Chapter 159: Chapter 159 The Envelope She Left Behind
Author
In the privacy of his chambers,Silvano tossed the envelope onto the bed,intending to read it after changing. Just as he was about to tear it open,his phone vibrated with an incoming call from Aurora. Seeing her name flash across the screen sent a jolt of urgency through him that he didn’t stop to analyze.
"Aurora," he answered,immediately forgetting the envelope as he listened to her voice. "Yes,everything’s prepared for tomorrow’s trip."
The envelope slipped from the bed to the floor as he paced the room,discussing details of tomorrow’s beachside negotiations with the neighboring Red Claw Pack—discussions Aurora would help facilitate with her diplomatic skills. That night,caught up in preparations,Silvano never returned to his bedroom.
The following morning,when Sara came to clean the Alpha’s chambers,she noticed the envelope on the floor and recognized it as the one Freya had entrusted to her. Assuming Silvano had read it,she simply placed it in the nearby drawer where he kept important correspondence.
Little did she know that inside lay divorce papers bearing the Luna’s elegant signature,along with a note explaining her decision to sever their mate bond—a decision that would send shockwaves through the entire Northern Packs when finally discovered.
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After landing back in the main territory,Freya went straight to the pack house,her steps determined despite the hollowness in her chest where her wolf curled in silent agony. The severing of a mate bond was excruciating,but she moved with purpose,gathering only what she truly needed from the life she was leaving behind.
Six years of marriage had accumulated many possessions,but Freya took only a few essentials: several changes of clothes,two sets of toiletries,and the professional books she’d need to rebuild her career. The rest—designer clothes Silvano had insisted befitted his Luna,jewelry from pack ceremonies,gifts from diplomats seeking the Alpha’s favor—she left behind. They were trappings of a role she now understood had never truly been hers.
Freya paused at Isabella’s room,running her fingers over the stuffed wolf she’d made by hand when her daughter was born. The birth had nearly killed her—Isabella’s hybrid nature with her quarter-elf blood from Silvano’s lineage had complicated the delivery. Freya had hemorrhaged for hours,her wolf’s strength the only thing keeping her alive until the pack healer could stabilize her.
"She doesn’t need this anymore," Freya whispered to herself,replacing the toy on the shelf. "She has Aurora now."
Throughout their marriage,Silvano had provided generous monthly allowances—separate accounts for Freya and Isabella. The card designated for Isabella had remained untouched; Freya had always intended to give it to her daughter when she was old enough to understand its value.
Her own card should have been nearly empty. Before Isabella had gone to live with Silvano in the Northern Territory,Freya had spent most of her allowance on them both—elegant suits for her mate that accentuated his powerful frame,educational toys for Isabella that nurtured her intelligence. Every time she’d spotted something perfect for them while shopping,she couldn’t resist purchasing it,her wolf purring with satisfaction at providing for her family.
Her own needs had always been secondary. The Shadow Pack Luna needed to look polished and sophisticated at official functions,but otherwise,Freya preferred simple comfort over luxury. Her heart and eyes had been full of her mate and pup,wanting only to give them everything they deserved.
But in the past year,with Isabella living primarily with Silvano in the Northern Territory,opportunities to shop for them had dwindled. To her surprise,over four million dollars had accumulated in her account—an amount that might seem insignificant to the Alpha of North America’s most powerful pack,but was life-changing for a woman starting over.
Since it was money Silvano had designated for her use,Freya transferred it all to a private account without hesitation. She left both cards behind on Silvano’s desk,a silent statement that she would take nothing more from him than what was rightfully hers.
Four years earlier,when a pack friend had faced financial difficulties,Freya had purchased an apartment to help boost their real estate sales. The modest hundred-square-meter space near her former workplace had remained empty all this time,maintained by a cleaning service but never inhabited.
Now it would become her sanctuary.
Exhausted from the emotional and physical toll of breaking her mate bond,Freya collapsed onto the bed in her new home shortly after ten that evening. The emptiness where Silvano’s presence had always hummed in her consciousness felt like an open wound,but her wolf had gone strangely silent,as if conserving strength for the battles ahead.
"Ding ding,ding ding,ding ding—" The harsh alarm jolted Freya from a dreamless sleep.
Her mind cleared slowly through the fog of exhaustion. One AM here meant approximately seven AM in the Northern Territory,where Silvano and Isabella would be starting their day. This was when she typically called her daughter for their daily conversation.
When Isabella had first gone to the Northern Territory with Silvano,the young girl had struggled with the separation,missing her mother terribly and calling at all hours. But as weeks turned to months,Isabella’s enthusiasm had waned,her responses growing increasingly perfunctory,sometimes even impatient.
The alarm had long since lost its purpose,becoming instead a daily reminder of her daughter’s gradual emotional departure.
Freya’s finger hovered over the phone screen. Her wolf stirred briefly,a maternal whine rising in her throat.
"No," she whispered to her wolf. "We need to learn to let go."
With determination that belied the tears gathering in her eyes,Freya deleted the alarm and powered off her phone before sinking back into the blessed oblivion of sleep.