The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 144

Freya's POV

Jasper dialed a number and switched to speaker. After two rings, a woman's voice answered.

"Alpha Stone? This is unexpected. Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Professor Hunter. I have someone here who I think you'll be pleased to speak with." He pushed the phone toward me.

My heart nearly stopped. Selena Hunter had been my design instructor at the academy, my mentor. Before my exile, she'd been the one who recognized my talent, who pushed me to be better.

"Hello?" I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

There was a moment of stunned silence. "Freya? Freya Riley?" Selena's voice was thick with emotion. "Moon goddess, is that really you?"

"It's me," I confirmed, emotion welling in my throat.

"I've been looking for you since your exile," she said urgently. "When I saw the Silverstone design competition, I recognized your style immediately in Kaelin's submission. I contacted Martha to reach you, but she said you refused my help. Freya, are you alright? Where have you been?"

Her genuine concern broke something in me. I blinked rapidly, fighting tears. "I'm okay. I've been... surviving."

"Your designs—they were magnificent. Even with another's name on them, I could see your hand in every stitch. Why didn't you come to me when you returned to Moon Bay?"

"I couldn't risk it," I explained, my voice unsteady. "You were already taking a chance teaching a Riley. I didn't want to bring trouble to your door."

"Oh, Freya." Her sigh was heavy with sadness. "You were my most promising student. What happened to you was a travesty of justice."

Jasper watched me intently as I spoke with Selena, his expression unreadable. I felt vulnerable, exposed, as though he was witnessing something deeply private.

"Thank you for still believing in me," I managed, trying to keep my composure. "It means more than you know."

After a few more minutes of conversation, Jasper gently reclaimed his phone, promising Selena he would keep me safe and that she could speak with me again soon.

When the call ended, I turned away, not wanting him to see the tears threatening to spill over.

"She never doubted you," Jasper said quietly. "Neither did I, when I saw those designs."

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.

"Think about my offer," he said, rising from his seat. "You deserve to be somewhere your talents are recognized, Freya."

He left shortly after, saying he had pack business to attend to, but promised to return by evening to discuss arrangements for my departure from Moon Bay—whether to Silverstone territory or elsewhere.

I retreated to my room once he'd gone, needing space to process the conversation with Selena. Three years ago, just before my exile, she had pulled me aside after class.

"Your ceremonial robe designs will bring honor to your pack someday," she had told me, her eyes bright with certainty. "You have a gift, Freya."

Instead, those designs had brought me only pain, stolen by Kaelin and used against me. I'd let Selena down, just as I'd let down my family.

I curled up on the window seat, watching clouds drift over the mountains, and allowed myself to cry for everything I'd lost. The tears came silently, a release I'd denied myself for too long.

My phone chimed with a notification. A message from an unknown number—a photo attachment.

I opened it, expecting another threat from Kaelin. Instead, my breath caught painfully in my chest.

It was my brother, Ethan Riley.

The photo was recent—within months, not years. His hair was longer than I remembered, falling past his shoulders in the same rich brown as mine. He lounged in what looked like a café, his posture casual yet elegant in that way that came naturally to those of Riley blood. And there, just visible at the collar of his shirt, was the telltale crescent-shaped white marking that all Riley wolves carried.

My fingers trembled as I traced his face on the screen. Ethan. Alive. My wolf howled with joy and longing inside me.

I immediately called the number back.

"I see I have your attention now," Kaelin answered smoothly.

"Where is he?" I demanded, my voice a low growl. "How did you get this picture?"

"That's not important. What matters is that I know where your precious brother is." Her voice dripped with satisfaction. "And whether or not the Alpha finds out about him is entirely up to you."

Cold fear replaced my initial joy. "What are you talking about?"

"The Riley heir, returned to Moon Bay territory without Alpha permission? I wonder how Alpha Thorne would punish the direct descendant of a family convicted of treason?"

My blood turned to ice. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I? You just threatened to ruin my binding ceremony. Did you think there wouldn't be consequences?"

I gripped the phone so tightly I heard the plastic creak. "What do you want?"

"What I've always wanted. You gone, permanently. No more threats, no more designs, no more longing glances at my mate."

"I'll do what Miss Brooks wants!" I said quickly. "I'll leave Moon Bay forever. Just... please don't hurt my brother."

Her laugh was like broken glass. "Smart girl. I knew you'd see reason."

After she hung up, I stared at the photo again, scrutinizing every detail. Ethan looked healthy, confident even. If he'd inherited our father's strength and cunning, he could take care of himself. He'd have to—because I wouldn't be here to find him after all.

I wiped away fresh tears. At least now I knew he was alive. Somehow, someday, I would find him again. But for now, I had to leave everything behind—even the brother I'd just discovered was within reach.