The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 48

Freya's POV

"Martha?" My voice came out as a whisper.

"Miss Freya?" Martha's knife clattered to the counter. Her eyes, the same warm amber I remembered, widened in shock."Oh my stars."

Martha had been our family's Beta housekeeper for as long as I could remember. She'd bandaged my skinned knees when I fell climbing trees, smuggled me cookies before dinner, and taught me how to properly set a formal table for pack gatherings. The last time I'd seen her was the day before my family's disgrace—before everything fell apart.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, stepping fully into the kitchen. My mind raced with possibilities, none of them making sense. Had Thorne Grey deliberately sought her out to further my humiliation?

Martha glanced nervously at the doorway before answering. "I work here now, Miss Freya. I'm the assistant chef." Her eyes traveled over me, taking in my gray uniform dress and the moon-silver mark on my neck. Pain flashed across her features. "But you... what are *you* doing here?"

Before I could answer, Edith cleared her throat behind me. "I see you two know each other," she said, her tone carefully neutral. "Martha, this is our newest staff member. She'll be helping in the kitchen for now."

Martha's face betrayed nothing, but I caught the slight tremble in her hands. "Of course, Mrs. Edith. I could use the help with lunch preparations."

Edith nodded. "Show her what needs to be done. Alpha Thorne has instructed that she's to be given appropriate tasks and adequate meals." With that pointed remark, she turned and left us alone.

As soon as Edith's footsteps faded, Martha abandoned all pretense of formality and rushed toward me, her hands hovering as if afraid to touch me. "Miss Freya, what happened to you? You're so thin!"

I forced a smile. "It's just Freya now, Martha. No 'miss' anymore."

Her eyes welled with tears. "To me, you'll always be Miss Freya of the Riley family, no matter what they say."

My throat tightened at her loyalty. "I should be helping you," I said, moving toward the vegetables. "What do you need me to do?"

Martha hesitated, then handed me a knife and pushed a cutting board of onions toward me. "Dice these finely," she instructed, her voice louder than necessary. Then, lowering her voice to barely above a whisper, she added, "Little one, this is madness. What is going on? You were in the Forgotten Wilds. When did you return? How did you end up HERE, of all places?"

I worked methodically, grateful for the task that gave me something to focus on besides the storm of emotions Martha's presence had stirred up. "It's complicated," I murmured back. "Alpha Thorne has... allowed me to stay here temporarily."

Martha's eyes narrowed. "Allowed?" She spat the word like it was poison. "That man sentenced you to exile! And now he has you working as a servant in his home? Is this some kind of sick game to him?"

I glanced toward the door, suddenly fearful. "Martha, please. You have to be careful what you say."

She pressed her lips together, anger evident in the rigid set of her shoulders as she aggressively chopped a carrot. "I'm sorry, Miss Freya. It just breaks my heart to see you like this."

---

For several minutes, we worked in silence, the rhythmic sound of our knives against the cutting boards the only noise in the kitchen. I could feel Martha's eyes on me periodically, assessing my condition. I knew what she saw—the hollows in my cheeks, the dullness of my once-glossy hair, the way my uniform hung loosely on my frame despite being the smallest size.

When she was certain we were alone, Martha spoke again, her voice so low I had to strain to hear her. "Little one, you shouldn't be here. What is going on? You what is happening? You disappear for three years, and suddenly you're working as a servant in Grey Estate? Did he hurt you? Is he forcing you to stay here?"

The concern in her voice nearly broke me. "I'm here by choice, Martha," I lied, not wanting to worry her. "It's... safer than other options right now."

She didn't look convinced. "Miss Freya," she whispered urgently, "this is how you came back from the Wilds? As a servant to the man who exiled you? The same man who..." She stopped herself, shaking her head. "I don't understand."

I sighed, setting down my knife to look at her directly. "How did you end up here?" I countered. "Last I knew, you were with my family."

Pain flashed across Martha's face. "After... after what happened to your family, after the trial, there wasn't much choice. The Riley name was disgraced. No respectable pack would hire anyone associated with your family." She wiped her hands on her apron, a nervous gesture I remembered from childhood. "I had nowhere to go. I thought... I thought if I worked here, when you and your parents returned, I'd be in a position to help. To have information."

My heart clenched. Martha had been hoping for our return all this time. "Have you heard anything about my parents? Or Ethan?" The question rushed out before I could stop it, hope rising unbidden in my chest.

Martha's expression softened with sympathy. "Nothing certain," she admitted. "There were rumors that they went north, across the border into Canada. But that was years ago, Miss Freya."

"And Ethan?" I pressed, desperate for any information about my brother.

Martha's eyes darted to the doorway again before she leaned closer. "Your parents took all the blame to protect him," she whispered. "They made sure the accusations of treason against Alpha Thorne fell solely on them. Ethan tried to save what he could of the family assets before they were seized, but after that..." She shook her head. "He disappeared. Some say he followed your parents. Others think he's still in the country, living under a different name."

The news hit me like a physical blow. My brother, the heir to Riley Enterprises, reduced to hiding and living under an assumed name. My parents, somewhere in the wilderness of Canada. All because of false accusations that I knew, in my heart, had been orchestrated by Kaelin Brooks.

"Miss Freya," Martha said, interrupting my thoughts. She gripped my hands, her eyes intense. "You have to clear your family's name. You have to find a way to restore the Riley honor."

I nodded, squeezing her hands in return. "I will," I promised. "I've never stopped trying, Martha. Never."