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< Chapter 59 Hidden Agend
Chapter 59: Hidden Agendas
Chapter 59: Hidden Agendas
(Caroline’s POV)
+8 Points>
The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. All the eyes in the room were on me after my outburst. Rebecca Winters, Emma Parker, Rachel Lewis, and the others from the Redwood Pack looked stunned.
Their wide eyes and hesitation made me realize what I had just done. I had snapped at my closest allies.
My throat tightened as panic flickered in my chest. This wasn’t the image I wanted to show them. My allies needed to see a composed, capable leader. Not someone coming undone.
Rebecca was the first to move.
- She darted toward me, wrapping her arms around me in an attempt to
comfort me.
“Oh, Caroline, we didn’t mean to upset you!” Her voice was rushed and nervous. “It’s just that we care about you. We’re trying to help.”
My vision blurred. Tears filled my eyes before I could stop them. They spilled over, and I choked on a sob.
“I… I’m sorry.” My voice cracked, making the apology sound even more pitiful.
Emma quickly handed me a tissue, her brows furrowed in concern. “Caroline, it’s okay. You’ve been under so much pressure lately. It’s understandable.”
Rachel placed a hand on my shoulder, her tone open and concerned. “It’s the stress, isn’t it? The postponed surgery? The mate bond severance delay?”
I managed a shaky nod, dabbing at my cheeks with the tissue. “It’s all so much. Everything feels like it’s spinning out of my control.”
Rebecca tightened her hold on me as the others watched, their expressions dark with anger–but not toward me. No, their anger was focused squarely on someone else.
“It’s Freya’s fault,” Rebecca hissed, her words spilling out like venom. “She’s using every excuse to cling to her position and her mate bond with Aaron. It’s disgusting.”
“She doesn’t deserve to be Luna,” Rachel added coldly, her wolf flashing through her tone of voice. “Aaron deserves someone stronger. Someone like
you, Caroline.”
The other pack members nodded in agreement. Emma leaned closer to me, her voice dropping into a low, angry tone. “She’s not fooling anyone. This whole act–pretending she’s so perfect–it’s a joke.”
I sniffled, lowering the tissue from my face. I needed to play this right. Carefully. “She is still Elder Ka caretaker,” I murmured softly. “She’s trying her best for Aaron’s grandmother.”
ine’s
“Ha!” Rebecca’s laugh was short and sharp. “You’re too kind, Caroline. We know what Freya is really doing. She’s dragging this out to keep Aaron chained to her. She’s a coward!”
Rachel crossed her arms, her wolf practically snarling beneath her calculated tone. “A lesson needs to be taught. Someone needs to show her she can’t keep playing these games.”
The room grew colder as the tension thickened. My allies were fired up, their collective anger toward Freya
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bubbling dangerously. This was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to ignore.
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Still, I couldn’t let them see just how much I agreed with them. My plans required subtlety, not recklessness.
“Please,” I said softly, letting my voice tremble. “Don’t act rashly. Violence or anger might make things worse with the Northern Ridge Pack. Freya is a Luna… for now.”
Rebecca’s eyes flashed with indignation. She stepped back, her wolf looming closer to the surface. “Caroline, why are you defending her?”
“I’m not,” I insisted, lifting my hands as though in surrender. “I just… I can handle this. Let me speak to her myself. Aaron and Freya are both under so much pressure already with Elder Katherine’s health. I don’t want to escalate things.”
For a moment, Rebecca seemed unconvinced. Her wolf simmered just beneath her sharp glare. But Rachel and Emma quickly interjected, nodding toward her.
“She’s right,” Rachel murmured. “Caroline is smart. Let her handle it.”
Emma frowned but relented. “Fine. But if she steps out of line again…”
Their compliance didn’t quell my unease. Watching the fire in their eyes, I could tell they had no intention of letting this go. Their wolves wanted battle, even if it was subtle at first.
As I poured wine into their glasses, lifting the mood with polite small talk, I caught the sly glances they exchanged. Their whispers were gone, but their silence spoke volumes.
My allies were planning something. Something I could not control–or stop.
(Freya’s POV)
The steady beeping of a monitor echoed around Elder Katherine’s hospital room. It was the only sound breaking the silence between Aaron and me.
She looked so frail like this. Her gray hair framed her face, and her pale skin made her seem smaller than she ever had before.
I clutched the blanket resting over her, my heart aching as guilt gnawed at me yet again. Bella whimpered deeply in my mind, her sorrow mirroring my own.
“She’ll recover,” Aaron said suddenly. His deep voice broke through my spiral of worry.
I glanced at him by the windows. His broad shoulders remained tense, his golden eyes watching the scenery outside like he was trying to distract himself.
But I could see it–the tightness in his body and jaw. He was worried too.
The wolf healers returned with two bowls of hot, protein–rich broth as part of a meal for us. They pla on the bedside table before bowing.
“Luna, Alpha,” one of them murmured respectfully before quietly leaving.
them
Aaron’s head turned toward me. His gaze locked on mine before briefly dropping to the untouched bowl near
- me.
“You need to eat,” he said sternly, his no–nonsense tone filling the small room.
I hesitated, my expression resisting him. “I don’t feel like eating.”
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“That’s not an option,” he replied bluntly, his eyes narrowing. “Eat for Elder Katherine’s sake–or don’t, and let her see you fall apart in front of her.”
A sharp pang hit my chest. My lips pressed into a thin line as his words sank in. Bella growled softly, pushing
me to listen.
Fine. For Elder Katherine’s sake… and my cub’s.
I reached for the bowl and began taking small spoonfuls. The broth was warm and nourishing, but my nerves.
numbed any real enjoyment.
Aaron’s gaze didn’t leave me once. It was piercing and heavy, sinking into me deeper than words ever could.
“What?” I finally muttered, setting the half–empty bowl down.
“Finish it,” was all he said before turning back toward the window.
With a deep sigh, I returned to the meal, eating methodically and slowly. Each bite grounded me, as if my body knew it needed more strength.
Unbidden, my thoughts began drifting. The memories I tried to bury rose to the surface again–moments where Aaron had taken care of me in small, quiet ways.
The cup of tea he had brought me on late nights. The meals he had insisted I eat when stress consumed me. Even the casual, almost unnoticed ways he ensured I was safe whenever we walked through unfamiliar pack
lands.
These weren’t grand gestures of love. They were small responsibilities born from duty.
And yet, they still filled my chest with bittersweet ache.
How naïve I had been to think that those moments meant anything. Reality was a cold, sharp blade that cut through my illusions.
Aaron’s care didn’t stem from love. It was obligation.
He had always belonged to Caroline–had always thought of her as his future Luna. She was the one who had saved his life, after all. Compared to that, I was just a snowflake in a storm.
I set the empty bowl aside, letting my hands fall uselessly into my lap.
Aaron stepped forward without a word, clearing the table and stacking the bowls neatly. He worked without complaint, just as he always did.
My wolf Bella was quiet, her energy curling inward as we both accepted the truth. There was no love here- only shadows of what could have been meaningful if circumstances were different.
Aaron’s measured actions and his steady presence had tethered me in the past. Now, they were the that made my chest ache heavier than before.
Elder Katherine stirred in her sleep, bringing my attention back to her fragile form.
Chor
It didn’t matter how I felt about Aaron or Caroline or our severance. My focus had to remain on her and her recovery. Everything else could wait.
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Chapter 60: A Matriarch’s Concern