Mated to My Intended's Enemy novel Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Chapter 173 The Day She Stopped Waiting

Freya

I stared at my phone screen long after Silvano’s call ended,my wolf,Selene,restless beneath my skin. She had been agitated ever since we’d left our home—no,since we’d left our daughter.

"Bad news?" my sister Raven asked,sliding into the chair across from me at our family’s breakfast table.

I set my phone down beside my barely touched plate of eggs. "Just Silvano. His mother wants us for dinner tonight."

Raven’s eyebrows shot up. "The Elder Luna Victoria Moretti herself summoning you? That’s... unexpected."

"Not really," I sighed,pushing my food around with my fork. "She probably wants to see Isabella. It’s been months."

"And she doesn’t know about your... situation?" Raven asked carefully.

"No one does,except you." I took a sip of my coffee,wincing at its bitterness. "Not even Isabella."

Sixteen days. That’s how long I’d been staying at my family home,sleeping in my old bedroom,trying to recapture who I used to be before I became Luna of the Shadow Pack—before I became merely an extension of Silvano Moretti’s legacy.

Sixteen days since I’d held my daughter.

My wolf whined pitifully at the thought of Isabella,our bond stretched thin by distance. Selene had been restless each night,pacing the confines of my mind,urging me to return to our pup. But I couldn’t—not yet. Not until I figured out what I wanted beyond being someone’s mate and someone’s mother.

"You haven’t called her," Raven said,her voice free of judgment but heavy with concern.

"I can’t," I admitted,shame burning through me. "Every time I pick up the phone,I imagine her asking when I’m coming home,and I just... freeze." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The truth was far more complicated. I was terrified—terrified that Isabella wouldn’t ask at all. That in the chaos of my absence,she might be happier with Aurora’s doting attention than she ever was with my cautious care.

"She’s with her father," I said,more to convince myself than Raven. "And Aurora is there constantly. She’s probably having the time of her life,free from my rules and restrictions."

Raven reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "Stop. Isabella adores you."

"She tolerates me," I corrected. "There’s a difference."

My sister’s eyes flashed with frustration. "This isn’t like you,Freya. The sister I know would never abandon her child."

"I haven’t abandoned her!" The words came out sharper than intended,drawing the attention of our mother in the kitchen. I lowered my voice. "I’m taking space to figure things out. There’s a difference."

"Is there?" Raven challenged. "Because from where I’m sitting,it looks like you’re running away from the hard parts of your life instead of facing them."

My wolf bristled at the accusation,but deep down,I knew Raven was right. I had spent years building a life around Silvano and Isabella,sublimating my own dreams and ambitions to be the perfect Luna,the perfect mother. And when that life started to crumble—when I realized I was losing myself in their shadows—I ran.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify