CHAPTER 180: CHAPTER 180 THE ALPHA’S SILENCE IS A WEAPON

Silvano

I stood in the shadow-draped study, smoke curling from between my fingers as Maria’s words hung in the air like a poisonous fog. The scent of Freya had drifted into the room moments earlier—then disappeared. Had she overheard us? A knot formed in my gut at the thought.

"I know what kind of woman I want," I growled, cutting Maria off before she could say another word about Aurora. The family matchmaker had been pushing suitable Alpha females at me for years, never accepting that I had already found my Luna, my mate.

Maria frowned. "But—" Whatever she intended to say died on her lips when she caught my expression. "You’re so protective of her, won’t even let me say a word. Fine, I’ll stop talking, okay?"

I turned away, staring out the window into the darkness of our territory. The moon hung heavy above the treeline, a silver reminder of the Goddess who had blessed—or perhaps cursed—me with this bond to a woman whose wolf spirit called to mine like no other.

"Oh right," Maria suddenly remembered, her voice laced with barely concealed disdain. "I heard Freya submitted her resignation and is planning to leave the company?"

I felt my jaw tighten. "The day before yesterday, Jake mentioned she made a mistake," I replied, keeping my voice carefully neutral.

The words tasted bitter on my tongue. The truth was far more complicated, but explaining it to Maria would only make matters worse. Some pack politics were better handled in silence.

Maria laughed—a sharp, cruel sound that grated against my already frayed nerves. "So that’s what happened. When she mentioned this earlier, she made it sound like she resigned on her own. I thought... with her clingy nature, always sticking to you like glue, how could she willingly resign? So she was actually fired, haha."

I remained silent, refusing to dignify her mockery with a response. My wolf stirred restlessly within me, urging me to defend our mate’s honor. But I couldn’t—not yet. There were too many pieces still in play, too many secrets that needed to remain buried.

After Maria finally left, I remained in the study, pouring myself a finger of whiskey. The amber liquid burned pleasantly as it went down, dulling the edges of my frustration.

York appeared in the doorway, his expression troubled. "Silvano, I just saw Luna Freya upstairs. She seemed upset."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Did she say anything?"

"No," York replied, concern evident in his voice. "But she didn’t look well."

My younger cousin had always had a soft spot for Freya.

"She’ll be fine," I said, more harshly than I intended.

York frowned, running a hand through his dark hair in a gesture so similar to our father’s that it made my chest ache. "You know, she’s such a good person. You’ll realize that someday. Don’t push her too far."

I shot him a warning look. "You don’t understand the situation."

"Maybe I understand better than you think," he countered, then shook his head. "I’m getting a drink. Goodnight, brother."

After he left, I remained rooted in place, my thoughts a tangled mess. The phone call from Aurora earlier had complicated things further. There was trouble brewing at the northern border of our territory, and I needed to handle it personally.

When I finally made my way upstairs, I paused outside our bedroom door, steeling myself for another stilted conversation with the woman who used to light up when I entered a room.

Inside, I found Freya lying in bed, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting shadows across her face. Her eyes opened when I entered, meeting mine with none of the warmth they once held.

Something had changed. The usual eagerness to please was gone, replaced by a cool detachment that bothered me more than it should. Normally, she would have jumped up to help me with my clothes, run my bath, ask about my day... Tonight, she simply closed her eyes again.

I tried to ignore the pang in my chest. "Bella’s school enrollment is done," I said, my voice coming out colder than intended. "You’ll take her to school tomorrow morning."

"I understand," she replied, her voice flat.

I turned away from her, busying myself with finding clothes for a shower I didn’t particularly need. My wolf whined softly, urging me to cross the room, to pull her into my arms as I once would have without hesitation.

But I couldn’t. Not with everything hanging in the balance. Not with what I knew was coming.

My phone rang, saving me from my thoughts. Aurora’s name flashed on the screen.

"Hello?" I answered, my voice automatically softening. From the corner of my eye, I saw Freya watching me, her expression unreadable.

"Silvano, we have a situation," Aurora said urgently. "The scouts found something at the northern border. You need to see this immediately."

"I’ll come right now," I said, already moving toward the door.

I left without looking back, though every step away from Freya felt wrong, my wolf struggling against my human resolve. I knew she thought I was running to Aurora—and in a way, I was. But not for the reasons she believed.

The drive to the northern border took less than thirty minutes. Aurora was waiting for me, her silver-blonde hair gleaming in the moonlight.

"This better be important," I growled, still annoyed at being pulled from home, though admittedly relieved to escape the tension with Freya.

"It is," she said, her expression grim. "We found signs of the Granite Ridge Pack crossing our borders. And this time, they left a message."

She handed me a carved wooden token, the symbol of Levi’s father etched into its surface. A challenge, then. One that couldn’t be ignored.

"Does anyone else know about this?" I asked.

Aurora shook her head. "Just the scout who found it, and he’s loyal to me. I thought it best to keep this quiet until we decide how to respond."

I nodded, appreciating her discretion. "Good. The last thing we need is panic in the pack."

We spent hours discussing strategy, planning our response. By the time we finished, it was nearly dawn. There was no point returning home, not when I needed to be back at the office in a few hours.

"You should get some rest," Aurora said, her hand lingering on my arm. "You look exhausted."

I stepped away from her touch. "I’ll be fine. I need to make some calls before the day starts properly."

She frowned but didn’t push. "As you wish, Alpha."

As I drove back toward the pack house, my thoughts returned to Freya. I knew I needed to speak with her, to explain at least some of what was happening. But how could I, when doing so might put her at risk? The less she knew, the safer she would be.

For now, I would continue as planned, even if it meant she hated me. Even if it broke what remained of our bond.