The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 102

Freya's POV

We moved through the main corridor, the click of Thorne's shoes on polished stone echoing against the high ceiling. Staff members and other wolves paused, bowing their heads as he passed. No one looked at me directly, but I felt their sidelong glances, their whispers.

"This way," Thorne said, his voice clipped as he led me toward a door marked with the Alpha crest.

His office. Where my nightmare had begun three years ago.

The room was exactly as I remembered—imposing oak desk, wall of legal texts, large windows overlooking the city below. The scent of leather, paper, and Thorne's distinct Alpha musk permeated everything. I stood just inside the doorway, unable to force myself further.

Thorne walked to a closet on the far wall and removed his judge's robe—black with silver trim that I knew contained threads of moon-silver. As he shrugged it on over his suit, the power in the room shifted palpably. My heart raced faster, my palms sweating.

He turned, and my breath caught. Behind silver-framed glasses, his eyes had changed into a predatory gold. The wolf had risen closer to the surface, bringing with it all the authority of his position.

"Wait here," he commanded, striding past me.

The scent of his power washed over me, and my knees nearly buckled. Three years ago, I'd stood in this very spot, clutching the last threads of hope, begging him to believe I hadn't attacked Kaelin. I'd looked into those same gold-flecked eyes and seen nothing but cold judgment as he sentenced me to exile.

I dug my nails into my palms, using the sharp pain to ground myself. I survived three years in the Forgotten Wilds. I can survive this morning in court.

Terra appeared in the doorway, her familiar presence a surprising comfort. "Freya? Are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out."

Before I could answer, Thorne returned, his robe flowing behind him like a shadow. He glanced between us, then gestured toward the hallway.

"Follow me. Both of you."

We trailed after him through a maze of corridors, Terra walking close enough that our shoulders occasionally brushed—a subtle show of support. The deeper we went into the courthouse, the more my chest tightened, memories flashing like lightning: standing in the defendant's box, watching the pack turn against me, feeling the burn of the moon-silver brand as they prepared me for exile.

"Freya?" Terra whispered. "You're shaking."

I realized my hands were trembling violently. The corridor was starting to spin.

"I'm fine," I managed, but my ears had flattened against my head, a submissive gesture I couldn't control.

Ahead of us, Thorne paused at a set of double doors. When he turned, his gaze swept over me, his wolf eyes darkening as they took in my pale face and trembling form.

"Terra, find a seat inside," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Terra squeezed my arm before disappearing through the doors. Left alone with Thorne, I felt my wolf curl into a tight ball, instinctively trying to make herself smaller before the Alpha.

"Pull yourself together, Riley," he said, his voice low. "You're here to observe justice being served, not to make a spectacle of yourself."

I nodded mechanically, unable to form words. He studied me for a moment longer, then pushed open the doors.

The Moon Crescent Court fell silent as we entered, all eyes turning toward Thorne. He strode to the raised platform at the front of the room, his authority filling the space, while I slipped into a seat beside Terra, trying to make myself invisible.

From my seat, I could see Cole Raine standing in the defendant's box, his posture defiant despite the moon-silver restraints on his wrists. The gallery was nearly full—pack members had come to witness the sentencing of the wolf who had attacked their Alpha and trafficked in illegal moon-silver.

Thorne took his seat, his expression severe as he surveyed the courtroom. The court officer struck his staff against the floor three times.

"All rise for Alpha Thorne Grey, High Judge of Moon Bay Territory."

The room rose as one, a sea of bowed heads. Thorne lifted the Alpha gavel—carved from the wood of the ancient oak at the center of our territory, inlaid with silver.

"Be seated," he commanded, bringing the gavel down.

The sound echoed through the chamber, and I flinched violently, my body tensing as if I'd been struck. The sound brought back the moment of my own sentencing, the final strike of that gavel sealing my fate.

"Cole Raine," Thorne began, his voice carrying to every corner of the room, "you have been found guilty of assault on an Alpha, trafficking in restricted moon-silver, and endangering pack security. You stand before this court for sentencing."

Cole's eyes narrowed, his lips curling back slightly to reveal sharpened canines. The guards on either side of him tensed, ready to intervene if he lost control.

"Do you have anything to say before sentence is passed?"

Cole's gaze shifted past Thorne to me, his expression darkening. "Only that some in this room are more guilty than I am, yet they walk free."

I shrank back in my seat, eyes fixed on the floor, feeling the weight of his accusation. Terra's hand found mine, squeezing gently, but it did little to calm the panic rising in my chest.

"Your grievances are not the concern of this court," Thorne said coldly. "Your actions endangered not only myself but every wolf in Moon Bay."

He continued with the formal sentencing, detailing Cole's crimes and the evidence against him. As he spoke, I found myself struggling to breathe. The walls seemed to be closing in, the air thinning. My hands clutched the edge of my seat, knuckles white.

"Cole Raine, for your crimes against Alpha and pack, I sentence you to thirteen years of exile in the Forgotten Wilds. You will bear the Alpha mark, which will prevent full shifting. After serving your sentence, you may petition for return, subject to the approval of the Alpha council."