Chapter 154: Chapter 154 The Last Goodbye
Freya
Italy had been everything I didn’t know I needed.
Sun-drenched vineyards,winding coastal towns,warm evenings with Silvano’s hand wrapped around mine. For two weeks,we’d wandered through landscapes that once belonged to the Shadow Pack,his ancestral lands. History clung to the ruins we explored,but instead of ghosts,I found peace there.
For the first time in years,I’d woken up without a knot in my chest. No boardroom politics. No pack drama. No Jasper. Just Silvano’s steady presence beside me—the man who looked at me as though I’d always been his.
We’d laughed until our stomachs hurt,tasted wines older than either of our packs,and I’d even learned to drive his ridiculous vintage motorcycle along the cliffs. He gave me space when I needed silence,warmth when I needed comfort,and passion that burned so brightly it chased away the shadows of the past.
I thought the trip would end quietly. That I’d step on the plane home and close the Chapter of my life labeled Stone Lake Pack.
Then my phone buzzed.
Elena.
Her message was hesitant,full of pauses even through text: He’s not doing well. He asked to see you. Just once. Please.
I stared at the screen for a long time,my heart twisting with old pain I thought I’d already buried.
When I showed Silvano,expecting jealousy—or worse,anger—he surprised me.
"Go," he said softly,cupping my chin so I couldn’t look away. "End it the way it should have ended years ago. Clean. Final."
"But—"
"No buts,amore." His lips brushed my forehead,tender and grounding. "I trust you. And tonight,I’ll give you something to remember me by." His eyes glittered with a secret,the kind of promise that sent warmth blooming in my chest.
So I sent Elena a message back,telling her I was in Milan. I didn’t think Jasper would actually come. Not after everything.
But he did.
I chose a quaint coffee shop tucked away from Milan’s typical tourist routes for our meeting. When Jasper pushed through the door,the small silver bell announced his arrival before I even looked up.
As he spotted me in the corner booth,I noticed how disheveled he looked—so unlike the commanding Alpha who once strode through Stone Lake Pack’s headquarters with unshakable confidence. His designer suit hung on his frame as though he’d lost weight,and dark circles shadowed his eyes. For a brief moment,I felt a flicker of satisfaction seeing the physical manifestation of his distress.
He paused before approaching,studying me with an intensity that once would have made me lower my eyes submissively.
Now,I met his gaze without flinching,my fingers absently touching the silver crescent moon pendant at my throat—Silvano’s gift,a delicate heirloom passed down from his mother,Luna Victoria.
"Hey,Freya," he said,attempting a warm smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Been a while."
"Let’s skip the small talk," I replied coolly. "I only agreed to meet for closure."
I took a deliberate sip of my coffee,the bitter warmth fortifying me against the waves of emotion radiating from him. Before I could continue,he jumped in.
"I get it. I screwed up royally," he said,leaning forward with an urgency that would have once thrilled me. "I didn’t understand what I really wanted,and I let Mia treat you like garbage." His eyes brightened with desperate hope. "Freya,I’ve finally figured out that I love you. It’s always been you."
My wolf stirred within me,not with longing but with irritation. Eight years I’d waited to hear those words. Now they fell on ears that could no longer trust them.
I offered him an empty smile. "Too late,Jasper. Your apology,your feelings—all of it. If that’s your whole speech,I should head out. Nothing left to discuss here."
His face crumpled as I moved to stand. His hand shot across the table,grabbing mine with the desperation of a drowning man.
"Don’t say that," he pleaded,his Alpha confidence crumbling before my eyes. "We can still make this work. I’ve dealt with Mia. I’ll give you anything—everything—if you’ll just come back."
His grip tightened,as though he could physically hold me in his life. "We had eight years together—are you really throwing that away over one shitty month? I know you’re pissed. You can yell at me,throw things,whatever you need. Just please,give us another chance."
I pulled my hand away with a strength that surprised him. My wolf,once so eager to submit to his authority,now stood tall within me,reinforcing my resolve.
"Yes,Jasper," I said with unnerving calm. "One month was exactly what I needed to finally see you clearly." The pendant at my throat caught the light as I shifted. "I don’t love you anymore. I’m not coming back. Hope you and Mia work things out."
As I rose to leave,I saw genuine fear flash across his face—an expression I’d never witnessed on the confident Alpha. His world was collapsing,and for once,I wasn’t rushing to hold it together for him.
Terror gripped him as he realized I was truly walking away. He grabbed my wrist with trembling fingers,his composure completely shattered.
"Freya,please," he begged,voice breaking. "I’m begging you. I know I fucked up completely."
His words tumbled out in a desperate rush. "If you’ll just forgive me,we can fly home tonight and get married tomorrow. No more hiding what we are. You can keep working at Stone Lake if you want,or never set foot in that building again. Everything I have is yours."
Tears—actual tears—formed in his eyes. "No matter who walks into our lives,I swear I’ll never hurt you again. Please,one more chance. We were together for so long—you can’t just throw it all away."
Once,this moment would have been my fantasy—Jasper Kane on his knees,offering me everything I’d ever wanted. But now,my heart felt like concrete that had finally set. Those eight years of emotion had hardened into something impenetrable,leaving only clear-eyed wisdom in their place.
I took a deep breath,firmly removing his hand from my wrist.
"Listen carefully,Jasper," I said quietly. "We’re done. I’m giving you exactly what you always wanted. Remember our deal? I promised that when the person you truly loved came back,I would step aside."
The memory of that agreement,made in the early days of our affair,hung between us like a ghost. "When Mia returned,part of me hoped you might actually choose me. But you showed me exactly where I stood."
His face contorted with desperation as he realized he was losing me forever. The powerful Alpha who had commanded an entire pack was reduced to begging,actual tears spilling down his face for the first time since I’d known him.
"Freya,please," he gasped,reaching for me again. "I made a terrible mistake. One chance to make this right. Freya... Freya!"
Outside,Milan’s crisp air filled my lungs like the first real breath after being underwater too long. My phone vibrated in my pocket—a text from Silvano.
"Hope your meeting brings the closure you need. Dinner still on for tonight? I have something important to ask you."
My lips curved into a genuine smile. The silver crescent moon pendant seemed to warm against my skin as I typed my reply.
【Dinner’s on. But you’re the one answering questions tonight.】