"Freya, what the hell is this divorce agreement supposed to mean?"

Niklaus's dark voice jolted Freya fully awake.

"Exactly what it says."

Niklaus let out a cold laugh. "Come to my office and take this garbage with you. Eight o'clock tonight, I want to see you at the pack house, along with... your luggage."

When Niklaus went to their bedroom, he found that Freya had already packed and taken all her clothes.

Freya said helplessly, "Niklaus, you..."

The line had already gone dead.

Freya didn't understand why Niklaus wouldn't just sign the divorce papers. Their contract was already over. She had graciously stepped down from the Luna position, hadn't she?

After washing up, Freya went to Lockwood Enterprises. As Niklaus's Luna, besides handling pack affairs for him, she also helped with company matters.

The first thing Freya did at the company was write her resignation letter. Passing colleagues saw this, and the news spread through the administrative building immediately.

By the time she headed to print it, voices drifted from the break room.

The usual venom filled the air.

"So last night's news was true. Rebekah got hurt, Alpha carried her to the hospital. He's definitely choosing Rebekah."

"Poor Freya's getting kicked out. Everyone says she stole Rebekah's Luna position."

"She claimed at the ceremony that she was his fated mate. So manipulative."

"A divorced Omega? She'll end up Rogue."

Fury blazed through Freya. Three years of biting her tongue, of trying to earn their respect through kindness and hard work--and this was what she got. Malicious gossip and backstabbing.

Enough.

Freya walked straight into the break room. "Actually," she said, loud enough for the entire floor to hear, "I'm the one resigning."

Dead silence.

"Must be hard being rejected by an Alpha," one woman said with false sympathy.

Freya laughed. "Rejected? I filed for divorce. I moved out. And honestly? I got tired of playing with just one Alpha. There's a whole world out there."

Shocked gasps filled the room. Freya knew she was being scandalous--suggesting she'd grown bored with an Alpha was practically blasphemous. But the stunned looks on their faces? Worth it.

"Social gathering?" Niklaus's voice sliced through the tension.

Everyone scattered like startled deer.

His eyes found hers immediately.

"My office. Now."

Freya lifted her chin, refusing to show weakness. She walked past him into his corner office.

Niklaus was leaning against the desk, arms crossed, eyes dark.

"Care to explain what I just witnessed out there?" he asked.

Freya placed the envelope on the desk.

"My resignation," she said, voice clipped. "Effective immediately."

His gaze flicked to the envelope, then back to her face. She looked different somehow. Colder. More distant.

"And that comment about 'playing with Alphas'?"

As an Alpha, his pride was everything. The idea that she saw their relationship as a game made his blood boil.

Her mouth curved, just barely. "I gave them something to talk about. They gossip about me anyway."

That did it.

"So that's what I was to you." His voice turned cutting. "A game. Three years of marriage, and you turn it into gossip?"

She opened her mouth to explain, then closed it. What was the point?

"I want a divorce."

He let out a cold laugh. He reached for a folder and tossed it onto the surface. Papers slid free--the divorce documents she'd had delivered.

"You came prepared," he said. "Very thorough."

"Our contract expired last night--this is just making it official."

He stilled completely. The contract expired last night? He had completely forgotten about it. But Freya--Freya had remembered it clearly. She'd been counting down the days, hadn't she? Waiting for her freedom.

For a heartbeat, nothing moved in the room. The silence stretched between them.

"You remembered." The words came out sharp, bitter.

"Yes."

His jaw tightened. "You didn't even speak to me first. Didn't think I deserved a conversation before you decided to blow up our lives?"

"There was nothing left to say."

"Nothing left to say. Right." His voice turned ice-cold. "And what about your little trip to The Royal Crescent Hotel? Was Jonas Saltzman there waiting for you?"

Freya's eyes widened in genuine shock. "Jonas?"

Why would he think she was with Jonas? Was he actually accusing her of cheating?

"I would never cheat on you," she said, her voice sharp with hurt and anger.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. I've already moved out, and my lawyer has drawn up a fair settlement. All you need to do is sign."

"I'm not signing this," Niklaus said coldly.His tone brooked no argument.

For a moment, hope flickered in Freya's chest. Did he not want to divorce her?

"Half of my assets?" He jabbed his finger at the papers.

His voice was getting sharper, crueler. "Really? Is that what this was always about? A big payday? Did you spend three years playing sweet and obedient just to cash out?"

The hope died instantly. Even now, he thought the worst of her.

"You've always thought I was a gold digger?"

"What else should I think? The moment our contract ends, you want half of everything I own."

Niklaus was beyond reason now, his anger making him cruel. "You married me to pay off your debts, didn't you? If it wasn't about money, what was it for? If you hadn't caught me at that party, you would have climbed into another Alpha's bed just the same."

Every word cut like a dagger. Three years of bowing her head, of enduring whispers and cruel gossip--every cruel rumor she'd ever heard about herself was now pouring from his lips like poison.

That was the cut that went deepest.

So this was it--this was the end.

"Keep your money," she said, her voice trembling with hurt and fury.

He looked up, confusion flickering across his features.

"I don't want your money," she continued. "Your name or anything from you except my freedom."

She straightened, gathering every ounce of dignity she had left.

"I, Freya Gilbert, reject you, Niklaus Lockwood of the Whitecrown Pack."

The formal words of rejection rang through the room clearly.

Pain ripped through her chest as she severed the mate bond herself. Each word felt like cutting away a piece of her soul.

