A Warrior Luna's Awakening (Freya and Caelum) novel Chapter 62

Chapter 62

+8 Pearls

Third Person’s POV

Freya’s voice was steady, though her eyes carried the weight of grief. “Tomorrow I’ll be traveling to Ashbourne to lay my parents to rest. After that, I’ll need time to handle their estate matters. I fear I won’t have the time to serve as your bodyguard.”

Silas‘ lips curved faintly, the kind of smile that never reached his eyes. “What a coincidence. I. 100, am headed for Ashbourne. You could tend to your parents‘ affairs while also guarding me. I have no need for your presence every hour of the day, Freya. Only when you’re free–and only when I need your protection.”

Freya frowned. The Ironclad Alpha was not short of warriors. Why insist on her? Was it merely interest in her, or something deeper?

Aldred drew Freya aside, his voice low and weighted with concern. “You’ve already left the from Fang Recon Unit. I never intended to drag you into this mire. But some within the ranks insisted I at least consult you. You are free to refuse. If you do I’ll take responsibility and find another way.”

Freya could feel the old commander’s sincerity, his worry for her clear. Yet if she refused, the burden would fall heavier om his shoulders.

Her gaze shifted back toward Silas.

“I require only three months,” Silas said calmly. “Three months, and I will secure my position as head of the Whitmore family. In that same span. I’ll uncover the one orchestrating these assassination attempts.”

“And if you fail?” Freya asked, meeting his eyes.

“Then I’ll submit to whoever the military assigns in your place,” he replied evenly. “At the end of three months, you may walk zway or stay, if you choose. The decision will be yours.”

1

At last. Freya gave her answer. Three months was not long. And more than that, she would not let Aldred shoulder the suraim alome.

Before site left, Aldred placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, his voice carrying the weight of command and paternal care… “Listen to me, child. You’ve left the Recon Unit. You’re no longer bound by its oaths. No matter what happens, your first duny now is to survive. Do you hear me? If the danger becomes extreme, your life comes first. Always.”

Freya saw the deep lines of worry on his face, and her heart tightened. “Don’t worry. I know my limits.”

But Aldred only sighed. He knew well the blood in her veins. The daughter of Arthur Thorne and Myra could not shed the instime carved into her bones: the soldier’s creed to see the mission through, no matter the cost.

“Freya,” he said softly, his voice low and rough, “promise me you’ll live. That is not only my wish–it is your parents‘ wish as

well

Her eyes stung, nurmung ned at the edges, but she nodded faintly.

When Aldred leti, Salas remained. His gaze lingered on her, cool and assessing. “Tomorrow you’ll be in Ashbourne.”

“Yes,” she sade

“Shall I drive you home tootingin?” Silas edi.

Ar that same time. Caelum Grafton shed himself away in hos villa

There, resting in silence, lay two simple rings.

The cheap metal bands they had bought at a night market before their union. They had cost only a handful of bills. He had once promised her, “When I’ve made my fortune, I’ll buy you a diamond ring worthy of you.”

But she had smiled at him then, slipping the plain band onto her finger without a single complaint. She had not cared for gold or stone–only for the bond.

Now, holding the rings in his hand, Caelum felt that promise like a knife. He had become wealthy beyond measure, the head of SilverTech Forgeworks, Alpha of his pack. He could have given her a jewel that shamed the stars. Yet when the time had come to dissolve their bond, he had not even given her that.

The weight of guilt gnawed into him.

He searched again, but found nothing more. No clothes, no trinkets, no letters. Just the rings. Just the echo of what they had shared.

And only then did it strike him–they had never even taken a wedding portrait. At first, he had thought to wait, to save money, to capture it later. But later had never come. It had slipped away, deemed unnecessary, forgotten amidst ambition.

The pounding at the door grew louder, Giselle’s shrill cries cutting through.

At last, Caelum pulled the door open..

His sister stared at him, wide–eyed. “Brother, are you all right?”

Caelum’s fist clenched tightly around the two wedding bands, his face shadowed with bitterness.