “When did you become a sidekick like this, Kade? I didn’t see it coming. Freya, capable as she is, first flirts with Silas Whitmor, and now even you? You’re conspiring with her?”
I narrowed my eyes at her, the wolf inside me bristling at the venom in her tone. Before I could even respond, Kade moved- a fluid, predatory step forward and delivered a sharp, precise slap across Aurora’s cheek.
She yelped, the sting of the strike cutting deeper than any words could. Only yesterday, she’d endured Silas’s reprimand at the gala. She had spent hours masking the swelling with makeup, and now–today–it was Kade’s hand that reminded her who truly held power in this game.
“Kade, you can’t-” Caelum stepped in, his growl low and cautious, placing himself between Kade and Aurora.
Kade’s gaze, cold and unwavering, locked on Aurora. “This is a warning,” he said smoothly. “Say anything more against Freya, and a single slap won’t be enough to silence you.”
Aurora’s eyes narrowed to slits, hatred and shock mingling as she shot daggers at me. “You just hide behind men, Freya, that’s all you do!”
I tilted my head, the wolf’s predator instinct kicking in, and gave her a look sharp enough to pierce through steel. “Are you sure you want me to show you what happens when I act?” I said, voice icy. “Because if I strike, it won’t just be a minor sting like at the airport.”
Her body stiffened instantly. The airport incident–humiliating and permanent in her memory–flashed vividly in her eyes.
“What did I do wrong?” she spat, teeth bared. “At the airport, I acted for the safety of everyone on that plane. And you, Freya… you had the nerve to incite the authorities!”
Kade’s smirk deepened, his tone dripping with contempt. “Aurora, you dare lecture someone about morality? Haven’t you reflected enough on your little stint at the station?”
I folded my arms, letting the wolf in me radiate dominance. “If you still don’t realize your errors, then perhaps your career as a first officer is at an end,” I said, deliberately slow and cold.
Aurora’s eyes burned, rage twisting her features. “I know what you’re jealous of, Freya! Jealous that Caelum noticed me, jealous that I became first officer, jealous of what you can never reach!”
I felt Kade snicker beside me before I could even speak. His gaze on Aurora was full of disdain, wolfish and piercing. “Jealousy? Aurora, do you really think anyone envies the concern of a fool like Caelum for you?”
Caelum’s face darkened. “Kade, even if you support Freya, you shouldn’t humiliate her like that!”
Kade yawned lazily, as if offended by the notion. “I’m not humiliating him. I’m stating facts. You took credit for a company going public. Three years of marriage, spent lavishly on your paramour, while neglecting the woman who built it with you. Tell me, what does that make you if not a fool?”
Caelum’s jaw tightened, the blush of anger creeping into his neck.
And you-” Kade turned his sharp gaze to Aurora, “don’t get too proud of being first officer. Freya has flown combat aircraft you couldn’t even identify half of.”
Aurora’s face flamed crimson, yet Kade wasn’t finished. His voice dropped, edged with lethal calm. “And don’t assume the airport incident is behind you. Time will come, and you may not remain first officer. You think a few days of detention covers your mistakes?”
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Her expression shifted from red to pale, lips pressing thin. Her eyes were cold, calculating, but I could smell the fear–the primal recognition that her dominance was slipping. “You have no right to decide my career,” she spat, venom barely masking desperation.
“Then we’ll see.” Kade said, voice low and certain. He turned to me, eyes softening in contrast. “Freya, shall we go?”
I nodded, feeling the pack instinct relax only slightly now that Kade was beside me. “Yes.”
As we moved, Caelum blocked our path, voice strained. “Kade… return the necklace.”
Kade’s hand was steady as he handed it to me. “This belongs with Freya,” he said firmly.
The necklace glimmered in my hand, the diamonds catching the sunlight like captured stars. Years of my labor, years of building alongside Caelum, and yet he had lavished all of that on Aurora. The necklace was both beautiful and mocking–a symbol of misplaced loyalty and squandered effort.
Caelum’s voice was low, tense. “Freya, I know I owe you… but that necklace is hers. Please, just give it back. I’ll repay you later
I raised a brow, feeling the wolf in me growl softly. “Caelum,” I said slowly, letting the weight of my presence fill the space, “you owe me? How exactly do you intend to repay that debt? Do you think you could ever?”
