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Chapter 22 Mysterious Th….
Chapter 22: Mysterious Threats
Chapter 22: Mysterious Threats
(Freya’s POV)
The protein shake sat heavy in my stomach as I took another reluctant sip. It wasn’t as though I had much of an appetite to begin with. Emily eyed me from across the clinic waiting room, her expression filled with
concern.
“Come on, Freya,” she prodded softly. “Just a few more bites of the meat. It’ll help.
My stomach churned at the thought of another bite, and Bella whimpered in agreement. The faint pangs of nausea hadn’t left me since the morning, and the events of the day had left me emotionally drained on top of everything else.
I shook my head, pushing the container away. “I can’t. Please, Emily, don’t force me.”
Emily’s lips pressed into a thin line. She sighed but began packing the remains of the meal into her bag. Each movement was deliberate, almost like she was trying to reign in her frustration.
“Alright,” she relented, though her words were heavy. “But don’t think I’m letting you skip dinner tonight. You need your strength. For the cub, if not for yourself.”
Her words made my stomach twist, and I simply nodded, not trusting my voice.
“Let’s get out of here,” Emily said softly, standing and motioning toward the exit. “This place isn’t helping.”
I followed her, my legs weak beneath me. The sterile smell of the clinic followed us as we walked toward the door. My mouth was dry, and my thoughts drifted uneasily, scattered and confused.
Before we made it outside, sharp voices caught both of our attention. They echoed through the hallway,
tense and loud.
“I forbid it! Do you hear me, Grace? Absolutely not!” Margaret Hunter’s cutting tone was unmistakable.
I glanced toward the source of the commotion. Margaret stood just beyond one of the examination rooms, her Beta authority clear in her posture and voice. Beside her was Grace, her teenage daughter. Grace’s tear–streaked face and trembling frame spoke volumes of the stress she was under.
“But Mother, Mark isn’t like that! You don’t know him!” Grace pleaded, her voice hitching with desperation.
Margaret’s expression was cold and unyielding. “He’s an Omega, Grace. Do you understand what that means? You are not to see him. That’s the end of it.”
Grace shook her head, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. “I love him. Why is that so wrong?”
of
Margaret’s eyes blazed with fury. She took a step closer to her daughter, lowering her voice but losing r the steel in her words. “Do not test me, Grace. You will find a proper Beta or Alpha mate. Do you want to ng
disgrace to this family?”
Emily clicked her tongue beside me. “Poor girl,” she muttered, shaking her head. “She’s too young to understand how pack hierarchy works. Margaret’s harsh, but…” She trailed off. “Well, you know how it is for Beta families.”
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I nodded silently but said nothing. My chest tightened at the sight of Grace’s heartbreak, though I quickly moved my gaze away. It wasn’t my place to intervene.
My phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket, breaking the tension. Emily’s ears perked as I pulled it out.
“Maybe it’s Aaron!” she said with sudden hope, her wolf’s excitement shining through her voice. “Perhaps Logan finally realized-”
But the screen displayed an unknown number. My heart sank, and a strange unease prickled at the back of
my neck. Something about this felt wrong.
“Hello?” I answered cautiously, my voice quieter than I intended.
“Luna Freya,” came a cold, detached voice. The syllables of my name lingered, deliberate and sharp. “This is Rebecca Winters. I’m sure you’ve heard of me. I’m a close friend of Caroline’s.”
I gripped the phone tightly, my knuckles turning white. “What do you want?”
She chuckled lightly, though it held no warmth. Her next words sent Bella growling faintly in my mind. “You know exactly what I want. Let’s not waste time playing games. We both know about… your situation.”
Her tone made my heart race, though outwardly I remained silent.
“We need to talk,” Rebecca continued, her voice dipping in a way that made my unease grow.
location. You’ll come, won’t you?”
Before I could muster a response, the line disconnected abruptly.
“I’ll text you the
“Freya, who was it?” Emily’s face was curious yet suspicious as she watched me lower the phone.
“Caroline’s friend,” I replied after a pause. “A woman named Rebecca Winters. She says she wants to meet.”
Emili
expression darkened instantly, her protective instincts flaring. “What? And why would you ever
entertain that?”
A buzz followed as a message popped up on my screen–a time and the address of the Moonlight Cafe. Emily peered over at it and scoffed. “Unbelievable! How does Caroline even know about the pregnancy? Did Aaron tell her? That pitying snake likely ran crying to her, didn’t he?”
“Emily!” I interrupted sharply, though my voice lacked its usual strength.
“Don’t Emily me!” she snapped. Her pacing was building up, and I could feel the anger radiating off of her. “Aaron was supposed to be your mate! Instead, he’s humiliating you by having his pathetic friends interfere with your life, and for what? To protect Caroline’s precious feelings?”
I flinched at her harsh words. She wasn’t wrong, and that made it all the more painful. “You’re not going,” she declared firmly, crossing her arms and glaring at the phone as though it personally offended her. “As Luna of Northern Ridge Pack, you do not bow to demands from wolves of other territories.”
“I wasn’t planning to,” I admitted quietly. Truthfully, I had no intention of going, but the whole situatio wearing me down.
Emily nodded approvingly yet kept pacing, her wolf clearly on edge. “Caroline knows that if you keep this cub, she’ll lose any leverage she has over Aaron. This is an intimidation tactic, Freya. Nothing more.”
I let her voice wash over me, my thoughts clouded and heavy. What had my life become?
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Chapter 22 Mysterious Th
(Caroline’s POV)
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I glanced nervously at the clock on the wall of the Moonlight Cafe. My fingers drummed incessantly against the wooden table as my thoughts swirled with anxiety.
“It’s been twenty minutes,” I murmured, barely realizing I had spoken aloud.
Rebecca, seated across from me, rolled her eyes impatiently. “Relax. She’ll show,” she said with complete
confidence.
“Are you sure?” I frowned, picking up my coffee cup only to put it back down untouched. “It’s just… what if she
doesn’t?”
Rebecca leaned back in her chair, her wolf radiating self–assurance. “Trust me, Caroline. She won’t risk us telling anyone. She’ll come.”
Even so, I couldn’t ignore the growing tension in my chest. “Maybe we should offer her something,” I suggested hesitantly. “A compromise. Territory concessions or-”
“You’re kidding, right?” Rebecca cut in sharply, her voice dripping with disbelief. “You can’t seriously think
that’ll work.”
I flinched at the fire in her tone.
“This is the same woman who slept with Aaron, knowing damn well his heart belongs to you,” Rebecca hissed. “She got herself pregnant to trap him and keep her title as Luna. And you want to offer her something? No, Caroline. What she deserves is to be put in her place.”
Her words echoed my own anger, though it made me uneasy to hear them so plainly.
“We already warned her outside Blue Moon Club,” I pointed out, though even I heard the uncertainty in my
voice.
“And she ignored us,” Rebecca retorted. Her steely gaze met mine. “That woman thinks Aaron’s her lifeline. She thinks she can cling to him and that baby to stay relevant.”
I looked down at the untouched coffee in my hands. Rebecca spoke the thoughts I couldn’t admit to myself. “She won’t come,” I said softly after a moment. “She’s too proud. Too stubborn.”
“Then we’ll call again,” Rebecca said crisply, pulling out her phone. “Let’s see what kind of trick she’s playing
now.”
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