The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 240

Thorne’s POV

Martha wrung her hands nervously. "It was about a pendant—a crescent crescent that her professor gave her. Kaelin sent a photo showing she had it, and Freya went to get it back."

My blood ran cold. "A silver crescent pendant?" I shook my head slowly. "So Kaelin truly took it."

The room fell silent as the implications sank in. If Kaelin had lured Freya with the pendant, this wasn't a random kidnapping—it was a calculated trap.

My phone rang, breaking the tense silence. I answered immediately when I saw it was the Delta leader.

"Alpha, we've tracked their scent. They headed toward the northern docks."

"Don't engage," I ordered immediately. "Surround the area quietly and wait for my arrival."

Ending the call, I addressed the room. "They've been tracked to the northern docks. I'm heading there now."

"I'm coming with you," Emma declared, grabbing her coat. "Freya is my friend."

Miles also reached for his jacket. "My people are already near the northern docks. We can provide backup."

I didn't argue—time was critical, and we needed every advantage. "Fine. Emma, you're with me. Miles, coordinate your people to cover the perimeter." My voice left no room for debate.

As we headed for the door, Martha called after us, "Please bring her back safely, Alpha Thorne. Both of them."

I paused, looking back at the woman who had once been like a mother to Freya. "I will," I promised, my voice softening slightly. "And whoever took them will answer to Alpha justice."

---

Freya's POV

The rough movement jolted me back to consciousness, pain shooting through my body where the silver chains bit into my skin. Everything hurt—my head, my wrists, my pride. The darkness around me was suffocating, broken only by a weak light swinging from the ceiling.

I heard the door open again and forced my eyes to focus through the haze of silver-induced weakness. Derek tossed another body into the small cabin, the form hitting the wooden floor with a pained grunt.

Shock rippled through me as I recognized who it was. "You... you're not working together?" The words scraped against my dry throat.

Kaelin Brooks struggled against her own silver restraints, her face contorted in agony. The Moon Phase syndrome made silver contact even more excruciating for her. "Shut up!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "This wasn't part of the plan!"

Derek's laugh echoed in the small space, cruel and calculating. "Call your father," he ordered Kaelin, holding out a phone. "Tell him to prepare five million silver coins, or you'll die on this boat."

Kaelin's eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed with rage. "What are you talking about? This wasn't our arrangement!" Her voice was ice-cold despite her position. "You were supposed to help me frame her," she jerked her head toward me, "and then disappear with your payment. That was the deal!"

"Plans change, sweetheart," Derek said, twirling the phone between his fingers. "Why settle for the pittance you offered when your daddy's worth so much more?"

"You think you're clever?" Kaelin sneered, her composure cracking only slightly. "You're just another tool that's outlived its usefulness. My father will hunt you down like the rabid dog you are."

Derek knelt down, grabbing her chin roughly. "A tool? Is that what I was?" His voice was dangerously soft. "Funny, I was thinking the same about you. A convenient Brooks girl with daddy's resources and not enough brains to see when she's being played."

"I MADE YOU!" Kaelin snarled, jerking away from his touch. "You were nothing before I found you—just another lowlife mercenary desperate for a job!"

"And yet here we are," Derek replied with mock sympathy. "Call your father. Now."

"No," she spat, her eyes burning with hatred. "Do your own dirty work."

Derek's expression darkened. He stood slowly, straightening his jacket. "Since you won't call, I'll do it myself. You can stay here and die with this exile." His voice had lost all pretense of civility.

"You won't get away with this," Kaelin hissed. "I know all your weaknesses, all your hiding places. I CREATED this plan!"

He dialed a number, maintaining eye contact with Kaelin as it rang. Her face contorted with each ring, transforming from rage to horror as the reality of her situation sank in.

"Edward Brooks? Listen carefully. Five million. Offshore account. Details coming shortly." His voice was calm, businesslike. "If you don't comply, you'll be receiving your daughter's body instead." He hung up before there could be any response.

"You IDIOT!" Kaelin screamed, her body convulsing as she fought against the chains. "You've just signed your death warrant! My father won't pay—he'll HUNT YOU DOWN!"

Derek smirked. "Perhaps. But not before I'm finished with both of you." He looked between us, satisfaction written across his face. "The Alpha's ex-fiancée and his new obsession. Two for the price of one."

With a final mocking salute, Derek backed out of the cabin. "Enjoy catching up on old times."

"YOU'RE DEAD, DEREK!" Kaelin's scream was pure fury. "WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, YOU'RE DEAD!"

The door slammed shut, the heavy lock clicking into place with devastating finality.

Kaelin's control completely shattered. She thrashed wildly against her restraints, howling with rage as blood streamed from her wrists and ankles where the silver cut through her skin. Her Moon Phase syndrome amplified her fury into something terrifying—her partial shift flickering across her features despite the silver's suppression as her body fought against both physical pain and the humiliation of being outmaneuvered.

"That backstabbing, double-crossing WORM!" she seethed, her voice raw with rage. "I plotted everything! I arranged everything! He was nothing but hired muscle!"

She slammed her bound fists against the floor, her perfect composure gone, replaced by the raw fury of an Alpha's daughter used to getting her way. "Two years of planning! TWO YEARS!" She looked up at me with hatred burning in her eyes. "And now I'm chained like a common criminal alongside YOU!"

"Save your energy," I advised coldly, watching her fall apart. "Now you know what happens when you try to manipulate people who are just as ruthless as you are."

Kaelin's breakdown intensified, her body shaking with rage rather than sorrow. "This is YOUR FAULT!" she shouted, her features contorting. "If you had just DIED in exile like you were supposed to, none of this would have happened!"

I leaned back against the wall, conserving my strength while my eyes methodically scanned our prison. The cabin was small but not tiny—perhaps once crew quarters on this boat. One small porthole, too small to escape through. The door looked solid, with a modern lock despite the aged appearance of the rest of the cabin. I could feel the gentle rocking of the vessel—we were on water, but not moving.

As Kaelin continued to rage, alternating between threats against Derek and curses at her own miscalculation, I focused my attention on cataloging every possible escape route. Despite the silver weakening me, my mind remained clear. Somewhere out there, I knew Thorne would be looking for us—but I had no intention of waiting helplessly for rescue.