Chapter 162
Freya's POV
The blaring of my alarm jolted me awake at eight o'clock Saturday morning. I blinked away the remnants of sleep, my wolf stirring reluctantly beneath my skin. For a moment, I just lay there, letting my senses adjust to the morning light filtering through my curtains.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I reached for it, squinting at the screen. A text from Selena Price with an address in downtown Moon Bay—the photography studio where I'd be trying on her wedding dress design.
I dragged myself to the bathroom and stared at my reflection. The face looking back at me was thinner than it used to be, my eyes larger in my gaunt face. Three years in the Forgotten Wilds had stripped away the softness of my former life. I reached for my foundation, carefully applying it over the silver mark on my neck—the permanent reminder of my exile status. The heavy makeup would help mask my scent from other wolves who might recognize the distinctive smell of silver scarring.
Standing before the mirror, I practiced controlling my wolf's energy, suppressing the natural fluctuations in my scent that might betray my anxiety. It was a skill I'd developed in exile—learning to become invisible even when in plain sight.
The address led me to a professional photography studio in the arts district. The sign on the door read "Price Designs Exclusive Shoot," confirming I was in the right place. Before entering, I paused to scent the air, checking for any Alpha presence. Relief washed through me when I detected only Beta and Omega wolves inside—no Alphas.
As I pushed open the door, my nostrils filled with the scent of fabric, perfume, and the faint electrical smell of photography equipment. Selena spotted me immediately, her face lighting up with a smile.
"Freya! You made it," she called, rushing over to greet me. Two Beta assistants hovered behind her, arranging equipment.
My eyes widened as I took in the four different wedding dresses displayed on mannequins around the room. Each was more beautiful than the last—flowing white fabric, delicate embroidery, and sparkling decorations catching the studio lights.
"I thought I was only trying on the backless design?" I asked cautiously, my wolf instantly on alert.
Selena waved a dismissive hand. "That was the plan, but then I thought—how often do I find such a perfect model? This is a chance to photograph my entire new bridal collection."
I hesitated, scanning the room again for threats. My wolf paced nervously beneath my skin, but found nothing concerning beyond the natural wariness of being in an unfamiliar place.
"I don't know..." I began.
"Please," Selena said, her eyes sincere. "Your bone structure, your grace, you move like the Beta elite you were raised to be. I need that quality for these designs."
Something in her words touched a part of me I'd thought long dead—pride in who I once was. I nodded slowly. "Alright. Let's do it."
---
The first dress felt strange against my skin—too soft, too luxurious for someone who'd grown accustomed to the rough fabrics of exile clothing. Standing before the camera, I felt exposed and awkward. My posture was defensive, shoulders hunched slightly, eyes downcast—the instinctive stance of a wolf who had learned to make herself small and unnoticed.
"No, no," Selena called from beside the photographer. "Freya, you're too tense. Remember who you are."
"An exile?" I muttered under my breath.
She walked over to me, adjusting the fabric around my shoulders. "No. Release your instincts. Imagine you're back in Moonlight Grove, under the full moon. You're a Riley, a high-born Beta from one of the oldest bloodlines. Stand like you belong there."
Her words struck something deep inside me. My wolf stirred, remembering. There had been a time when I'd walked with my head high, confident in my place in the world.
"That's it," Selena encouraged as I straightened my spine. "Look into the camera like you're looking at an Alpha who challenged your worth. Proud, not defiant."
The photographer, a young Omega male, gasped as I raised my eyes. "Her eyes! That's the light of pure-blood Beta lineage. Capture that!"
The camera clicked rapidly as I found something I'd lost years ago—the memory of dignity. With each dress I tried on, the transformation grew more complete. By the third gown, I was moving with fluid grace, my chin raised, shoulders back.
"Extraordinary," the Omega assistant whispered during a break, her head unconsciously lowering slightly as I passed—a gesture of respect I hadn't received in years.
Selena beamed with pride as she showed me the preliminary shots on her tablet. "This will be my finest collection yet. You've brought these designs to life, Freya."
Looking at the photos, I barely recognized myself. The woman in the images stood tall and elegant, eyes bright with confidence, a hint of a smile playing at her lips. For the first time in three years, my wolf hummed with simple, uncomplicated joy. I'd forgotten what that felt like.
"Is that really me?" I whispered, touching the screen gently.
"It's who you've always been," Selena replied. "Three years in exile didn't change that. You just forgot for a while."
After the final dress, the exhausted but elated team began packing up the equipment. I changed back into my regular clothes, feeling strangely diminished without the beautiful wedding dress.
"Three years," I murmured, still staring at the images on Selena's tablet. "I almost forgot who I used to be."
Selena squeezed my shoulder gently. "Would you join me in my office for a moment? I have something to discuss with you."
I followed her through a door at the back of the studio into a small, tastefully decorated office.
As Selena closed the door behind us, I noticed a shift in her scent—a subtle anxiety that hadn't been present during the photoshoot.
"Your scent changed," I said directly, my wolf immediately alert. "What is it you want to tell me?"
Selena hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with a pen on her desk. "I'm not sure if I should..."
"Please," I said, feeling my heart rate accelerate. "Whatever it is, I'd rather know."
She sighed, meeting my eyes with reluctance. "Yesterday, Thorne Grey and Kaelin Brooks came to my main store for a wedding dress fitting. Kaelin was... quite happy with the designs."
My face went cold, as if all the blood had suddenly drained from it. The wolf inside me whimpered, a soft, pained sound that thankfully remained inside my head rather than escaping my lips.
"I see," I managed to say, though my voice sounded distant even to my own ears.
The air in the small office quickly filled with the scent of my distress—notes of sorrow and loss that any wolf could easily detect. I tried to control it, but some emotions were too powerful to mask completely.
Selena quickly added, "Thorne was distracted the entire time. When Kaelin came out in the wedding dress, he actually got up and left the store. I could smell his anger, Freya. Whatever he was feeling, it wasn't happiness."
I forced a smile, though it felt brittle on my face. "Alpha Thorne's binding ceremony has nothing to do with a former exile. We belong to different worlds now." I swallowed hard, trying to sound sincere. "I don't care about his affairs anymore, but thank you for telling me."
Selena's eyes held mine, searching. "Do you really intend to give up on him?"
I managed another tight smile. "He was never mine to begin with."
But even as I spoke the words, my mind betrayed me with the memory of a dream I'd had during my exile—me in a wedding dress, walking toward Thorne under a canopy of moonlight, his golden eyes filled with love rather than contempt. It was a foolish fantasy that had kept me warm on the coldest nights in the Forgotten Wilds, but a fantasy nonetheless.
---
The afternoon sunlight felt too bright as I left the photography studio, instinctively keeping to the shadows of buildings. My eyes scanned the streets, watching for any of Thorne's people who might recognize me despite my disguise.
"He's finally letting me go," I whispered to myself, the realization both painful and freeing. If Thorne was proceeding with his binding ceremony to Kaelin, he must have given up searching for me. The thought should have brought relief, but instead left a hollow ache in my chest.
As I walked, I reconsidered my decision to attend Jasper's gala at the Howling Hall tomorrow night. If Thorne was focused on his binding ceremony with Kaelin, he wouldn't attend an event hosted by the Silverstone Pack without an official Alpha invitation. The risk seemed smaller now.
"I'll go," I decided, "but stay in the background. No drawing attention to myself."