CHAPTER 216: CHAPTER 216 THE ACCIDENTAL TOUCH

Freya’s POV

My face flushed crimson as I quickly grabbed the bathrobe collar that little Cici had been tugging on. The sudden exposure left me mortified.

Alpha Xander’s eyes darkened momentarily before he swiftly turned away, averting his gaze. The nanny beside us looked equally uncomfortable, her eyes darting anywhere but at me.

Thank the moon goddess there’s no one else here. This is humiliating enough already.

The nanny hurried to help me adjust my robe. I’ve always been conservative with my body, never exposing myself to any man other than Silvano since we became mates. And now, of all people to see me like this, it had to be one of Silvano’s closest friends and allies.

After I’d properly secured my robe, I tried to sound casual despite my obvious discomfort. "I should go. I have things to attend to."

Alpha Xander finally turned back around, his expression carefully neutral. "I apologize," he said, his deep voice sincere.

Cici, realizing she’d done something wrong and thinking I was upset with her, looked up at me with watery eyes. "I’m sorry, ma’am," she whispered, her little voice trembling slightly.

My embarrassment immediately softened. Children make mistakes—it wasn’t her fault.

"It’s alright," I assured her with a gentle smile. "I know you didn’t mean to."

I gave her a small wave goodbye before stepping into the waiting elevator, feeling Alpha Xander’s gaze on me until the doors closed.

Through the closing gap, I heard him gently instructing Cici, "You can’t grab people’s clothes like that anymore, understand?"

"Yes, Uncle," came Cici’s solemn reply just before the doors shut completely.

---

Since I needed to attend dinner at the Moretti family estate that evening, I prepared to leave the resort early, around four in the afternoon after our team activities concluded.

Johnny walked me to the parking lot, ever the attentive friend. "Drive safely," he reminded me.

"I will," I assured him.

As we spoke, a sleek black SUV approached, slowing as it neared us. I hadn’t paid it much attention until the back window lowered to reveal Cici’s small face.

"Bye-bye, ma’am!" she called out, waving her tiny hand enthusiastically.

I offered her a soft smile in return. "Goodbye, Cici."

My gaze shifted slightly to find Alpha Xander watching me from the driver’s seat. I gave him a brief, polite nod, which he returned before his eyes flicked toward Johnny, studying him with unmistakable scrutiny before the vehicle continued on its way.

Johnny rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the SUV disappeared. "Was it just me, or was Alpha Xander giving me some serious once-over?"

I shrugged, unconcerned. "Why would he bother?"

Johnny seemed to ponder this for a moment before suggesting, "Maybe he thinks there’s something between us and he’s keeping tabs for his buddy Silvano?"

The comment made my smile fade. If only Johnny knew how laughable that idea was.

"Trust me," I said flatly, "that’s definitely not it."

Alpha Xander and Levi were both close with Aurora. It was painfully obvious they preferred her for Silvano over me. If anything, they’d probably be thrilled to have evidence of me with another man—it would give Silvano the perfect reason to break our mate bond and pursue Aurora instead.

The drive to the Moretti estate was long and quiet. By the time I arrived, darkness had fallen completely. Inside the grand house, I found only Luna Victoria and the household staff awaiting our arrival.

The elderly matriarch came to greet me herself, but her smile faltered when she realized I was alone. "Where’s Bella?" she asked, looking behind me expectantly.

She didn’t question Silvano’s absence—that was normal enough—but Isabella typically rode with me to family gatherings.

The truth was, since my foot had healed and I’d joined them for dinner at Silvano’s separate residence, Isabella hadn’t contacted me once. I had no idea where father and daughter had spent their weekend or who they were with. Not that I cared to ask anymore.

"They should be arriving soon," I replied with a practiced smile, though I honestly had no idea if they planned to show up at all.

Luna Victoria seemed satisfied with this answer and ushered me inside.

I spent the next hour and a half making polite conversation with her, but as 7:30 approached with still no sign of Silvano and Isabella, Luna Victoria’s patience began to wear thin.

"What time is it now?" she asked irritably. "Where could they possibly be?" Her face tightened with disapproval as she turned to me. "Freya, call and hurry them along."

I obediently took out my phone and dialed Silvano’s number. He answered almost immediately.

"Twenty minutes," he said before I could even speak, obviously anticipating why I was calling.

I was about to respond when I heard Isabella’s voice in the background.

"Goodbye, Auntie Aurora!"

My grip on the phone tightened slightly. So they were with Aurora, as I’d suspected.

Then came Aurora’s honeyed voice: "Bye, Bella, sweetie." There was a pause before she added, her tone noticeably softer, "I’ll head upstairs now."

"Hmm," was Silvano’s only response to her.

Then his attention returned to me, his voice instantly cooling. "Anything else?"

"No," I replied, planning to end the call, but he beat me to it, disconnecting before I could say another word.

Luna Victoria watched my face carefully. "What happened? Are they not coming?"

"They’ll be here in twenty minutes," I explained, forcing a smile. "Traffic."

Her expression softened marginally at this news, though her displeasure remained evident. "We should start without him. Let him eat cold leftovers for making us wait!"

The household manager cleared his throat discreetly. "Young Miss Isabella is with him as well, ma’am."

Luna Victoria’s anger deflated slightly. "Fine," she huffed. "For Bella’s sake, I’ll let it slide this time."

I said nothing, merely offering a polite smile in response.

True to his word, Silvano and Isabella arrived twenty minutes later. Luna Victoria pointedly ignored her grandson, focusing instead on Isabella with warm affection.

"Bella, darling! Come here!" she called, arms outstretched.

Isabella ran to her great-grandmother first, accepting her embrace and the loving ruffling of her hair before finally approaching me. "Mom," she said, her greeting noticeably more reserved.

"Hi, sweetheart," I replied, giving her a quick hug. As I held her, I caught the faint scent of Aurora’s expensive perfume clinging to her clothes.

I said nothing about it, simply releasing her sooner than I might have otherwise.

Silvano took a seat beside Luna Victoria, presenting her with an elegantly wrapped box. "A peace offering," he said with that charming smile that worked on everyone but me these days.

It contained a painting by an artist Luna Victoria particularly admired—clearly an apology for missing dinner the previous week.

Luna Victoria made a show of being unimpressed despite her obvious pleasure at the gift. "You remembered to bring me something, but what about your mate?" she challenged. "Did you think to get Freya anything to apologize for your absence?"

Silvano’s smile never wavered as his eyes briefly met mine across the table. The look was empty—no guilt, no warmth, nothing at all.

Luna Victoria was trying to advocate for me, to make Silvano show me some consideration. But I knew better than to hope for such gestures anymore.

"The food’s getting cold," I said, changing the subject with practiced ease. "We should eat."