When he realized Riven was gone, he whispered drowsily, “Daddy’s sneaking out to meet Sorenna again… next time I’ll try to follow.”
Freya froze.
Her heart cracked, splinter by splinter, as her gaze fell upon her young pup.
Realizing what he had just revealed, Kael clapped a hand over his mouth and hugged her tightly.
“Mother… Daddy must be working,” he murmured, trying to comfort her. “But I’ll stay with you. I’ll never leave.”
Even so, regret flickered in his golden eyes.
Freya said nothing. She didn’t stroke his hair or tell him he was a good pup, as she once would. She only pulled the blankets over him and stared blankly at the ceiling.
When the sound of Riven’s carriage echoed from below, she curled into herself, covering her ears.
Maybe if she blocked out the noise, maybe she could pretend he truly was working and not wrapped around another she-wolf.
Riven never returned that night. Nor the next morning.
As Freya sat for breakfast, her crystal-comms chimed with a message.
[I instructed Jane to prepare warming chicken broth for you. Make sure to drink some. Let the nanny take Kael to pup school. You should rest more and avoid tiring yourself.]