The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 104

Freya’s POV

Kaelin’s gaze fell on me, and something flashed behind her eyes—too quick to identify, but unmistakably hostile.

"Freya," she said, her voice softening to a concerned murmur. "You look terrible. Are you ill?"

Before I could answer, my leg cramped painfully—a result of my tense posture all day. I stumbled, nearly falling. To my shock, Thorne's hand shot out, steadying me with a firm grip on my elbow.

The touch sent a jolt through me, and I froze. For a moment, we stood like that—his hand warm against my skin, our bodies close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him.

Kaelin's scent shifted subtly, the sweet notes souring with jealousy. "Thorne," she said, her voice still gentle but with a new edge. "Perhaps Mark should help Freya inside while we talk?"

Thorne released me, his face expressionless. "Freya, go inside."

It wasn't a suggestion. It was an Alpha command, impossible to resist. I nodded stiffly and moved past Kaelin, careful not to meet her eyes. As I climbed the steps, I heard Thorne say something about a "difficult day in court," but the rest was lost as I entered the house.

I made my way up to my attic room, each step an effort. Once inside, I locked the door and sank onto my bed, pulling out my phone. There was a message from Terra:

[Are you okay? That was intense. Call me if you need ANYTHING. I'm worried about you.]

I typed back quickly:

[I'm fine. Just tired. Thanks for being there today.]

It was a lie, but what could I say? That being in court had brought back all the trauma of my exile? That I was starting to think Thorne had brought me there deliberately to remind me of my place?

Another message came through:

[That Alpha of yours is a piece of work. You seemed more scared in that courthouse than you ever did at Moon Howl, even with the worst customers. What's going on?]

I stared at the screen, unsure how to respond. Terra didn't know the full story—that I had once been a respected Beta from a prominent family, that I had pursued Thorne, that he had sentenced me to exile. She only knew me as Freya, the quiet bartender who kept to herself.

[It's complicated,] I finally replied. [I'll explain someday. But I promise I'm okay.]

Another lie. I wasn't okay. And as I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I made a decision. I couldn't stay at Grey Estate forever, trapped between Thorne's indifference and Kaelin's hostility. I needed to find a way out—even if it meant approaching Jasper Stone and his Silverstone Pack for help.

The thought was terrifying, but no more terrifying than the prospect of remaining here, my fate in the hands of an Alpha who had already condemned me once.

"Soon," I promised myself. "Soon I'll be free of this place."

---

Thorne's POV

I watched Freya disappear into the house, her shoulders hunched as if carrying an invisible weight.

"Thorne?" Kaelin's voice pulled my attention back to her. "What happened today? Why did you take her to court?"

I turned, forcing myself to focus. "Cole Raine's sentencing was today. Freya witnessed his attack on me, so I thought she should see justice served."

It wasn't the whole truth. Part of me had wanted Freya to witness the sentencing as a reminder—to show her what happened to those who crossed an Alpha. But her reaction had been unexpected and disturbing.

"How thoughtful," Kaelin murmured, slipping her arm through mine. "Ensuring she remembers the consequences of harming someone you care about."

The implication was clear—Kaelin believed I had taken Freya to court to remind her of her own crime. I didn't correct her. It was easier than explaining the complicated tangle of motives that had driven my decision.

"Will you join me for dinner?" Kaelin asked, her blue eyes wide and hopeful. "Father is away on business, and the house feels so empty."

I hesitated, thinking of the work waiting in my study, of Freya alone in her attic room.

"Of course," I heard myself say. "Let me change first."

Dinner was served in the formal dining room, just the two of us at a table meant for twenty. Kaelin chatted about the binding ceremony preparations, her voice light and animated, but I found it difficult to concentrate.

"The Lunar Grand would be perfect for the reception," she was saying. "Don't you think? Thorne? Are you listening?"

I pulled my attention back to her. "Yes, the Lunar Grand would be suitable."

She tilted her head, studying me. "You seem distracted. Is it work? Or..." her voice hardened slightly, "is it Freya Riley?"

I met her gaze steadily. "I took her to court today to remind her of what she did to you. It was... educational for her."

Kaelin's expression softened immediately. "Oh, Thorne. You didn't have to do that for me."

"It's important she understands her place," I said, the words tasting false on my tongue.

"And has she?" Kaelin pressed. "Understood her place?"

I thought of Freya's broken expression, her pleas to leave the courthouse. "I believe so."

Kaelin smiled, satisfied. "Good. Now, about the guest list for the ceremony..."

I let her continue, making appropriate responses when required, but my mind kept returning to Freya. The proud Beta I had known before her exile would never have huddled on the floor, begging to leave. She would have faced the court—faced me—with her head high, defiant to the end.

What had three years in the Forgotten Wilds done to her? And why did I care?

"Thorne?" Kaelin's voice again, tinged with annoyance. "You're not listening again."

"Forgive me," I said, rising from the table. "It's been a long day. I have some work to review before tomorrow."

Disappointment flashed across her face, but she quickly masked it. "Of course. Will you call me tomorrow?"

I nodded, already moving toward the door. "Make yourself comfortable. Mark will see you home when you're ready."

Outside in the cool night air, I took a deep breath, clearing my head of Kaelin's perfume and the lingering tension of the day. The moon was waxing, nearly full, and my wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless and unsettled.

As I climbed the stairs to my study, my thoughts returned to Freya's reaction in court. Her fear, her desperation—it didn't fit with the crime she had supposedly committed. A wolf guilty of attacking another would not break down at the sentencing of an unrelated criminal.

Unless... unless the memories it triggered were not of guilt, but of something else entirely.

I shook my head, dismissing the thought. Freya Riley had been tried and sentenced according to pack law. The evidence had been clear—Kaelin's injuries, Freya's presence at the scene, the testimony of witnesses. There was no reason to question the verdict now, three years later.

Yet as I entered my study and closed the door behind me, I couldn't shake the image of Freya's face—pale with terror, eyes wide with a pain that seemed far too raw for someone who had merely witnessed another's sentencing.

What are you hiding, Freya Riley? I wondered. And why can't I stop thinking about you?