The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 9

Freya's POV

The casual offer made me flinch, my stomach turning with humiliation. This was how little I was worth now—just a plaything to be passed between Alphas. My cheeks burned with shame and anger.

"I have a mate," Thorne replied, his tone glacial. "I don't require the attentions of random bar females."

The dismissal stung, even though I should have been relieved. I kept my face hidden, still praying he wouldn't recognize me, yet some traitorous part of me felt the cut of his disregard.

"More's the pity for them," Jasper said with a laugh. "Please, join us. I believe we have matters to discuss."

I heard footsteps, then the sound of Thorne settling into what must have been a chair across from us. I remained frozen in place, afraid that any movement would draw his attention.

"Indeed we do," Thorne said, his voice taking on the formal cadence he used for pack business. "There have been silver stone scent markers found along the eastern border of Grey Moon territory. Three Moon Bay residents were driven away from their hunting grounds by wolves bearing your pack's scent."

I felt Jasper stiffen beneath my grip, his muscles hardening under my fingers. The air in the room seemed to thicken, charged with the invisible current of two Alphas in conflict.

"The forests have always been shared hunting grounds," Jasper replied smoothly, though I could feel his heartbeat accelerate slightly against my cheek. "Your wolves were encroaching on traditional Silverstone territory."

"The boundaries were clearly established at the last full moon council," Thorne countered, his words clipped. The subtle shift in his scent told me his wolf was rising closer to the surface—a warning sign any wolf would recognize. "Your pack's markers are two miles inside Grey Moon land."

As they continued their territorial dispute, I remained still, my face pressed against Jasper's shirt. The absurdity of the situation wasn't lost on me—here was Thorne Grey, the Alpha who'd destroyed my life, arguing about a few miles of forest while I cowered unrecognized before him.

He ruined my family over accusations of treason, I thought bitterly, my fingers curling into fists, but gets worked up over some scent markers on trees.

"The Silverstone Pack will need to remove those markers and present themselves at the next full moon gathering to answer for this transgression," Thorne said, his tone leaving no room for argument. I could imagine his expression without looking—jaw tight, eyes narrowed, shoulders squared with Alpha authority.

I could feel Jasper's chest expand as he took a deep breath. The tension in the room thickened as both Alphas' scents became more pronounced—an invisible battle for dominance happening on a primal level. The air felt electric, making my skin prickle with goosebumps. Around us, the other wolves instinctively lowered their heads, responding to the pressure of competing Alpha energies.

My own wolf, despite my efforts to keep her quiet, was reacting too—alternating between wanting to submit and wanting to snarl. I noticed Thorne's scent had changed subtly since I'd last encountered him. There was something sharper about it now, more refined, with an edge that hadn't been there before. I risked the tiniest glance upward and saw that his eyes had taken on the slight golden shimmer that indicated his wolf was close to the surface—a warning sign that made my throat dry.

"Perhaps your wolves should learn to recognize traditional boundaries rather than those arbitrarily drawn by the Grey Moon Pack," Jasper said, deliberately provocative. His hand at my waist tightened, his claws slightly extending to prick through my clothing—not enough to break skin, but enough to remind me of his power.

Without warning, Jasper suddenly shifted his grip and pushed me forward. I stumbled, off-balance, and fell to my knees directly in front of Thorne Grey. The impact sent shocks of pain through my still-healing body.

"Maybe she could persuade the Grey judge to be more lenient?" Jasper suggested, his voice heavy with insinuation.

---

I knelt there, my head bowed, hair falling forward to shield my face. My heart hammered so violently I was certain everyone in the room could hear it. I didn't dare look up, didn't dare breathe. My wolf was fully alert now, bristling with fear and something else—a treacherous awareness of Thorne that had never fully died.

"Look at you, so shy suddenly," Jasper taunted from behind me. "Show some respect to Alpha Grey."

I kept my head down, silently praying that Thorne wouldn't recognize me. But then I felt his hand, those long familiar fingers, reach out and tilt my chin upward. His touch burned against my skin, not painful like silver but electric, awakening sensations I'd fought to forget for three years.

I still refused to meet his eyes, but it didn't matter. He'd seen what he needed to see—the distinctive moon-shaped white patch on my neck. The Riley bloodline mark.

His fingers tightened on my jaw, and I heard his sharp intake of breath. His scent spiked with surprise and something darker, more complex.

"You," he said, and the single word carried three years of judgment. His hand released me as though my skin had burned him, but not before I felt the slight tremor in his fingers. "What are YOU doing here?"

The disgust in his voice cut through me like a blade. I fell backward, landing awkwardly on the floor, memories of my sentencing flooding back. The room had gone utterly silent, every wolf sensing that something significant was happening, even if they didn't understand what.

"You know this one?" Jasper asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"She's a convicted criminal," Thorne said coldly, but I caught the subtle acceleration in his breathing. "An exile whose sentence apparently ended recently."

The whispers started immediately, wolves around the room exchanging glances.

Someone's foot nudged me hard in the ribs. "Show proper respect to the Alpha," a male voice muttered.

I swallowed my pride and my rage, knowing I had no choice. My hands trembled with a mixture of humiliation and fury as I shifted to the formal posture of submission—head bowed, neck exposed, hands palm-up on my thighs. The position made me feel naked, vulnerable.

"I apologize, Alpha," I said, the words burning like acid in my throat. My voice emerged rough with suppressed emotion. "I know my place."

Thorne looked down at me, his expression unreadable. But I caught the brief flaring of his nostrils, the slight darkening of his pupils as he scented my distress and anger.

"Do you? This doesn't seem like appropriate behavior for someone who has been given the mercy of returning to society."

"It was an accident," I said quietly, forcing each word past the tightness in my throat. "I didn't mean any disrespect."

"That's all you have to say?" Thorne asked, his voice dangerously soft. "It lacks sincerity."

One of the female companions at Jasper's table approached with a tray of drinks. She set a glass of amber liquid in front of me, her eyes flicking between me and the two Alphas with nervous curiosity.

"Drink," Thorne commanded. "Show your contrition."