Chapter 16: Whispers in the Pack
Chapter 16: Whispers in the Pack
(Freya’s POV)
Aaron’s black SUV passed by without even slowing. My heart clenched tightly, and my stomach twisted as i caught a glimpse of Caroline sitting in the passenger seat.
Her head was tilted gracefully, her immaculate hair catching the light as she casually glanced out the
window.
The knot in my chest became almost unbearable when she turned, her serene profile visible through the tinted glass.
They didn’t stop. They didn’t even notice me.
Bella whimpered softly within me, but I stood perfectly still. I couldn’t let anyone see how deeply this struck
- me.
As soon as the vehicle disappeared around the corner, the lobby came alive with whispers.
“Did you see how elegant she looked?” Jessica Parker’s voice was laced with excitement, her tone rising slightly like she wanted me to overhear her.
“She always looks perfect,” Michael Thompson replied, not bothering to lower his voice either. “Caroline Redwood.” He said her name with meaning, as though it carried a weight that was undeniable.
“She’s Aaron’s true love,” Sarah Wilson chimed in softly, but deliberately enough to carry across the room Everyone knows that.”
The words felt like knives slicing through my chest. True love. They said it so casually, yet it was clear what they truly meant.
“Poor Luna Freya…” Jessica added in a falsely sympathetic tone. “The mating was just politics. She’s been nothing but a placeholder.”
I felt my fingers dig into my palms, but I didn’t move. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
“I mean,” Sarah added with a lowered voice that still carried, “what can she really do? She’s a pity case. And now that Caroline’s back? It’s only a matter of time.”
Bella growled quietly in my mind, urging me to say something, to shut them down. But I breathed deeply and kept my face calm.
Just as the tension in my chest reached its peak, a familiar silver car pulled up to the entrance. Relief coursed through me when Daniel Rivers emerged from the driver’s side.
“Luna,” he called, his dark eyes scanning me with concern.
I squared my shoulders and walked toward him, tuning out the rest of the murmurs behind me.
As I stepped into Daniel’s car, I couldn’t stop overhearing one last conversation.
“She didn’t even react,” Jessica said with a snicker.
“Maybe she knows it’s useless to fight,” Michael replied.
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bet she heard us, Sarah said. “Her silence says it all, doesn’t it?”
My hands trembled slightly as I buckled my seatbelt, staring straight ahead to avoid meeting Daniel’s gaze. The whispers continued behind us, but the closing car door muffled most of it. Still, their words stuck with
As the car began to move, Daniel glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Are you alright, Freya?” His voice was steady, but there was an edge of worry.
“I’m fine,” I replied, hoping my voice sounded more convincing than I felt. “Just… lingering illness.”
His eyes lingered on me for a moment longer. Then he shifted his focus back to the road. “I can tell you’re not fine. What’s going on?”
“I’m just tired,” I muttered, staring out the window.
“Tired?” he repeated, his tone almost incredulous. “You seemed fine earlier. Tired doesn’t explain what I just saw back there.”
I clenched my jaw. “Daniel, please. I don’t want to talk about it.”
He didn’t press further, but the air in the car felt tense. I could feel his frustration simmering beneath the
surface.
A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. “I saw Aaron’s SUV leaving just now,” he said carefully.
I didn’t reply, keeping my focus outside the window.
“With Caroline Redwood,” he added
At the mention of her name, my body tensed again, but I stayed silent.
Daniel noticed. “You met her,” he said, his voice firm.
“Yes,” I admitted after a pause, still staring outside. “I met her yesterday”
He frowned. “What do you think of her?”
I turned my head slightly toward him, my expression guarded. “Why does it matter?”
“It matters,” he said sharply, “because I don’t trust her. And I don’t trust Aaron either.”
Hearing his blunt words made my chest tighten. “Aaron is my mate,” I said softly. “Regardless of what you think, you should respect that.”
Daniel scoffed. “Mate? Freya, your mating to him has brought you nothing but pain. You deserve better.”
I stayed silent, gripping my hands tightly in my lap to keep my emotions in check.
He sighed heavily, his tone softening. “Tm only saying this because I care about you.”
The car pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot, bringing an end to the tense conversation. I stepped out quietly, grateful for the reprieve from his probing questions.
Inside the restaurant, we sat across from each other in a quiet corner booth. Daniel ordered for both of us, insisting that I needed something nourishing. I let him. The truth was, I didn’t have much of an appetite.
My mind kept wandering back to the whispers at the pack headquarters, the cutting words about being a placeholder.”
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As our food arrived, Daniel excused himself, leaving me alone at the table. I peered down at the untouched plate of salad in front of me, my fork lying idle.
When he returned, he held a small paper bag. “Healing herbs,” he explained, placing it gently on the table.” They’ll help with whatever has been making you sick.”
The thoughtful gesture made my throat tighten. Tears threatened to rise, but I blinked them away. “Thank you,” I whispered, my fingers brushing over the bag.
He smiled faintly but didn’t say anything for a moment. His expression, however, remained serious.
“Freya,” he began again, “about Caroline…”
I shook my head and cut him off. “There’s nothing to discuss.”
“Don’t do that,” he said sharply. “Don’t avoid the topic. I know you’ve been pretending it doesn’t bother you, but it does.”
My hands froze on the table. “What are you trying to say?”
“What I’m trying to say,” he said, his voice rising slightly, “is that Aaron is parading her around as if she’s already taken your place!”
“That’s not fair,” I snapped, my frustration boiling over.
”
“Isn’t it?” He leaned forward, his dark eyes intense. “He brought her to the pack headquarters, Freya. Right in front of you. How do you explain that?”
“Maybe he’s just being… cordial,” I said weakly, though even I didn’t believe it.
“Cordial?” Daniel repeated, his tone incredulous. “Do you even hear yourself? This isn’t about cordiality. This is about respect. Aaron has none for you, and everyone knows it.”
I looked away, my eyes stinging.
“Freya,” he continued more softly, “I overheard the pack members talking. They’re saying things–things about
you and Caroline. They’re waiting for the announcement of your severed bond like it’s inevitable.”
My breath hitched, and I clenched my hands tightly together under the table.
“They’re calling her his ‘true love,” he said quietly but pointedly. “Do you know how demeaning that is to you?
To everything you’ve done for this pack?”
I swallowed hard, staring down at my plate. “I don’t care what they say,” I lied.
“Yes, you do,” Daniel said firmly. “And you should. Because they don’t respect you. They see you as disposable
now that Caroline is back.”
I wanted to argue, but the words wouldn’t come.
“You’re better than this,” he said, his voice filled with conviction. “You’re better than him.”
“And yet here I am,” I whispered bitterly.
We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of his words pressing down on me. His concern was genuine, but it was suffocating nonetheless.
Daniel sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. “Freya… when did you start feeling sick?”
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I stiffened, my heart lurching, “It doesn’t matter”
“It started when Caroline came back, didn’t it?” he pressed.
I met his gaze, my face carefully composed despite the storm raging inside me. “No. It has nothing to do with
her.”
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