The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 73

Freya's POV

Kaelin's perfectly manicured nails tapped against the armrest of her chair, her eyes calculating. "You overestimate your worth, exile. Two hundred thousand."

"One million," I countered without hesitation. "Or I stay, and we see how Alpha Thorne reacts when he learns about this conversation."

A muscle twitched in Kaelin's jaw. "Five hundred thousand."

"One million," I insisted. "And I want your oath. No more trying to get me killed or imprisoned."

The room remained deathly silent as Kaelin considered my terms. I could almost see the wheels turning behind her eyes, weighing the cost against her desperate desire to remove me from Thorne's orbit.

"Fine," she finally spat. "One million. But I won't make any oath. Oaths are sacred to wolves of pure bloodlines." Her lips curved into a cruel smile. "However, I promise you'll leave Moon Bay safely. That should be sufficient."

I knew better than to trust her word without an oath, but I also recognized this might be my only chance. "Half the money now," I demanded. "Before I pack a single item."

Kaelin's nostrils flared with indignation, but she reached for her phone. After a few taps, she held the screen toward me. "Five hundred thousand, transferred to your account. Check it."

My phone buzzed in my pocket. With trembling fingers, I verified the transfer. The number seemed impossible—more money than I'd seen in years. Enough to start searching for my family in earnest.

"I'll be gone as soon as possible," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "And you'll never see me in Grey territory again."

"See that you aren't," Kaelin replied coldly. "Pack your things and disappear, Freya Riley."

She rose gracefully, addressing the stunned staff with a sweeping glance. "This conversation never happened. Is that clear?"

The staff nodded silently, their eyes downcast. As Kaelin swept from the room, her expensive perfume lingering in her wake, I felt the weight of what I'd just done settle on my shoulders.

I'd just sold my place at Grey Estate—and any chance of seeing Thorne again.

---

I was halfway through packing my meager belongings when there was a sharp knock at my door. I knew who it was before I even caught her scent—Edith's distinctive pattern of three raps couldn't be mistaken.

"Come in," I called, folding one of the few shirts I owned.

Edith entered, her posture rigid with disapproval. Her eyes swept over my half-packed bag before settling on me with undisguised judgment.

"So you're really leaving," she said, her voice clipped. "Just like that."

I continued packing, refusing to be intimidated. "My time here was always temporary, Edith. My exile period is over—I'm free to go where I please."

"Are you?" Her tone was cutting. "You're just going to abandon the Alpha's protection? After everything he's done for you?"

I paused, my hands stilling on a folded pair of pants. "Protection? Is that what you call it? Being forced to work as a servant in the home of the man who exiled me?"

"He took you in when no one else would," Edith snapped. "He saved you from Cole Raine. He took a moon-silver blade for you."

The memory of Thorne stepping between me and that blade made my chest tighten. "And I repaid that debt by treating his wound," I said quietly. "We're even."

Edith's scent soured with anger. "Alpha Thorne will be furious when he discovers you've left without permission."

"Permission?" I laughed bitterly. "My exile period is over, Edith. I'm not bound to Grey territory anymore. What did you expect—that I'd stay here forever as your servant? Cleaning toilets and changing sheets while Thorne marries Kaelin?"

My words hung in the air between us. Edith's expression faltered slightly, revealing a flicker of something almost like sympathy before hardening again.

"Alpha Thorne trusted you," she said. "He'll see this as betrayal."

"Then let him," I replied, zipping my bag closed with more force than necessary. "I've spent three years paying for crimes I didn't commit. I won't spend one more day being humiliated in this house."

Edith stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Does he know about your arrangement with Ms. Brooks?"

"No," I said firmly. "And he won't hear it from me. You can tell him whatever you want after I'm gone."

I straightened, meeting her gaze directly. "I'm not feeling well today, Edith. I'd like to rest. Consider this my formal request for a sick day."

It was a transparent excuse, but it would buy me time to finish my preparations. I had no intention of leaving immediately—I needed to work on my ritual design submission first. The competition was my ticket to a real future, and I wouldn't leave without completing it.

Edith's lips pressed into a thin line. "Very well. I'll inform the kitchen you won't be helping with lunch or dinner preparations."

She turned to leave but paused at the door. "Whatever you think of Alpha Thorne, he has been fair to you, Freya. More than fair."

After she left, I sank onto my bed, the weight of my decision pressing down on me. Had Thorne been fair? Perhaps. But fairness didn't erase the past. It didn't change the fact that I couldn't stay here, constantly reminded of what I'd lost—and what I could never have.

---

I spent the afternoon hunched over my tablet, frantically working on my ritual design. With half a million silver coins in my account, I could afford to leave Grey Estate—but winning the design competition would give me something more valuable than money: recognition. A chance to rebuild my reputation and create a real future for myself.

My fingers flew across the screen, adjusting lines and colors, refining the intricate patterns that would transform the Silverstone Pack's ceremonial grounds during the full moon ritual. I incorporated elements of their history and territory—silver rivers winding through stone formations, moonlight captured and reflected in strategic placements.

A soft chime from my phone interrupted my concentration. It was a scent message from Terra—a feature unique to wolf phones that allowed the sharing of emotional states through digitally encoded scent markers. Hers conveyed pain but also relief and gratitude.

I sent back a message of my own: [Healing quickly? Need anything?]

Her reply came moments later: *Better every hour. Doctors say I can leave tomorrow. Where are you staying? I'll come find you.*

I hesitated. Terra didn't know I'd been working at Grey Estate, and I hadn't told her about my arrangement with Kaelin. I typed carefully: *Still figuring that out. Focus on healing. I'll contact you soon.*

Setting my phone aside, I returned to my design. The irony wasn't lost on me—that I now had the means to leave, to search for my family, to start over somewhere new. Yet something in me ached at the thought of leaving Moon Bay. Leaving Thorne.

"Stop it," I chided myself. "He made his choice three years ago. And again last night when he called our kiss a mistake."

Still, as I worked on the flowing lines of my design, I couldn't help remembering the feel of his lips on mine, the way his arms had encircled me, strong and sure. For one brief moment, I'd felt something I thought I'd never feel again: belonging.

I looked at my bank account again, the numbers still shocking. Five hundred thousand silver coins. Freedom. And yet, the thought of walking away from Grey Estate—from Thorne—left me feeling strangely hollow.

"This is what you wanted," I reminded myself. "A chance to escape. To find your family. To start over."

So why did it feel like I was losing something precious instead of gaining my freedom?