Chapter 21 A Delicate Bal
Chapter 21: A Delicate Balance
Chapter 21: A Delicate Balance
(Freya’s POV)
Margaret Hunter stood in front of me, her smug expression etched across her sharp features.
Just as she prepared another verbal assault, a sound caught both of our attention. The faint creak of a door
opening
Turning instinctively, my breath hitched. Grace Hunter, Margaret’s daughter, slowly emerged from one of the examination rooms. She looked pale, her shoulders slumped under some invisible weight. A trembling hand clutched her stomach protectively while the other held tightly to a stack of crumpled medical papers.
Her scent hit me before the sight fully sank in, a familiar mix of distress and the same hormonal changes I was experiencing. My throat tightened. There was no doubting it–Grace had come to this hospital under a
circumstance much like mine.
Margaret’s smugness vanished. Her sharp posture faltered almost instantly as worry overtook her. She hurried to her daughter’s side, her hand reaching for her arm.
“Grace!” Margaret’s voice was unrecognizable, softer, trembling with motherly concern. “What is it? What
happened? Are you okay?”
Grace flinched slightly at her touch but didn’t move away fully. Her voice was a bare whisper, almost lost to
my ears. “Mom… please, let’s just go.”
Her hand pressed harder against her stomach, a clear attempt to shield herself from more than just the
physical ache. My own hand instinctively brushed against my abdomen as I watched her, an echo of her pain
resonating inside me. Bella whimpered, her instincts tuned into Grace’s suffering in a way only wolves could
sense.
Margaret hesitated. “Grace, sweetheart-”
“Mom!” Grace’s voice broke, trembling with suppressed tears. “Can we please go? I just… I just want to leave.”
For a long moment, Margaret seemed paralyzed, her Beta energy completely overshadowed by her maternal instincts. Finally, she wrapped a protective arm around her daughter and guided her toward the exit.
“Let’s get you home,” she murmured, her voice tender and full of worry as they disappeared down the hallway.
Silence filled the space around me once more. I inhaled deeply, trying to steady myself. Seeing Grace like that stirred something raw and unshakable inside me.
But Margaret was nothing if not relentless. It wasn’t long before she returned alone, her composure snapp back into place like armor. The concern she’d shown her daughter was now buried deep under an icy hostility
direct solely at me.
Her voice carried a sharp edge as she fixed her cold gaze on me. “If you even think about gossiping through
pack circles about what you just saw…”
I interrupted her, my chin lifting slightly. “What? Sharing a visit to a medical facility? I see that you have plenty of reasons to worry about rumors, Margaret. Perhaps more than I do.”
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Chapter 21 A Delicate Bal
Her jaw tightened. “Do not-”
“Careful,” I cut her off smoothly. “Were i the type to spread rumors, I might find it rite interesting what seventeen–year–old wolf happens to be dealing with My tone sharpened. “Or has Grace veces ergon already? My apologies for losing count.”
Margaret froze. Her hands curled into tight fists at her sides, and her wolf energy spikes fardy, reveting pot how close she was to losing control. “Are you threatening me?”
I tilted my head, calm and deliberate as I replied, “I’m simply exchanging courtesies, fent that what we e
doing here, Margaret?”
Her eyes narrowed sharply, her nostrils flaring. “Grace’s situation is none of your business‘
“Just as mine is none of yours,” I responded lightly. My voice, though calm, carried the weight of my Luna
position.
The standoff that followed was thick enough to choke on. Margaret’s lips parted as though she were out to sling another insult, but she snapped them shut just as quickly.
I sighed theatrically, rubbing my temple as if burdened by exhaustion. “Margaret, I suggest you drop the pretense. I’m tired, and I’m sure you have more pressing matters to attend to.”
There was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes before she straightened her posture. Without another word, the turned abruptly and stormed out of the waiting area.
The tension lingered for a moment longer, but as the sound of her heels faded away, I felt my body relax slightly. Inside, Bella growled softly, her unease fading into quiet relief.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to focus on steadying my breathing. The confrontation had been draining, but not for the reasons Margaret might have expected.
I had no intentions of spreading Grace’s secret. None at all. The young wolf’s pain was far too familiar, her vulnerability far too real.
Margaret could spin whatever threats she liked, but I wouldn’t exploit Grace. I couldn’t.
Unbidden, memories from my own past tugged at me–those early days when whispers of betrayal and weakness surrounded me, when I was cornered like prey. No young wolf deserved to face the weight of pack politics at such a tender age.
I had escaped only by sheer luck and Aaron’s intervention. Grace deserved the same chance to heal without the wolves closing in around her.
“Freya!”
Emily’s voice pulled me back to the present. She was hurrying toward me with several bags in hand, her expression a mix of concern and determination.
“Sorry it took so long,” she said quickly, setting the bags down. “I wasn’t sure what you’d be able to keep down, so I got a little of everything.”
The unmistakable scent of high–protein snacks and nutrient–rich meals for pregnant wolves filled the air. I blinked in surprise but managed a faint smile.
“You didn’t have to-”
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Chapter 21 A Delicate Bal
“Stop,” Emily interrupted firmly, her eyes narrowing. “Yes, I did. I don’t care what you’re dealing with, but skipping meals is not an option.”
I sagged slightly in my seat, suddenly overwhelmed by her kindness. Bella wagged her tail faintly, a rare
moment of comfort amidst the turmoil.
As I reached for one of the covered dishes, I paused, a question I hadn’t asked her in years suddenly burning
on my tongue.
“Emily,” I murmured, keeping my gaze on my hands, “if I were an Alpha male. would you have accepted my
mate mark?”
She froze, visibly startled. Her lips parted, and she looked at me like she wasn’t sure if I was joking “Freya…”
“Answer honestly,” I pressed softly.
Her gaze softened after a moment, and she lowered herself into the seat beside me. 1 wouldn’t even hesitate If you were my Alpha…” She trailed off but finished with certainty. “T’d be proud to take your mark. No
question.”
Something twisted painfully in my chest. Her loyalty, her declaration–it all echoed too loudly against something I didn’t want to acknowledge.
“It’s because I helped you before, isn’t it?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“What?” she blinked, caught off guard.
“You said it yourself. Loyalty stems from gratitude,” I murmured. “Even if someone saved your life when you felt helpless. Like you… and like Aaron.”
Emily stiffened immediately, her mouth opening in protest.
“Freya, no–I didn’t mean it like-”
I shook my head, cutting her off before she could continue. My voice felt like it wasn’t mine as I murmured faintly, “He probably thinks Caroline is a good wolf too.”
The words hung heavily in the air, my chest tightening painfully around every syllable.
Emily’s face fell, her eyes wide with regret. “Freya, wait-”
But her panic didn’t matter. The parallel had already struck me straight in the heart. Bella’s faint, mournful whimper only deepened the ache spreading through me.
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