Silence followed. The tension in the morning air was thick and palpable, a storm before the lightning strike. I felt the pack instincts within me pulse, a reminder: loyalty, dominance, and pride weren’t just words. They were survival.
And today, I would not let anyone forget it.
Chapter 120
Freya’s POV
Finished
The glint of the diamond necklace in my hand caught the morning sunlight, and I could feel the cold fire in my veins flare up. Caelum’s sharp intake of breath barely registered–I knew exactly what he was thinking. My gaze had been utterly indifferent when I looked at him earlier, as if the man who had once been the center of my life now meant nothing. And that, apparently, shook him more than anything I could have said.
“What do you mean it ‘belongs‘ to Aurora?” I said, my voice steady, each word slicing the air like claws. “You used our marital assets to buy her these gifts. I never agreed to it. This necklace has never been hers, and it will never be hers. When I return to The Capital, I will file a lawsuit and reclaim it. Mark my words.”
They gaped at me, and I could almost see the wheels turning in their heads. How dare I fight back? How dare I refuse to be subservient? I let my restraint show for so long that they had come to believe my compliance was natural. Pathetic.
“Freya,” Aurora hissed, red rising to her cheeks, “you’re only after money. During the Lunar Severance Phase, you said you only wanted 1.53 millon, and now–you’re trying to seize all these jewels!”
let a soft snarl escape me. “And you? Are you after money too? You take these jewels, yet claim you don’t want to be a mistress. Why not buy your own, Aurora? Why force a married man to buy them for you?” My words were sharp as wolf’s teeth.
Her face burned crimson, her breath quickening. Around us, the Stormveil estate’s security team had gathered discreetly, their eyes flicking between the confrontation and the two of us. Every word I spoke, they heard, and every insult I threw cut deeper than Aurora could imagine.
I turned to Kade, my companion in all this chaos, and nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Yes,” he said, his tone suddenly deferential, calm–a stark contrast to the cold, commanding wolf he had been moments ago toward Caelum and Aurora.
Aurora hissed indignantly at Caelum. “Freya has gone too far! If she’d just asked for the jewelry politely, I might have—might have given it to her. But she’s manipulative, treacherous. I will not let her have her way.”
Caelum didn’t answer. His eyes remained locked on me as we walked toward the car, and I felt his wolf instinct waver somewhere between longing and regret. That indifferent look I’d given him… he’d never seen it from me before, and it cut deeper than Aurora’s petty anger ever could.
Was it true, then? Did he not matter to me anymore? My wolf growled inside me, amused and vindictive all at once, sensing the sting of realization in his chest.
Aurora’s voice rose, trying to grab his attention, but it fell flat. He barely turned, still caught in the echo of my gaze. Kade’s smirk grew wider. I could feel the pack within him resonating with mine, the predator sense thrumming in tandem.
“I’ll find a way to resolve this,” Caelum finally said, though his voice had lost some of its alpha certainty. “The jewelry… it was given to you, technically. But I owe you—”
I raised a hand to stop him, letting the power of my presence thrum in the air. “Caelum,” I said slowly, deliberately, “how do you intend to repay what you owe? Do you truly believe you could ever pay back what you took from me?”
He flinched, though he tried to hide it. The wound in his pride, the recognition of his failings–it was there, sharp as broken. glass in his chest.
I slid into the passenger seat of the car Kade had opened, still holding the necklace. “Take us to the Ashbourne Charitable Association,” I told him, voice cool, wolfish, uncompromising.
“Why?” Kade asked, though his eyes betrayed his understanding.
“This necklace… it’s no longer mine, nor should it be hers,” I said. “It will be donated.”
An hour later, the transaction was complete. The necklace would be auctioned, and all proceeds donated to a network of Hope Schools across Ashbourne, giving lost and orphaned children a chance to learn. I felt the wolf within me relax slightly, knowing that this token of betrayal had been transformed into something meaningful.
Kade reached over and rested his hand briefly on mine. “If ever you fancy a jewel, I’ll get it for you,” he said casually.
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“I have no interest in jewelry,” I said, letting my voice carry the weight of my history. The only ornament that had ever mattered to me was my mother’s ruby necklace, the one she had bartered for peace. That memory pulsed like a heartbeat in my chest. This necklace–this tainted symbol of wasted years with Caelum–would never hold such value.
