Chapter 98
D
Freya’s POV
Inside the Blackthorn Pack’s private ward, Freya slowly opened her eyes. The sharp, sterile scent of wolfsbane still lingered in the air, and the faint pulse of an oxygen tank buzzed at the edge of her awareness. Her vision gradually focused on the tall, brooding figure sitting beside her bed.
Draven Blackthorn–Alpha of The Blackthorn Pack–was seated in silence, his focus fixed on his phone as he rebooked his flight. Not once did he glance her way, not even when her breathing shifted.
“Draven,” she called out weakly, her voice rough from the lingering effects of the tranquilizer–an emergency sedative given when her wolf panicked during the miscarriage scare. Her tone was laced with grief and quiet desperation.
Draven finally looked up, his icy blue eyes gleaming like a predator’s under the moonlight.
“You’re awake?” he asked, his voice devoid of warmth, as cold and cutting as a winter wind.}
Freya’s eyes filled with tears instantly.”
“D–Did I cause trouble for you… For the pack?”
“Glad you know,” he replied flatly.
He tucked his phone away and rose to his full, commanding height. Even without shifting, his Alpha aura loomed large over her fragile frame.
“Freya, you’d better remember. Your only value to me now is that pup you’re carrying.“}
Her fingers tightened around the thick wool blanket beneath her, claws threatening to extend.}
you lose that child,” Draven growled, his tone dropping with restrained fury, “do you really think you’ll still have a place in the Blackthorn bloodline? Or in this pack?”
Freya’s face turned pale, her bottom lip trembling. “Draven…“}
“Think carefully.” He straightened his posture and adjusted the cuffs of his black Alpha uniform. “There are plenty of she–wolves who would give anything to carry my heir. I don’t need you.”>
Freya couldn’t utter another word. Her tears spilled freely, streaking down her face in silence. Her wolf whimpered within, wounded and humiliated.§
Without another glance, Draven turned and headed for the door. As he stepped out, he told the Beta standing guard, “Don’t let her shift. Keep her in bed. And don’t let her run off anywhere.”
The door shut with a heavy thud, and Freya’s tears ceased. Her grief twisted into rage. Her wolf growled deep in her chest as her fingers curled into fists.
“Draven Blackthorn,” she snarled under her breath, her voice dripping with venom.§
A moment later, the hospital ward door swung open again with a gust of wind. Her mother, Wanda–an Omega–burst in, clutching a steaming thermal container of bone broth infused with lunar root.
“Freya!” she cried out in alarm, rushing to her side. “What happened to you, baby? Your scent is all over the halls–you’re distressed!“} “Mom!” Freya broke down again the moment she saw her. Her voice cracked as she sobbed, “He doesn’t care, Mom. Draven doesn’t care about me or the baby!“}
Wanda placed the container down on the side table and immediately took Freya’s hand in hers, her scent spiking with maternal protectiveness. “Tell me everything. Don’t hold anything back.”
Between broken sobs, Freya repeated every cruel word Alpha Draven had said. Wanda’s face darkened, her wolf bristling beneath the surface.
“He dares disrespect you like this?” she snarled. “You’re carrying the next Alpha–his heir! And he acts like you’re nothing but a breeder?“} She rose, pacing the room like a restless wolf, growling low in her throat. “Ungrateful bastard. I told you, these Blackthorns think they’re gods just because they lead the strongest pack on the continent.”}
“He said,” Freya swallowed hard, her voice trembling, “he said, other she–wolves would be happy to give him a child.”} “Bullshit!” Wanda snapped, her eyes flashing gold. “He’s not the Moon Goddess’s only gift to this world! Spoiled mongrel!“}
She turned sharply. “What about that Moonfall girl? The barren wolf who disappeared?”
“He’s still chasing her,” Freya whispered. “He can’t forget her… not even now.”
Wanda’s jaw clenched. “That infertile Luna? What’s he even holding onto her for?”
She marched back to the bed and clasped her daughter’s hand. “Freya, don’t you be afraid. Your mother still knows how to handle wolves like him.”
Freya looked up, a flicker of hope in her eyes. “What are you planning?“}
Wanda’s voice dropped to a hush, laced with cunning. “You just stay here, rest, and make sure that pup is born strong and healthy. That’s your leverage. That’s your throne.“D
“And Ella Moonfall?” Freya’s voice cracked.}
“Humph. A barren she wolf, no Luna backing, no political ties? She’s nothing. You’re the one with that, should be Luna, a womb blessed by the moon. The Blackthorns won’t throw away a true–blood heir.”W
Freya hesitated. “But… what if Draven doesn’t choose me?”
“All Alpha males are driven by power and blood,” Wanda said coldly. “Once the child is born, do you think the Elder Alpha Alaric Blackthorn will allow his grandson to be labeled illegitimate? That child is your crown, Freya “Я
Freya’s sobs slowly subsided. Her wolf, though wounded, stirred with a renewed sense of purpose “Mom… you have to help me.” Wanda gave a cold smile. “I will. I’ll make sure you get what you deserve. No one humiliates my daughter.”
She opened the thermal container, ladling the warm soup into a bowl. “Drink this. Strengthen yourself. The full moon is in two weeks. You’ll need all your strength if the mating ritual is to happen before then.“@
Freya took the bowl, her eyes glinting with resolve behind the shimmer of unshed tears. She sipped slowly, her mind already weaving schemes beneath the surface.}
Draven’s POV
Outside the pack hospital, Draven stood beneath the cloudy twilight sky, the wind tugging at the hem of his coat. The scent of rain mixed with the smell of pine and distant wolves.}
He had just finished rebooking his flight.
He held his phone in one hand, staring at the screen where a picture of Ella glowed faintly. Her soft eyes, her strong spirit–everything he couldn’t seem to forget.
After a long pause, he exhaled sharply, turned off the screen, and pocketed the phone.
Then, without another word, Alpha Draven shifted his gaze toward the distant parking lot–and walked away into the dusk, with a storm brewing both in the sky and within his heart.
