A Warrior Luna's Awakening (Freya and Caelum) novel Chapter 396

**Shadows of Our Love**

**Chapter 396**

Freya stood still, the weight of Lana’s words hanging in the air like a thick fog.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Lana was onto something.

Maybe it was time for her to cease this frantic escape from the truth that had been gnawing at her insides for weeks on end.

If she couldn’t let go of Silas, then what did that say about her?

Before she could delve deeper into that unsettling thought, Lana’s voice broke through the haze of her contemplation, bright and lively.

“Oh, by the way! In just two days, Whitmore Industries is hosting their annual gathering. You absolutely must prepare and accompany me!”

Freya blinked in surprise, her mind struggling to grasp the sudden shift in conversation. “Annual gathering?”

“Exactly,” Lana replied, leaning casually against her desk, her posture relaxed yet purposeful. “Remember that three-way procurement bidding we discussed? They confirmed it today—SkyVex Armaments won the contract. They always invite their suppliers to this annual celebration, and guess what? The invitation arrived earlier than expected.”

A smile graced Lana’s lips, but her eyes glinted with an underlying intention, a gentle push toward clarity.

“You can use these next few days to really think things through.”

Lana understood Freya better than anyone else. She recognized the admiration Freya held for Kade, a deep respect for him as a fellow warrior from the Iron Fang Recon Unit. Yet, she also sensed that it was a different kind of connection that Freya felt with Silas—one that burrowed deep into her very being, refusing to let go.

“Alright,” Freya replied softly, the decision settling comfortably within her. “I’ll go with you.”

“Wonderful! Then we can pick out your dress together. What about jewelry?” Lana asked, her excitement palpable.

“Just the dress, please. I already have my jewelry,” Freya responded, a hint of finality in her tone.

“Perfect!”

Later that evening, as the world outside her window dimmed into twilight, Freya returned to her room and opened the small, hidden vault beneath her bed. Inside lay a box she rarely dared to touch.

Within its confines rested her mother’s blood-red ruby necklace.

Myra’s necklace.

A tangible piece of her mother’s existence, forever etched in both gemstone and memory.

The ruby gleamed under the soft light, a reminder of her mother’s strength and warmth.

Myra had often recounted how she wore this necklace even during the darkest days of her childhood, when she was lost and alone, a frightened three-year-old who could barely utter her own name. The heavy clothes she wore back then had concealed the precious necklace, a twist of fate that allowed her to keep it safe.

The chain bore a single character, so delicately engraved that it could easily be overlooked: Myra’s family mark from before her adoption. She only remembered being called “Naya,” a name her adoptive parents had changed to Myra when they welcomed her into their lives.

As Myra and Arthur grew, they became inseparable—packmates who blossomed into soulmates. The necklace remained with her throughout her life, through childhood joys, the trials of adulthood, and the battles that shaped her. It bore witness to her laughter, her tears, her losses, and her rebirth. Until that fateful winter in a distant land, when she had to sacrifice it for medicine and food to save fifty orphaned souls.

It was only after Myra’s passing that the necklace found its way back to Freya.

Now, as she held it close, Freya felt her mother’s spirit envelop her, a warm embrace that offered comfort and solace.

If Myra were still alive…

How would she perceive Silas Whitmore?

What words would she offer Freya now, as her daughter stood on shaky ground, torn between the desire to move forward and the fear of retreating?

“Mom…” Freya murmured, her fingers tracing the cool surface of the ruby. “I think I have genuine feelings for Silas. But I’m just… not sure I possess the confidence anymore.”

Deep down, she struggled with self-doubt.

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