I looked up at him, curiosity piqued. “You came all this way to find me… why? Was there something on your mind?”
Kade hesitated, lips pressing together briefly before he admitted, “Are you… involved with Silas Whitmor?”
I blinked, momentarily taken aback. “You… saw the WolfComm buzz online?” I said, shaking my head. “No, we are not involved. Silas only… happened to assist me yesterday at the gala. Caelum and Aurora were there; Silas was simply helping.”
Kade’s eyes narrowed, wolfish and perceptive. “Helping? That doesn’t sound like him.”
I let out a dry laugh, wolfish instinct flaring. “Perhaps, for one night, I was his companion. Nothing more.”
Kade didn’t press further. I could feel the intelligence in his gaze, the instinct to protect, to anticipate, to dominate the space around us With him, there was no pretense–only loyalty, unspoken but absolute, like the pulse of a pack in sync.
And that was all that mattered right now.
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Third Person’s POV
“So you won’t put deeper meaning to Silas Whitmor’s words?” Kade pressed. His voice was cautious, but edged with a grow! that betrayed the wolf in him.
Freya shook her head. “No. I know the way of Alphas like him. Perhaps he speaks of ‘courting out of fleeting interest. But I… 1 am not so careless. Not after all I’ve endured.”
Kade’s chest tightened. She spoke with that clipped discipline of a soldier, and yet, beneath it, he could hear the ache of old betrayal. She was no fragile human woman to be won with flattery–she was Stormveil–born, raised under oaths and blood.
“Then.” Kade asked, lowering his voice, “you feel nothing at all toward him?”
Her answer came firm, unyielding. “I’ve only just divorced, Kade. My heart has no room for new entanglements. What I want is simple: to finish my contract as Silas Whitmor’s bodyguard, and when those three moons are done, return to The Capital. There, I’ll resume my work–and continue searching along the border for Eric.”
JAt the mention of her brother, Kade stilled. The Iron Fang Recon Unit had scoured the borderlands five years ago, finding
nothing but silence and ash. To all others, Eric Thorne had perished, swallowed by the chaos of war. But Freya’s conviction remained unbroken.
“Freya,” he said softly, “five years without a sign. even the strongest hunters in the Legion never found him. Are you certain
“He’s alive,” she cut in, eyes blazing. “I feel it. No one will shake me from that belief.”
Silence stretched between them, heavy as steel.
Finally, Kade exhaled and said, “Then let me go with you.”
Her head snapped up. “No. That is my family’s burden. I’ll carry it alone.”
“Alone?” His wolf rumbled beneath his skin, furious at the thought. He leaned forward, his voice raw. “Freya, I call you A’she -sister–not as some idle endearment. You are more to me than you realize. I cannot let you walk into the borderlands without me.”
“Kade-
“Listen to me!” His interruption was sharp, his fists clenched on the table. “You think I call you sister because of Iron Fang? Because you once shielded me in battle? No. It’s more than that. You are my anchor. My wolf trusts only you. If you go, I go.”
Her lips parted in surprise. For a moment, the fierce Alpha–blooded warrior softened. Then she lowered her gaze, uncertain. “Even if you come, I don’t know how long I’ll stay. It could be weeks. Months. Longer still.”
Kade’s answer was instant, fierce. “Then I’ll stay. A year, a lifetime–it doesn’t matter.”
Freya’s brows drew together. “You don’t need to do this. I looked after you in the Iron Fang Recon Unit because you were my soldier, my responsibility. That was duty. You owe me nothing.”
But Kade’s eyes burned with the truth he had held too long. “It isn’t duty that drives me. Yes, I owe you. But it’s more. It’s always been more.”
He faltered. The words clung in his throat, hot and heavy.
Should he speak them now? Should he confess?
His wolf urged him, snarling Claim her! Tell her she is yours! But reason hissed back: not yet. Not when her heart still bled from loss. Not when her mind was chained to the memory of her brother.
Il he bared his soul too soon, she would refuse him. Worse–she might shut him out forever.
And Kade Blackridge, reckless in all things, found himself trembling with fear at the thought of losing her.
“What is it” Freya asked, her voice softer now.