The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 64

Freya's POV

After treatment, I asked to see Terra. A nurse led me to her room, where she lay connected to monitors, her face bruised and swollen. My throat tightened as I sat beside her, taking her hand gently in mine.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, the weight of guilt heavy in my chest. "This is all my fault."

Seeing Terra like this—beaten, broken because of me—reopened wounds I thought had scarred over. Everyone who helped me, everyone who showed me kindness, ended up suffering. First my family, now Terra. The pattern seemed inescapable.

"Not... your fault," she managed, her voice barely audible.

Before I could respond, the door opened, and Thorne entered with two Delta enforcers. Even injured, his presence immediately filled the room, drawing my attention like a magnet.

"Ms. Thompson," he acknowledged Terra with a nod. "I hope you're feeling better."

Terra's fingers tightened around mine. Her eyes, though pained, held unexpected strength as she looked at Thorne.

"Well enough, Alpha," she replied, her voice steadier than before.

Thorne stood at the foot of her bed, his posture straight despite the bandage visible beneath his torn sleeve. "Once you've recovered, the Deltas will need your formal statement regarding tonight's events and Cole Raine's operations at Moon Howl."

I tensed, anxiety flooding through me. What would Terra tell them? Would her testimony clear my name or condemn me further? The fear of returning to Silver Shackle was a cold knot in my stomach.

She must have sensed my concern because she squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"I understand, Alpha," she said. "I'll cooperate fully."

Thorne nodded once, his eyes briefly meeting mine before returning to Terra. "There will be guards outside your door for protection. Your medical expenses will be covered by my office."

The gesture surprised me. Thorne had no obligation to help Terra, yet he was extending his protection and support. My perception of him shifted slightly, revealing layers I hadn't expected.

As Thorne and the Deltas prepared to leave, Terra turned to me. "Freya, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Her eyes softened. "I'll call you when they discharge me, okay? We'll talk then."

Relief washed through me. "Promise?"

"Promise." A weak smile touched her lips. "Now go get some rest. You look worse than I do."

I laughed softly, then leaned forward and carefully embraced her, mindful of her injuries. "Thank you," I whispered. "For everything."

Terra's friendship was a rare gift in my isolated existence. She had seen me at my lowest and still chose to stand by me. Such loyalty was precious, especially to a wolf who had lost her pack.

When I straightened, I caught Thorne watching us, an unreadable expression in his eyes. His gaze lingered on me a moment too long before he turned away.

"Ms. Riley," he said, his voice controlled yet somehow intimate. "We're leaving now. The doctor has cleared you for transport back to the estate."

In the hallway, Thorne walked slightly ahead of me, his posture rigid despite his injury. I strained my wolf's senses, trying to catch snippets of his conversation with the Deltas as they discussed security arrangements for Terra.

"Eavesdropping on Alpha conversations is an offense, Ms. Riley."

He hadn't turned, yet he knew exactly what I was doing. His Alpha presence swelled, pressing against my skin like a physical touch. My wolf responded instinctively, a feeling of submission washing through me.

"I apologize, Alpha," I murmured, lowering my eyes.

I hated my body's automatic response to him—the way my pulse quickened, my skin warmed, my wolf stirred beneath the surface. These reactions felt like betrayals of myself, of my family, of everything I had suffered.

He turned then, his gaze running over me in a slow assessment that felt almost like a caress. My skin warmed under that scrutiny.

"We're leaving now," he said, his voice steady but his eyes lingering on my face a moment too long.

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Thorne's POV

I had extended my Alpha presence around her during the drive, an instinct to protect, to ease pain. Her body had responded, even in sleep—leaning slightly toward me, her breathing synchronizing with mine. I withdrew carefully as we arrived, not wanting her to realize what I'd done.

The intimacy of the moment disturbed me. Alpha presence was typically used to control, to command, to assert dominance. Using it to comfort, to shield, to ease pain—especially for an exile—was unprecedented in my experience. Yet I had done it without conscious thought.

In sleep, the hardness had left her features. My gaze traced the curve of her neck, settling on her birthmark. The Riley family mark, said to appear only in those with the purest bloodline. My fingers had itched to touch it, to feel if that crescent of skin was as smooth as it appeared.

"We're approaching the estate, Alpha," Mark announced from the driver's seat.

I withdrew my presence carefully, not wanting to wake her. "Prepare the staff for assembly in the main hall," I instructed. "I want everyone present when we arrive."

Mark's eyes met mine briefly in the rearview mirror. "Everyone, sir?"

"Everyone."

I led her into the grand foyer where the entire household staff stood assembled. The anxiety in the air was palpable as I called Edith and Lucy to kneel before me. Their betrayal burned almost as much as the moon-silver in my veins—not just for the deception, but for putting Freya in danger.

My wolf raged at the thought of them sending her into danger. The Alpha in me demanded punishment, retribution, justice. Yet beneath that anger was something more complex—guilt. I had brought her into my home, placed her under these people's supervision.

"Edith," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. "You fabricated direct orders from your Alpha. Explain yourself."

Her eyes remained fixed on the floor, her scent souring with fear. "Alpha, I—"

"Look at me when you address me," I commanded, letting my Alpha presence fill the room.

She raised her eyes, visibly trembling. "I told Ms. Riley you needed documents delivered to your father."

"And what gave you the authority to issue orders in my name?"

"Nothing, Alpha," she whispered.

"Did you consider what might happen to her outside the estate? An exile, alone, vulnerable to anyone with a grudge against the Rileys or against me?"

Edith's face paled further. "I didn't think—"

"No, you didn't think," I cut her off coldly. "And Lucy, you were complicit in this deception?"

Lucy kept her head bowed, but I could smell her fear. "Yes, Alpha."

"You both endangered a member of this household. You both violated the trust placed in you. You both broke pack law." I let the words sink in, watching them shrink beneath the weight of accusation. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Edith raised tear-filled eyes. "Alpha, please... I only wanted the exile to leave the estate. Since she arrived, your attention to Miss Brooks has diminished."

The accusation struck closer to truth than I cared to admit. I had been distracted, drawn to Freya in ways I didn't fully understand. My attention had drifted from Kaelin, from the mating bond we were meant to form.

To my surprise, Freya stepped forward. "Alpha," she said, "if I may speak..."