The Alpha’s Exiled Mate Chapter 17

The Alpha’s Exiled Mate Chapter 17

Freya’s POV

The room cleared in seconds, wolves scrambling over each other to reach the door. Only Ryder

remained, leaning against the wall with a look of grim satisfaction.

“Not you, Ryder,” Thorne said, his voice controlled again but vibrating with tension. “Find

Sebastian. Tell him I want these wolves identified and fined. Heavily. For disrespecting pack

law.”

Ryder nodded and slipped out, closing the door behind him.

Thorne’s grip on my arm remained firm. I noticed, distantly, that where his fingers touched my

skin, the silver mark beneath them glowed faintly-my exile brand responding to Alpha

contact.

“Alpha Thorne,” I began, my voice barely audible.

“Silence,” he said, the word clipped and precise. He released my arm suddenly, as if touching

me burned him. I saw him glance at his fingertips, a slight frown crossing his features as he

detected the trace of moon-silver from my brand.

Alone with him in the now-empty VIP room, my wolf’s fear intensified. I fought the urge to

back away, forcing myself to stand still, head lowered in the proper posture for a lower-

ranking wolf before an Alpha.

“Three years ago, you refused to confess in the Crescent Court,” Thorne said finally, his voice

controlled but edged with something I couldn’t identify. “You maintained your innocence

despite all evidence. You swore by the Moon Goddess herself.”

He paced across the room, his movements those of a predator in a too-small space. “And now I

find you on your knees, confessing to crimes for what? A few bills thrown at you like scraps to

a dog?”

His contempt stung, but I remained silent, keeping my gaze lowered.

“Answer me, Riley,” he demanded.

“Yes, Alpha Thorne,” I replied mechanically, my voice rough from the emotions I refused to

show.

“Is that all you have to say for yourself?” he pressed, stopping directly in front of me. I could

feel the heat radiating from his body, smell his scent-stronger now with his anger. “Where is

the wolf who stood in my court and defied me? Who dared to use my name instead of my

title? Who looked me in the eye and swore her innocence?”

“She died in the Forgotten Wilds,” I answered simply.

Thorne fell silent. I heard him inhale deeply, scenting me, reading the emotions I tried to

hide.

“If I acknowledge all my crimes,” I said slowly, raising my eyes to meet his for the first time,

“if I confess to everything you believe I did… will you tell me if my parents are still alive?”

My voice broke on the last word, the question that had haunted me for three years finally

spoken aloud.

Thorne’s expression shifted, surprise flickering across his features before he controlled it.

“That’s why you were willing to debase yourself?” he asked, his voice softer now. “For

information about your parents?”

“And my brother,” I added, unable to keep the tremor from my voice. “Please, Alpha Thorne. They were taken while I was in the Silver Shackle Prison. I never got to say goodbye. I don’t

know where they were sent, which sector of the Wilds they’re in… if they’re even…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence. The possibility that my family might be dead was a wound I

couldn’t bear to probe.

“I’ll confess to anything,” I continued, desperation making me bold. “I’ll say whatever you want me to say. I’ll plead guilty to every charge. Just tell me what happened to them. Please.”

Thorne studied me, his expression unreadable. His scent changed subtly, a trace of something like discomfort or doubt threading through the dominant notes of authority and anger.

“You have no right to that information,” he said finally, his voice hard again. “The Riley

family’s case is closed. They betrayed the pack, just as you did.”

“They didn’t betray anyone!” I took an instinctive step forward, then froze as I realized my error. Moving toward an Alpha without permission was a serious breach of protocol. “I

apologize, Alpha Thorne.”

Thorne didn’t acknowledge my apology. He simply watched me, his gaze intense, as if trying

to read something written beneath my skin.

“Please,” I whispered, throwing dignity aside completely. “I’m not asking for their freedom or for leniency. I just need to know if they’re alive. Where they are. If they’re together or

separated. That’s all I’m asking.”

“No.” The word fell between us like a stone. “You were sentenced not just for attacking Kaelin, but for your family’s association with pack enemies. You have no right to information about

traitors.”