My Alpha 32

Vole 

Chapter 32: Pack Bonds and Pride 

Chapter 32: Pack Bonds and Pride 

(Freya’s POV) 

The memory of my father’s recovery replayed in my mind as I sat quietly in the corner of Birch Tree Café could still hear the strain in his voice, the weight of our family’s defeat thick in the air back then 

“Freya,” my father had said, his voice remarkably steady despite his broken body lying in the hospital bed. His pale face had contrasted sharply with the strong Alpha he’d once been “We must repay Caroline Redwood for 

what she has done.” 

I had stared at him in disbelief, gripping the side of his hospital bed tightly. His breathing had been strained, but there was fierce determination in his eyes. A determination that refused to accept the reality of our 

situation. 

“Father,” I had replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “We’ve lost nearly everything. How can we talk about repayment when we have nothing left to give?” 

My father’s expression had hardened, his gaunt face drawn with the pride of a once–feared Alpha. “We haven’t lost everything,” he had shot back. “We still have the pride of the Snowfang Pack, and I refuse to see it 

destroyed” 

“But what about survival?” I had countered. “Pride won’t put food on the table or protect us from rival packs We need to be practical, Father.” 

For a moment, his expression had softened, as though he was seeing me not as his daughter but as a wolf forced into responsibility far too early. “Survival without pride is not survival at all. It’s submission. And the Snowfang Pack does not submit.” 

I remembered looking away, unable to meet his steely gaze. He had always been stubborn, but at that moment, I’d realized just how desperate he was to hold onto the pack’s dignity. 

“Caroline didn’t help us out of kindness, my father had added bitterly, his tone sharp. “She helped because of Aaron, and you know it.” 

“And what does that change?” I had pushed back, frustration creeping into my voice. “Her help saved you and our pack members. That’s what matters.” 

His weathered hand had reached out to grip mine, weak but firm. “Freya, you don’t understand. Every favor comes with a price. Caroline’s act of kindness binds us.” 

I’d fallen silent, unable to argue. Deep down, I had known he was right. Caroline’s actions hadn’t been selfless. She wasn’t that type of wolf. But in those desperate times, with my father fighting for his life and our pack cornered, I hadn’t had the luxury of questioning her motives. 

“We can’t afford to be in debt to her,” my father had declared, his voice gaining strength. “We rebuild on our 

terms, not hers.” 

And then he said something that stayed with me. “Pride may be all we have left, but that’s enough again. Effort and time will rebuild us – not charity.” 

h to start 

I remembered that moment painfully well. Even as I had agreed to mate Aaron and form a political union, I 

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had made sure to transfer all my financial assets to my father, knowing he’d need them more than I would 

A familiar pang of quilt stabbed at my chest. I swirled the coffee in my cup without drinking, my focus shifting to the picture of Aaron and me on my phone screen. In the photo, we were smiling Bearing, even. It 

looked so natural, so convincing 

“Was it ever real?” I muttered under my breath. 

Bella whimpered softly inside me. She hated how I doubted him, but I couldn’t help it. Deciding wasn’t easy. and I could never shake the thought of how this entire arrangement had started. I pushed those thoughts down, telling myself that it didn’t matter, not anymore 

Elder Katherine’s surgery and recovery were due soon. That would be my exit–a clean break. I would ensure Aaron and Caroline could finally be happy 

Bella stirred again, nudging me softly. It was Saturday. I blinked, realizing what that usually meant 

“Visiting Elder Katherine, I murmured to myself. 

I stood and grabbed my coat, reminding myself that Aaron wouldn’t likely be there. He was probably preoccupied with Caroline, as always. 

The drive to the pack healing estate felt longer than usual. Maybe it was the weight of the day. Or maybe it was just the memories swirling in my head that twisted the road ahead into reflections of the past. 

When I arrived, the estate greeted me with its usual serenity. A staff member rushed to meet me–a Beta wolf named Rebecca Martinez, who handled much of the day–to–day care for Elder Katherine. 

“Luna Freya,” Rebecca began, her tone filled with relief. “Elder Katherine has been waiting anxiously for you all morning. She refused to leave her room, afraid she might miss you.” 

I felt a pang of guilt at that. Though Elder Katherine’s sharp eyes rarely missed anything, she had softened with age, and her bond with me had only grown stronger. 

“Has she eaten?” I asked as I followed Rebecca toward her quarters. 

“Only a little,” Rebecca replied. “She said she wasn’t hungry without seeing you first.” 

The mention warmed my heart, but it filled me with an ache as well. I couldn’t forget what I was walking 

away from. 

When I entered her room, Elder Katherine sat by the grand window in her elegant chair, wrapped in formal robes that carried the Steel family’s crest. The golden embroidery caught what little sunlight streamed in, making her look every bit the regal matriarch of the Northern Ridge Pack. 

“My dear girl,” she smiled when she noticed me, her weathered cheeks creasing gently. “I thought you’d 

forgotten about me today.” 

Her words–came with warmth, but there was a playful edge to her tone, though it didn’t mask the faint worry 

in her voice. 

“How could I forget you, Elder Katherine?” I moved closer to take her extended hands, both of us sharing a moment of closeness that I had come to cherish. 

As soon as her hands touched mine, she frowned softly. “Your hands… They’re like ice, child.” 

I opened my mouth to reply, but she squeezed my hands tighter, cutting me off before I could think of an 

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Has my grandson not been looking after you progeny the demandes, hat brows Bergwer sangly for concern was genuine and undiluted 

I tried to pull back, but her grip was remarkably strong for somara bergstrose my head say “Aaron’s just been busy It’s nothing to worry about? 

“Busy? Busy with what? she pressed, narrowing her sharp, wolfish eyes And why is he not here with y 

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today? Does he leave all these visits to you?” 

I glanced away, unsure how to respond How could explain without betraying the delicate threads roding our political mating together? 

“Honestly, Freya,” Elder Katherine continued, her tone shifting to something doser note “Cole his mate, not his subordinate or his assistant. He should no, he must protect you? 

Her words stirred something inside me, a conflict i’d been trying to suppress for so long. She saw me more than just the Luna in title. She saw me as family, perhaps more than Aaron ever had in recent months 

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