Chapter 6

"Calm down, Eric." Irina stepped closer and rested a hand on his arm. "Freya's only behaving like this because she cares too much about you."

Then she turned to me. "The clasp on my necklace came undone. Eric was just helping me fasten it. We're meeting with the envoy from the Alliance tonight. I have to make sure I look presentable."

Her tone softened, as though she were speaking to some petulant child. "Please don't misunderstand, Freya. We're just handling official business. That's all."

She had crossed the boundaries she should have respected with my mate, but she was now telling me not to make a big deal out of it. I didn't want to say anything more. Eric, however, took my silence as an admission of guilt.

"There are rules in the pack," he said to me. "You entered my office without permission. From now on, you're suspended from all your duties. You don't need to report to the office anymore."

Eric, the Alpha who'd turned a blind eye to Irina crossing the line time and time again, had abruptly become a stickler for the rules.

Rachel, who knew that I was already no longer affiliated with the pack, blurted out without thinking, "Alpha, Freya has already—"

Eric silenced her with an icy look. "I'm not interested in hearing any excuses. Just do as I said."

Rachel pressed her lips together and left. I turned toward the door as well.

"Hold it."

My obedience seemed to have eased Eric's anger. In fact, he looked pretty satisfied. Perhaps realizing he had been too harsh with me earlier, he said in a softened tone, "Freya, this isn't personal. Rules have to be enforced. You're the Luna, so you should set an example. Otherwise, no one will respect the rules."

Irina immediately chimed in, "The next time you need something, you can message me first. If Eric is busy, I can squeeze you into his schedule for you."

So, I needed my mate's Beta to arrange a time for me to speak to my own mate?

Eric nodded in agreement. "Irina always puts the pack first. You should learn from her. Don't let your personal emotions interfere with official business."

I let out a self-mocking laugh, but Eric mistook it for a sign that I'd finally learned my lesson. He stepped closer and, just as he had when we first met, raised a hand and gently ran it through my hair.

However, I couldn't see any love in his eyes. There was only the approving look one gave a pet that had finally learned to obey its master.

"You've been doing much better lately. You're finally acting like a true Luna." He put an arm around me and kissed the corner of my mouth. "I've decided to reward you. Next month, I'll restore all your authority as Luna. You've always wanted a marking ceremony, haven't you? Once the ore procurement is completed, we'll have one. You can have the ceremony however you like."

It'd been three years, and this was the first time Eric offered to fulfill the promise he made when he proposed to me. Yet, it wasn't because he loved me, but because I was finally "obedient" in his eyes.

"Freya, are you satisfied now?"

The smile on his face and the words he said made it seem as though every humiliation I'd endured had merely been the trials I needed to go through before receiving this generous reward.

After pushing him away from me, I opened the document folder I was carrying and placed two documents on his desk. The first was the official appointment letter I received from the Silvermoon Alliance. The second was the mate bond termination contract he had personally signed.

Eric's smile vanished.

"What are these?"