Chapter 12

Freya

I woke up slowly, surprised to find that my head was clear. I was no longer drunk, my body wasn’t in pain, and most importantly, I wasn’t on the ballroom floor.

For a moment, I just laid there, trying to piece together what had happened. I was in a comfortable bed, surrounded by silence, in a room I didn’t recognize. The last thing I remembered was drinking glass after glass of alcohol at Anderson’s charity dinner, trying to prove… something.

Fuck.

The memories came flooding back. The challenge from Anderson’s Beta. The crowd watching me. The whispers and mockery. And then… nothing. Blackness.

For a brief, hopeful moment, I thought perhaps everything that had happened earlier was just a dream. But I knew it was real, and I had probably made things so much worse for myself and my pack.

Just then, the door opened, and Kael entered the room.

I groaned and fell back against the pillows. “Not you. Anyone but you right now.”

Kael ignored my response and walked over to the side of the bed. He sat down and took my hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, surprisingly.” I pulled my hand away. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure you were alright,” Kael said. “That was quite a show you put on earlier.”

I glared at him. “Well, I’m fine. You can leave now.”

“Freya,” Kael sighed, “your efforts made me feel sorry for you. Drinking yourself into oblivion just for a chance to talk to Anderson? Why do you always choose the more difficult path?”

I didn’t answer, but Kael continued anyway.

“Two years ago, you could have agreed to be my Luna and lived a life of luxury without a care in the world. Now, if you just married me, all your debts would be wiped away. You wouldn’t have to beg anyone or put yourself through all this humiliation.”

“It’s not begging to seek a business partnership,” I said through gritted teeth. “And I’d rather drink myself unconscious a thousand times over than marry you.”

Kael looked at me with nothing but pity. “You’re so stubborn. So determined to do everything the hard way.”

“No, I keep fighting because I knew that if I chose the easier path—if I gave in to you—I would be abandoning myself,” I growled. “I’d be giving up everything I believe in, everything my parents taught me, just for an easy life.”

“And look where that’s gotten you,” Kael gestured around the room. “Passed out drunk at a charity event, desperate for just fifteen minutes of Anderson’s time.”

I sat up straighter and pointed at the door. “Get out, Kael. I’m not interested in your judgment or your pity.”

“I’m not judging you, Freya. I’m trying to help you see reason.”

“Your version of ‘reason’ is me giving up everything that’s mine and submitting to you. No thanks.”

Kael’s expression hardened slightly. “Is Ezren’s version of ‘reason’ any better? You’re just a puppet for him, you know. A tool in his campaign against me. Do you really think there’s love between you two? In this world, only I will love you. No one can love you more than I do.”

I was tired of hearing Kael’s words, the same manipulative bullshit he’d been feeding me for two years. Before that, even. I stood and grabbed my shawl, which was folded neatly and sitting on the back of a nearby armchair.

“Ezren and I are just business partners, so no, there’s no love,” I said flatly as I strode over to the door. “But that doesn’t mean I’m running back to you. I won’t give up anything that belongs to me just for the sake of ‘love’. And once I find the evidence, I will appeal the court again and get my inheritance back.”

With that, I left the guest room, stepping into the hallway and closing the door firmly behind me. The hallway was blissfully empty, and I was glad when Kael didn’t bother to follow me just yet.

I took a moment to gather myself, smoothing down my wrinkled dress and running a hand through my tangled hair. I probably looked like hell, but there wasn’t much I could do about that now. I needed to focus on the reason I had come here in the first place: to secure a partnership with Anderson.

As if summoned by my thoughts, Anderson’s Beta, Marissa, appeared at the end of the hallway. She approached me carefully, looking me up and down as if unsure whether I was still drunk or not.

“Alpha Freya,” she greeted. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

“Thank you,” I said with a small smile. “I’m not sure how, but I don’t feel intoxicated at all now.”

Marissa looked at me with a quizzical expression, then said, “Alpha Anderson is ready to see you now, if you’re up to it.”

I blinked in surprise. “He is?”

Marissa nodded. “He’s in his office. I can take you there.”

I followed her through the mansion in shock. I hoped Anderson was really looking to meet me for business purposes and not to scold me for ruining his dinner. Finally, Marissa pulled a door open and gestured for me to enter.

Anderson’s office was a spacious room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking his pack’s territory. He was seated behind a large desk when I entered, and he gestured for me to take a seat across from him.

“Alpha Freya,” said. “I understand you have a business proposition for me.”

“Yes, I do. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

Anderson nodded. “You certainly demonstrated your determination earlier. I’ll admit I had never expected a sane person to actually go through with such an obvious deterrent, but I’m impressed.”

I felt a flush of embarrassment, but also the tiniest hint of pride. So my display hadn’t been for nothing after all.

“Silvermoon Pack has a mine,” I began. “It’s small but productive, yielding high-quality ore that I believe would be of interest to your manufacturing operations.”

Anderson’s eyebrow lifted slightly. “Go on.”

For the next hour, I laid out my proposal in detail. Silvermoon Pack had been known for its mining operations for generations, but after my parents’ death and Kael’s takeover of our finances, production had slowed due to lack of investment. With Anderson’s backing, we could revitalize the mine, producing raw materials that his pack’s factories could use.

In return, Anderson’s pack would not only buy our materials at a fair price but also sell industrial products to Silvermoon at a discounted rate. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement that would help both of our packs thrive.

“Your proposal is thorough,” Anderson said when I had finished. “I’m impressed.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling a spark of hope for the first time in a long while. “Does that mean you’re interested in partnering with Silvermoon?”

Anderson studied me for a moment, then nodded. “I am. There are details to work out, of course, but the broad strokes of your proposal make sense for both our packs.”

Relief washed over me. I had to sit on my hands to keep from leaping for joy. Finally, finally, someone was working with my pack. Maybe there was a light at the end of the tunnel after all.

“I’ll have my lawyers draft an agreement,” Anderson continued. “We can aim to start the partnership by the end of the month, if that works for you.”

“That would be perfect,” I said, so happy I could have kissed him. “Thank you, Alpha Anderson.”

“Thank you for bringing this opportunity to my attention,” he replied. “I think this will be beneficial for both our packs.”

Everything was going smoothly—better than I had dared to hope. With this partnership in place, I could start repaying my debts and rebuilding Silvermoon’s economy. It wasn’t a complete solution to all my problems, but it was a start.

After our conversation, as I was preparing to leave, Anderson suddenly asked, “Have you seen Ezren?”