Chapter 157: Chapter 157 Happy birthday to me
Freya
I didn’t sleep that night.
The bed was too big,too cold,and the scent of cedar and Silvano that lingered on the sheets only made it worse. I lay there in the darkness,staring at the ceiling while the silver light from the moon crawled slowly across the room. My chest felt hollow,like something precious inside me had cracked open and leaked away.
There was a time when just thinking of him filled me with warmth—now,it only left me cold.
Maybe I was too tired. Maybe my wolf was too tired. We’d been trying for so long to hold this bond together,to pretend it still pulsed with life. But that morning,as dawn began to bleed across the horizon,I realized I didn’t have the strength to fight for it anymore.
Still,I reached for him through the bond.
The connection between us had once felt like an endless river—his energy flowing through me,mine through him. Now it was thin and brittle,like ice about to shatter. I could sense him somewhere on the other end,but he was distant,closed off. My wolf whimpered softly,pressing against the invisible wall that separated us.
Silvano... I whispered through the bond. Please,answer me.
Nothing.
Minutes dragged by before my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I snatched it up too quickly.
Silvano: Something up?
Two words. Cold. Detached.
A dull ache spread behind my ribs. He didn’t even remember.
Me: Are you free for lunch? Maybe we could have a meal with Bella. Just the three of us.
There was a long pause before his reply came.
Silvano: Alright. Let me know once you’ve decided on the location.
Me: Okay.
And that was it. No "Happy birthday," no warmth,no teasing remark like he used to make. Just business. Formal. The kind of message you’d send a colleague,not your mate.
I set the phone down,staring at it until the screen dimmed. My heart thudded once,twice,then sank somewhere deep inside me.
He had forgotten.
I told myself I shouldn’t care,that I was strong enough now to stop measuring my worth by his attention. But the truth was,the silence between us hurt more than any fight ever could. The mating bond should have made things like this impossible—mates were supposed to feel each other’s emotions,especially on days that mattered.
Apparently,mine no longer mattered to him.
When I finally got up,sunlight was spilling into the room,warm and bright. It didn’t reach me.
In the mirror,I barely recognized the woman staring back. My skin was pale,my eyes dull with exhaustion. The faint lines around my mouth weren’t from age—they were from the constant effort of pretending to be fine. Pretending not to notice when the man who once swore to love me forever began treating me like a distant obligation.
I dressed carefully,out of habit more than vanity,and headed toward the stairs. I was halfway down when voices floated up from below.
Sara’s voice—gentle,nervous. "Is Bella unhappy about the Luna’s visit?"
My daughter’s voice followed,high and sweet,carrying too clearly through the quiet morning. "Dad and I already promised to go to the Moonlit Lake with Aunt Aurora tomorrow for the pack bonding ritual. If Mom comes,it’ll mess up the pack energy."
My breath caught.
Sara tried to correct her. "Bella,Luna Freya is your mother and your Alpha’s mate. You mustn’t say such things."
"But Dad’s wolf and my wolf like Aunt Aurora’s energy better," Bella replied,as if explaining something obvious. "Why can’t I have Aunt Aurora as my mom? Her wolf is so pretty."
The world tilted beneath me.
For a moment,I couldn’t breathe. I pressed a hand against the banister,feeling my nails dig into the polished wood. My wolf let out a low,broken sound inside me—a wounded cry I couldn’t release aloud.
I didn’t hear what Sara said next. My mind had gone blank except for the echo of my daughter’s words.
Why can’t I have Aunt Aurora as my mom?
I had carried her for nine months,fought to bring her into this world,protected her through every fever and nightmare—and now she wanted someone else to take my place.
I turned and walked back upstairs before either of them could see my face.
In my room,I sat on the edge of the bed,staring at the floor until my vision blurred. My fingers trembled as I reached for the gifts I’d brought—little things I’d chosen so carefully. A bracelet woven with protective runes. A necklace of moonflower petals sealed in glass. A miniature AI wolf pup that mimicked her laugh.
I zipped the suitcase shut before the tears could fall on any of them.
Downstairs,I heard the front door open and close. Sara’s voice,Bella’s laughter,fading into the distance. They were going to pack training. Without me.
The house fell quiet again.
I had left everything—my work,my research,the AI project that could redefine the pack’s future—just to come here. To be with them. To feel like a family again. But now,sitting in this silent house,I realized no one had actually asked me to come.
Maybe they didn’t need me anymore.
My wolf stirred uneasily,her presence dim and tired. We’ve become outsiders,she murmured,her voice a low growl of pain. He doesn’t look for us. Even our pup turns to another.
"I know," I whispered,wrapping my arms around myself. "I know."
I thought of Aurora—Silvano’s cousin,the daughter of Enzo Howlthorne,heir to the Howlthorne Pack. She’d joined the Northern council last year,stepping into the political chaos with effortless grace. Everyone admired her: intelligent,beautiful,strategic. There were whispers she’d been blessed by the Fae themselves,gifted with wisdom that outshone most Alphas.
If she weren’t Silvano’s blood relative,the Elders said,she would’ve been the perfect Luna.
And perhaps that was exactly why my daughter adored her.
Because Aurora shone in all the places I had begun to fade.
I’d once laughed off the rumors about her closeness to Silvano. I told myself he was loyal,that what we had was stronger than any temptation. But deep down,my wolf had known better. She’d sensed it in the way his voice softened when he spoke of Aurora’s achievements,in the way his eyes followed her across the council hall.
And now,even my pup’s affections were shifting toward her.
That realization hurt in a way I hadn’t been prepared for. It wasn’t jealousy—it was grief. The slow kind that crept through your bones and hollowed you out from the inside.
I got up and walked to the window. Outside,sunlight glinted off the frost-covered pines,and the wind carried faint howls from distant patrols. It should have comforted me—reminded me that I was part of something larger,that I had a pack,a home.
Instead,I felt like a ghost haunting the edges of my own life.
My gaze dropped to the crescent moon pendant around my neck,the one Silvano had given me when he claimed me as his mate. I remembered how it had glowed with his energy back then,a tangible link between us. Now it was just cold metal,lifeless against my skin.
I thought of the way he’d once looked at me—like I was his moonlight,the reason his wolf breathed.
I thought of how that gaze had slowly shifted to indifference.
And I thought of how I had let it happen.
I had spent years fighting to be enough—enough mate,enough Luna,enough mother. But maybe love was never meant to be something you fight for. Maybe it was supposed to be felt,freely,effortlessly.
I sank onto the edge of the bed,covering my face with my hands.
A small,bitter laugh escaped me. "Happy birthday to me," I murmured.
My wolf didn’t answer. She only curled into herself,silent and hurting.
Through the window,I heard a distant howl echo through the forest—a wolf calling to its mate.
Once,I would have answered without hesitation.
Now,I just sat there in the quiet,letting the sound fade into nothing.