Chapter 156: Chapter 156 Aurora
Freya
Six Years Later
I arrived at the Northern Territory airport just past nine,the weight of my birthday hanging in the air like an unspoken promise. When I turned on my phone,a flood of notifications lit up my screen—birthday wishes from colleagues and friends in the tech industry where I’d built my reputation as an AI development pioneer.
I scrolled through the endless notifications,my heart skipping every time a new message popped up—until I realized none of them were from him.
I felt my wolf stir restlessly within me,seeking connection with its mate. The bond between us had once been so strong that we could sense each other’s emotions across continents. Now it felt stretched thin,fragile as gossamer.
"Happy birthday to me," I whispered,tucking my phone away as I headed for the exit.
By the time my cab pulled up to our sprawling woodland villa—a property Silvano had purchased when expanding the Shadow Pack’s business interests into this territory—it was already past ten.
Sara,our human housekeeper looked genuinely startled when she opened the door. "Luna Freya! Oh my— we didn’t know you were coming!"
The title still felt strange on my tongue,even after all these years. Luna Freya Stone-Moretti of the Shadow Pack. The ceremony where Silvano had officially claimed me as his mate had been beautiful,meaningful—everything I’d once dreamed of during those dark days with Jasper.
"Where are Silvano and Bella?" I asked,setting down my designer bag with the neural network prototype still inside. I’d pushed aside critical work on my AI launch to come here,hoping to spend my birthday with my family after two months of separation.
"Alpha hasn’t returned yet," Sara replied carefully. "Miss Isabella is playing in her room."
I nodded,handing my luggage to Sara before climbing the stairs. My wolf was already pulling me toward our daughter,desperate to nuzzle and scent her after our time apart.
Isabella was sitting cross-legged in her pajamas at her small table,concentrating so intently on something that she didn’t notice me enter. At five years old,she was the perfect blend of Silvano and me—she had his dark curls and my determined chin. More importantly,she’d inherited his rare mixed blood; already the pack elders whispered about her potential.
"Bella?" My voice caught in my throat.
Hearing my voice,Isabella turned her head and happily called out: "Mommy!" Her eyes flashed a momentary amber—a sign of her wolf’s excitement—before returning to their normal hue.
She turned back to her project just as quickly,her small fingers working deftly with colorful moonstone beads.
For a heartbeat,I stood frozen,my arms still half-open,holding nothing but air.
I moved to embrace her,but she squirmed away."Mommy,not now! I’ll mess it up if you talk to me."
The rejection stung more than it should have. Two months without holding my pup,and she wouldn’t even spare me a hug.
"Are you making a necklace?" I asked,trying to keep my voice steady.
"Mm-hmm!" Isabella’s eyes lit up: "In a week,it will be Aunt Aurora’s birthday. This is a special gift I’m making with Dad for Aunt Aurora! We carefully selected these moonstone beads together,and Dad showed me how to infuse them with pack energy. Aren’t they beautiful?"
My chest tightened at the mention of Aurora.
"Daddy also customized other gifts for Aunt Aurora," Isabella continued cheerfully with her back turned to me. "Tomorrow—"
"Bella..." I interrupted,unable to hold back the hurt. "Do you remember Mommy’s birthday?"
"Huh? What?" She glanced up distractedly before looking back down at the beads. "Mom,don’t talk to me right now. You’re making me lose track of the bead order—"
My wolf whimpered softly in my mind,the sound echoing through the hollow of my chest. She wanted to reach for our pup,but pride—and pain—kept us still.
I stood there watching my daughter,the little girl I’d carried in my body,who wouldn’t even look up at me now. Finally,I pressed my lips together and left the room without another word.
Sara met me in the hallway. "Luna,I just called the Alpha. He said he has something tonight and asked you to rest first."
Something tonight. Not someone,I desperately hoped,though my instincts screamed otherwise.
"I understand," I replied,the words hollow in my mouth.
Remembering Isabella’s excited chatter about Aurora,I paused before calling Silvano. My fingers trembled slightly as I dialed—the same way they had years ago when I’d call Jasper,always afraid of what I might hear.
It took what felt like forever before he answered,his voice distant. "I’m busy,tomorrow we can—"
"Silvano? Who’s calling you this late?" A female voice interrupted. Aurora’s voice—soft,melodic,and too damn familiar—slid through the speaker like poison wrapped in silk.
My wolf snarled,territorial rage flaring through our bond. The crescent moon pendant he’d given me when we mated—seemed to burn against my skin.
"Nothing," he replied.
Before I could speak,Silvano had already hung up. We hadn’t seen each other for two or three months. I’d finally managed to break away from my work to come to the Northern Territory,and he couldn’t even spare time to come home to see me.
Even for a phone call,he didn’t have the patience to let me finish speaking.
Throughout the past year,he’d grown increasingly cold and distant. The attentive,loving Alpha who had saved me from Jasper’s indifference had been gradually replaced by someone who seemed perpetually distracted,impatient—someone who reminded me more and more of my ex.
I’d told myself it was just the stress of the territorial expansion. That once things settled down,he would return to being the mate who’d sworn eternal devotion under the full moon. But deep down,my wolf recognized the familiar patterns emerging—the late nights,the canceled plans,the way his eyes lingered a little too long on Aurora during pack meetings.
In the past,I would have called him again,patiently asking where he was and if he could come back. I would have cowered and begged,desperate to preserve the relationship I had fought so hard to build.
My wolf used to whine and submit,desperate for any scrap of attention from our mate. But something had changed in both of us. Today,perhaps because I was too tired or because I’d grown too much to regress.
For the first time in years,I didn’t feel the urge to chase after love that kept walking away.