Chapter 169: Chapter 169

As I helped Elena into the elevator,I caught sight of Levi – one of Silvano’s pack friends since childhood – pausing mid-stride in the hallway.

"What’s wrong?" asked Adrian beside him.

"I think I saw someone familiar," Levi replied,his brow furrowing.

They had all grown up alongside Silvano and were well aware of my history with him – how I’d become his Luna after escaping the emotional devastation left by Elena’s brother,Jasper. My wolf bristled at the memory.

To be honest,while these wolves acknowledged my beauty,they always found me too reserved – pretty but forgettable,not what they expected for the Luna of the Shadow Pack’s future Alpha.

Silvano maintained professional boundaries with me in public,and his friends followed suit,rarely acknowledging my presence. I wasn’t surprised; I’d never been fully accepted into their inner circle. To them,I was an outsider who had somehow captured their Alpha’s attention – a curiosity at best.

I hadn’t noticed Levi’s gaze as I focused on helping Elena,and after leaving the hotel,I took her home and stayed overnight to ensure she was alright. My wolf remained vigilant through the night,protective instincts triggered by the emotional storm brewing inside me.

When Elena woke the next morning and saw me,she embraced me gratefully. "Thanks for last night,Freya. I’ll treat you to a hunt another day!"

I’d already prepared breakfast and patted her head affectionately. "Go wash up. Food’s getting cold."

Elena hugged me tighter,burying her face against my waist with a playful nuzzle. "Goddess,you’re so warm and your scent is so comforting. It feels wonderful to be close to you~"

My wolf preened slightly at the affection,something she hadn’t felt from my own mate or pup in far too long.

After washing up,Elena saw the breakfast I’d prepared and her eyes lit up with appreciation.

"Any wolf who had you as their mate would be blessed by the Moon Goddess herself," she said,then immediately regretted her words,remembering my situation with Silvano.

As she settled down to eat,scrolling through her phone,her expression suddenly shifted. "Silvano’s back in the territory?"

"Yes," I replied simply,my bond mark tingling uncomfortably at the mention of my mate.

Elena handed me her phone,and I saw Levi’s social media post from the previous night.

"Happy birthday to the beautiful she-wolf!" read the caption beneath several photos from Aurora’s celebration.

Though ostensibly celebrating Aurora’s birthday,nearly half the images featured Silvano and Aurora together. Most telling was the cake-cutting moment,where my mate and his cousin held the same crystal knife together,their wolves clearly comfortable in each other’s presence.

Isabella was conspicuously absent from the photos—almost certainly a deliberate choice,meant to keep the gathering hidden from the Moretti elders.

Silvano’s mother,Luna Victoria,had always held a complicated stance toward Aurora Howlthorne—her stepdaughter,and the namesake of the woman once accused of orchestrating Alpha Dominic Howlthorne’s death.

Even though Victoria and Alpha Enzo had publicly mended their family ties,her wariness toward the younger Aurora had never truly faded. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍

If Luna Victoria ever discovered that Silvano was encouraging a bond between his daughter and Aurora,her fury would be nothing short of legendary.

Looking at these images,any wolf would assume Silvano and Aurora shared a mating bond. The celebration was clearly arranged specifically for her by my mate.

Recalling the cold indifference I’d received on my own birthday just two weeks ago – not even a text message from either my mate or daughter – I looked away,my wolf whimpering softly.

Elena watched me with concern. "Freya—"

"It’s fine," I cut her off,returning the phone. "Whatever they do has nothing to do with me anymore. I’ve asked Silvano for the dissolution of our bond."

"What?!" Elena’s eyes widened in shock,her wolf jerking to attention. "You—you initiated a bond severance?!"

"Yes." My wolf cowered inside me,both terrified and relieved by my decision.

Elena hadn’t always disliked Silvano. In fact,she once admired him greatly and even harbored feelings for him,like many unmated she-wolves in our territory. It wasn’t for any particular reason beyond the fact that Silvano was simply exceptional among werewolves.

When he took his place as the future Alpha,Silvano wasn’t even twenty,yet his companies spanned technology,pharmaceuticals,entertainment,and tourism sectors. In the following years,while continuing to grow his business empire,he also strengthened the Shadow Pack’s position among the North American territories.

Under his leadership,the pack had reached unprecedented heights of prosperity and security. Every wolf in our territory respected him deeply,their submission to his Alpha aura absolute and unquestioning.

Moreover,Silvano possessed the striking good looks typical of the Moretti bloodline – tall,powerful,with piercing eyes that reflected his wolf’s dominance.

So Elena wasn’t surprised when I,considered something of a lone wolf genius myself,had found myself drawn to another exceptional mind like Silvano’s. What had surprised everyone was that he had chosen me as his mate – especially after what happened with Jasper.

But Silvano could be utterly ruthless to those who fell from his favor. Thinking about how he had gradually withdrawn from me over the years and carelessly trampled on my devotion,Elena had completely lost her admiration for him.

She had witnessed how deeply I loved my mate. Over the years,she had suggested several times that I consider bond severance – a rare and painful process for mated pairs.

But I had always silently shaken my head,my wolf unwilling to even consider it.

So Elena never imagined I would actually initiate the process myself.

She stared at her breakfast,appetite gone,looking at me with concern. "What happened?"

I thought carefully before answering. "It’s not really any one thing. Perhaps I just accumulated enough disappointment until suddenly I felt too tired to continue. That’s when I decided."

Elena understood my nature well. She knew that once I made a decision,even if my wolf might still pine for her mate,I wouldn’t easily change my mind.

She came over and embraced me,her wolf offering comfort to mine. "It’s okay,Freya. Breaking the bond might be for the best."

"Mm," I agreed quietly,my wolf curling into a ball of misery inside me.

After breakfast,I left Elena’s place for work,my thoughts heavy. Before moving out of the pack house,even though Silvano and I worked in the same building,we had always maintained separate schedules,never arriving or departing together.

He had kept such strict distance between us that sometimes we wouldn’t cross paths at headquarters for weeks at a time.

Now that I had moved out,seeking independence from his influence,we seemed to encounter each other daily – as if the Moon Goddess herself was taunting me with what I was choosing to leave behind.