Chapter 7

Freya

I stared blankly at the TV screen long after the news segment had ended. The reality of my situation was starting to sink in, and I didn’t like it one bit. Kael was running for Alpha King. Ezren seemed to be running against him.

And I was caught in the middle, whether I liked it or not.

I felt like a pawn in the game between Ezren and Kael. A convenient piece to be moved around the board, sacrificed if necessary, all in the pursuit of greater power.

Both were preparing for the Alpha King election, and as the two strongest candidates, Ezren and Kael were natural rivals. Of course, they had been rivals for years already—Kael with his political connections and Ezren with his vast wealth, and now me.

But the election would take that rivalry to a whole new level.

I took another swig of wine directly from the bottle, having abandoned the glass entirely. What a fucking mess. Kael, the man who stole everything from me, was now using our past relationship to boost his campaign. And Ezren, the man I’d been secretly married to for two years, had just outed our sexual relationship to the entire community.

A part of me couldn’t help but think that some of what Kael said was true—Ezren was indeed using me. He had been using me for two years to help control his wolf, and now he was using me to undermine Kael’s campaign. I was a tool to him and nothing more.

My phone buzzed with a notification then, and I reluctantly picked it up. Another news alert. I tapped on it, and my stomach dropped as I saw the headline: “ALPHA FREYA THORNHART: VICTIM OR VIXEN?”

The article was filled with speculation about my relationships with both Kael and Ezren. It seemed the public opinion had exploded overnight, making me the center of attention.

Fifty percent of people believed Ezren was just playing with me and that I would eventually be abandoned when he got bored, as he always did with his women. The other half thought I had betrayed Kael and that I should atone for it—that I was the villain in this story for breaking my fated mate’s heart.

What really struck me, though, was the fact that no one seemed to be blaming Ezren for any of this. They saw him as irresistibly charming, able to take even his rival’s fated mate to bed.

No one could say “no” to Ezren—that was just how he was, and people accepted it. Expected it, even.

No, all the blame fell squarely on my shoulders. I was either a victim of Ezren’s charm, too weak to resist him, or I was a heartless bitch who had betrayed my fated mate for a rich playboy. There was no middle ground, no version of events where I had agency in my own life.

The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache. I groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over my head to block out the sunlight streaming through the curtains.

But unfortunately, hangover or no hangover, the world wouldn’t stop turning. It was already later than I would normally get out of bed, and I had some damage control to do today. After a quick shower and a breakfast consisting only of buttery toast and bitter black coffee, I finally did something I never did.

I called Ezra.

he said after picking up on the seventh fucking ring. “I was wondering when you’d call.”

“I’m not happy with you, Ezren,” I said bluntly. “You had no right to expose us like that.”

“I was protecting you from Kael,” Ezren replied smoothly. “He was about to force you into a marriage you didn’t want.”

“You could have found another way. One that didn’t involve telling everyone that we’re sleeping together.”

“Would you have preferred I let Kael continue with his little charade? Let him announce your engagement without protest?”

I sighed and rubbed my temple. “No, of course not. But now I’m in the middle of your political rivalry, and I don’t want to be there. I don’t want to be a pawn in your game with Kael.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. Then Ezren said, “I’m going to send you the address for my penthouse. We need to talk about this in person.”

Before I could protest, he hung up.

I stared at my phone, debating whether to ignore his summons. But the truth was, we did need to talk, and I needed to make it clear to him that I wasn’t going to be used in his political games.

Sometimes Ezren could be overbearing and unreasonable, and I didn’t understand why he wanted to meet at his penthouse rather than just talking over the phone. But I got dressed anyway, pulling on jeans and a simple blouse that wouldn’t draw too much attention, and headed out.

The address Ezren had given me turned out to be a luxury apartment building in the heart of downtown. I had never been here before—Ezren always came to my manor, not the other way around—but the doorman greeted me as if he knew me and directed me to the elevator. I rode up to the top floor.

When I reached Ezren’s apartment, I raised my hand to knock, but paused when I heard voices from inside. I heard a woman’s voice followed by Ezren’s deeper one. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the woman laughed, and I had a feeling I’d come during an intimate moment.

I hesitated, debating turning around. But then I heard my name, and I couldn’t contain my curiosity. I leaned closer to the door, straining to hear.

“…about Freya?” the woman was asking. “Is she still your favorite girl, or have you moved on already?”

I couldn’t hear Ezren’s response, but whatever he said made the woman laugh again.

“You’re such a tease, Ezren,” she said. “But seriously, what’s the deal with you two? Everyone’s talking about it.”

“Take your gift and go, Lucy,” Ezren said coolly. “I have another appointment.”

The woman—Lucy—must have thought that was confirmation enough, because I heard the rustle of movement, the clink of jewelry, and then her voice again, closer to the door this time.

I quickly stepped back from the door, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. A moment later, the door opened, and a stunning woman with long blonde hair and a figure that belonged on a magazine cover stepped out. She was clutching a small jewelry box in her perfectly manicured hand and had a satisfied smile on her face.

It wasn’t until she was standing right in front of me, her smile faltering slightly as she recognized me, that I realized the woman was Lucy Winters, the supermodel that Ezren had been recently favoring. I’d seen her in the tabloids, hanging on Ezren’s arm at various events over the past few weeks.

Lucy’s eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down, taking in my simple outfit and lack of makeup. Then her smile returned, but it was different now. Sharper and more calculating.

“Alpha Freya,” she said, tilting her head. “What a surprise. Ezren didn’t mention you were coming.”

Before I could answer, Lucy moved to walk past me. But as she did, she leaned close, whispering in my ear, “You think you’re special because he’s using you for his little political game? Don’t kid yourself. Once he’s done with you, he’ll toss you aside just like all the others. You’re nothing but a manipulative prostitute, selling yourself for what? Money? Power? Whatever it is, it won’t last.”

I kept my face carefully neutral, refusing to give this woman I had never even met the satisfaction of seeing how her words affected me. “Are you done?” I asked coldly.

Lucy stepped back, her smile widening. “For now Ta-ta.” And with that, she brushed past me, her shoulder bumping mine.

I watched her sashay down the hall, her high heels clicking on the tiles, before I turned back to the apartment door. It was still ajar.

I knew very well how Ezren felt about me. I didn’t need anyone to remind me. We had both made it abundantly clear from the start that our arrangement was purely transactional. I helped with his wolf, he helped with my pack’s finances. There was no love to be lost.

After taking a moment to calm myself, I pushed the door open and stepped into Ezren’s apartment. It was exactly what I expected—modern, minimalist, and expensive. Ezren was sitting on a sleek white leather sofa with a glass of liquor in his hand.

“Why did you want me to come here?” I asked curtly.