Chapter 181
He stared down at his plate. “She’s broken deep in her soul. She talks in her sleep about the things he did to her. Things she never told me sh things I suspect she can’t bring herself to say out loud.
I hadn’t realized how deeply Freya’s trauma ran, or why Adryx had been so patient with their relationship’s physical progression.
“When she first came here, she was completely shattered, Adryx continued. “Now she’s pregnant with my child. I don’t want anything triggering her memories of that bastard. She’s finally starting to heal.”
His eyes blazed. “She acts like she’s over him, but in her dreams, she still begs for revenge. How dare Azalea do this? How dare she bring that monster back into Freya’s life?”
“Quinn is a piece of shit, I agreed, my own anger rising. “Why hasn’t Matthew stripped him of his position and pack? I would have. Any Alpha who treats his Luna that way deserves nothing.”
Adryx sighed. “I wanted to, but I didn’t want to start a war with Forestvale. Besides, most of the land and money Quinn uses actually belongs to Freys. She was the female heir. Her parents left everything to her.”
*After everything happened, Quinn handed Freya over to us but kept all her property. He’s sharing it with his mistress now.” Adryx’s voice was cold with contempt. “After we’re married, I’m taking back everything that belongs to Freya. Let’s see how Quinn’s pack survives without her land and money. He’ll be nothing but an Alpha with an empty title.”
The room fell silent, tension thick in the air.
I ran a hand through my hair, troubled. Matthew’s arrival would put stress on Juno, especially in her early pregnancy. I didn’t want anything upsetting her
now.
“Maddox once tried to steal Scarlett from Clifflands, Bryloch growled, breaking the silence. “Why would the elders invite an Alpha who attacked us with his army? We need to cut their power. They’ve overstepped their bounds too many times.”
“I plan to,” I assured him. “But after the competition. We can’t tip our hand now and risk alerting the traitors. One battle at a time.”
“We can’t lose focus on our target, I emphasized. “Someone is working against us, and we need to handle it quickly. The elders are a problem, but not our most pressing one.”
“I can’t wait for the Purplemoon, Adryx said wistfully. “Maybe then we’ll have some peace. Once we’re all properly mated and the ceremonies are complete.”
*The competition comes before the Purplemoon,” I reminded him. “We need to get through that first.”
We fell silent again, each contemplating possible solutions to our growing list of problems.
(2)
“No matter what,‘ I finally said, ‘I will never doubt my mate. I’ll let her make her own choices. Juno has proven herself to me time and again.”
“The ladies have proven their complete loyalty. We should honor that. They’ve chosen us despite everything they’ve been through.”
Bryloch smiled. “At least Kieran won’t be coming,” he said, then paused. “Though I’ve heard he’s quite obsessed with Juno. Our sources say he’s been asking about her constantly.”
“Our investigation showed Juno wasn’t lying, they only met once, he continued. “According to our sources in Forestvale, Kieran became infatuated with her after their dance.”
I cut him off. “Kieran is part of Juno’s past. She loves me, not him. He had his chance and missed it. If he’s still pining for her, that’s his problem, not ours.”
That made everyone laugh, lightening the mood considerably.
‘I need to get to my office,” I said, standing up. “I want to contact Oscar and see if there’s any news about Fox Larson.”
