The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 203

Freya’s POV

The Moon Light Garden was even more beautiful than I remembered. Silver-leafed trees created dappled shade over winding paths, and moon roses—rare flowers that only bloomed in the territories of the most powerful Alphas—formed a stunning centerpiece.

I had just settled onto a stone bench when a low, distressed wolf whine caught my attention. Following the sound, I rounded a hedge to find Lucy standing over a young wolf who appeared to be cowering.

"I told you to trim them evenly!" Lucy hissed, her Beta pheromones flooding the area with dominance. "These are moon roses, you incompetent Omega. Do you know how rare they are? How important?"

The young wolf—a girl barely out of adolescence—nodded frantically, her hands trembling as she held garden shears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's my first day with the roses. I'll do better."

Lucy's eyes flashed with Beta gold. "Maybe I should show you my Beta form, teach you some respect for your betters."

The scene was painfully familiar. I remembered Lucy's cruelty from my own time at Grey Estate. She had always taken particular pleasure in tormenting those she considered beneath her—especially Omegas.

I hesitated, knowing I should walk away. I was a guest in Grey Estate, and causing trouble would only make my situation more complicated. But the young gardener's fear—so raw and familiar—stirred something protective in me.

"Stop it," I said, stepping forward. Lucy's head whipped toward me, her eyes narrowing with recognition.

"Well, if it isn't the exiled Riley girl," she sneered. "Back to warm the Alpha's bed for a night before he binds with his true Luna?"

I tried to keep my composure, wanting to avoid creating a scene in Thorne's home. "This isn't about me, Lucy. Just leave the girl alone and go about your duties."

Lucy's lips curled into a malicious smile as she stepped closer, deliberately invading my personal space. "Oh, but it is about you. Everyone in the manor is talking about how you spent the night in Alpha Thorne's bed. The disgraced exile returning to spread her legs for any Alpha who'll give her attention."

The young female gardener, an Omega barely out of adolescence with dark hair pulled back in a practical ponytail, shrank back further, clearly wanting to escape but too afraid to move. I positioned myself more firmly between them, conscious that I was creating trouble but unable to walk away.

"I'm not going to engage with your pettiness," I said, keeping my voice level. "The roses look fine. There's no need to threaten an Omega who's just learning."

"Don't you dare tell me how to do my job," Lucy hissed, her Beta pheromones flooding the area with hostility. "You have no place here. In less than a week, Kaelin Brooks will be standing proud as Grey Estate's Alpha mate, while you'll still be nothing but a pathetic exile who couldn't keep her family's honor intact."

The mention of my family sent a sharp pain through my chest, but I forced myself to remain calm. "Amy, why don't you go work on another section of the garden?" I suggested quietly to the young Omega.

"She's not going anywhere," Lucy snapped, grabbing Amy's arm roughly. "And neither are you until you learn your place."

"Let her go," I warned, feeling my patience wearing thin.

Lucy released Amy only to step even closer to me. "You think you're special because Alpha Thorne felt sorry enough to give you a pity fuck?" Her voice dripped with venom. "Everyone knows you're desperate, throwing yourself at any Alpha who shows interest. First Grey, then Stone. Who's next? Are you working your way through all the Alphas?"

My cheeks burned with humiliation as her words echoed through the garden. A few other staff members had paused their work, watching the confrontation with undisguised interest.

"You're making a scene," I said quietly. "This isn't appropriate."

"Appropriate?" Lucy laughed cruelly. "You want to talk about appropriate? You shared a bed with an Alpha who's about to complete the binding ceremony with another woman. You're a disgrace to female wolves everywhere."

Something inside me snapped. I was tired of being the target, tired of being humiliated. Without conscious thought, I let my wolf rise to the surface. My eyes shifted color, and I released a pulse of dominant energy that surprised even me in its intensity.

"Back. Off. Now." Each word came out as a partial growl, my wolf's anger bleeding through.

Lucy stumbled backward, shock evident on her face. Clearly, she hadn't expected such a display from an exile. Her shock quickly morphed into fear, then fury.

"You think you have power here?" she spat, though she maintained her distance now. "You're nothing. Your parents are rotting in the Forgotten Wilds because of your disgrace. And when I tell Kaelin about this, she'll make sure they suffer even more."

The threat against my parents made my blood run cold. I stepped forward, my wolf fully present now. "If anything happens to my parents, I'll hold you personally responsible," I warned, my voice barely recognizable through my anger.

Lucy's eyes darted around, seeking support, but the watching staff had sensed the shift in power and were backing away. "You'll regret this," she threatened. "Alpha Thorne might be temporarily fascinated by your pathetic story, but everyone knows what you really are—a desperate, disgraced wolf who spreads her legs for any Alpha who shows interest."

Before I could respond, a powerful wave of Alpha energy washed over the garden, so intense it made the leaves on the trees tremble and several staff members immediately drop into submissive postures.

"What is going on here?" Thorne's voice cut through the garden like thunder, his eyes blazing with fury as he approached. The sheer force of his anger made my knees weak, and I could see Lucy's face drain of color as she realized her Alpha had heard every word of her vicious attack.