He stared at her, completely stunned. Niklaus hadn't expected her to have the nerve to reject him first. Rage and panic flooded through him. He was supposed to be in control of this relationship, of this situation. How dare she reject him!

"The divorce papers included asset division because it's a legal requirement. I don't need your money."

She took a shaky breath, fighting to keep her tears from falling.

"Thank you for clearing my father's debts." Her voice wavered slightly.

"Thank you for giving me a home when I had nowhere else to go."

The words came harder now, each one a struggle. "This is goodbye, Niklaus. I hope you and the woman you love will be happy together."

She turned toward the door. Every step felt like walking through glass, but she forced herself to keep moving.

"No." Niklaus's voice rang out, hard and final.

She froze.

"I don't accept your rejection."

Pain ripped through Niklaus's chest the moment Freya uttered those words of rejection. His face remained stoic, but his blue eyes darkened to stormy red.

"I command you to stay," he growled, his Alpha authority vibrating through the air.

Freya's knees buckled as the mate bond protested violently against her rejection. Her body trembled with effort to remain standing, the agony clawing through her veins like wildfire.

Vicki whimpered inside her mind.

"We can't leave him. It hurts too much."

"We have to," Freya answered silently. "We can't live like this anymore."

Niklaus stalked toward her. His tall frame loomed over her petite one as he reached out, his finger tilting her chin up. His touch sent unwanted sparks across her skin despite the pain.

"You'd endure this excruciating pain just to get away from me?" he asked, his deep voice rough with hurt and anger. "Is staying with me really that unbearable?"

He laughed, cold and mocking. "Without me, how will you support yourself? With that pathetic thousand-dollar monthly salary? You can't even pay rent, let alone afford that necklace around your throat."

The contempt in his voice was unmistakable.The diamond necklace suddenly felt like a shackle around her throat.

Freya twisted her head, trying to escape his grip, but moving only made the rejection pain worse.

"That's my problem," she managed through gritted teeth. "Not yours to worry about."

"Ha," Niklaus scoffed, anger flashing in his eyes. "Have you already found my replacement? Someone to warm your bed and pay your bills?"

She said nothing. It wasn't true, but she wouldn't give him the pleasure of denying it.

Niklaus took her silence as confirmation. His jaw tightened, anger flashing across his face. He released her chin, stepping back with a cold smile.

"Perhaps there's something you don't understand," he said. "You have no authority to decide whether we sever our mate bond."

Freya looked confused. Was his behavior simply because she'd initiated the divorce? Had she wounded his Alpha pride? Or perhaps he worried about Rebekah's reputation if his Luna rejected him first.

After all, just submitting her resignation had sent the entire company into gossip overdrive.

Seeing that their conversation was going nowhere, Freya decided to make her position clear.

"Whether you agree or not, I want a divorce and I won't move back in with you."

Niklaus stared down at her, his shoulders tense. "So you're saying you want to leave me."

The word "leave" made Freya's heart clench painfully, both bitter and aching. After all this time, she still reacted to him.

"According to the contract, we don't need to live together anymore," she clarified, avoiding his intense gaze.

Niklaus studied her for several seconds, his expression unreadable.

A knock interrupted their standoff. Beta Dale's voice came through the door. "Alpha Niklaus, the meeting is about to start."

"Move back in," Niklaus said before walking out.

Freya stayed where she was. "Niklaus, I'm not coming back."

Niklaus seemed unmoved. "When have you said that before?"

In that moment, Freya knew he didn't believe her. She didn't bother arguing further. He would eventually understand that this time, she truly wasn't returning.

Freya's resignation letter remained on his desk when she left Lockwood Enterprises. If he refused to accept it, that was his problem. They could sue her if they wanted.

She returned to her hotel suite, sinking into a hot shower and then nestling into the ridiculously expensive Egyptian cotton sheets. A petty revenge, but satisfying.

Around midnight, loud knocking shattered her peace. Tightening her robe, she opened the door to find the hotel manager, his smile tight and uncomfortable.

"Miss Gilbert, sorry to bother you so late, but there's an issue with your room."

Freya raised an eyebrow. "What kind of issue?"

"Electrical problems," he said awkwardly, gesturing toward the ceiling. "Fire hazard. We need to move you. Now."

"Fine," Freya sighed, too tired to argue. "Give me another room."

The manager's smile tightened further. "I deeply regret to inform you that we're fully booked tonight."

Freya immediately understood what was happening. Only one person could force a five-star hotel to kick out a guest at midnight.

"Niklaus is behind this, isn't he?" she asked bluntly.

The manager looked away. "Miss Gilbert, this is standard protocol for--"

"Cut the crap," Freya cut him off. "He thinks forcing me out will send me crawling back to his pack house."

The manager said nothing. That was answer enough.

Freya swore under her breath and started throwing her stuff into her suitcase.

Twenty minutes later.

Freya grabbed her suitcase and headed for the exit.

"Miss Gilbert, wait!" The receptionist hurried over. "There's a cancellation fee."

Freya stopped dead. "You're kicking me out and charging me for it?"

"We refunded your money, but you're still leaving early. I believe we mentioned the cancellation penalty when you checked in. Hotel policy."

The logic was insane, but Freya was too tired to argue. Fine. She'd use Niklaus's card.

She handed over the black card.

"I'm sorry, Miss Gilbert," the receptionist said, clearly embarrassed. "It seems there's an issue with your card."

Freya's stomach dropped. She dug through her wallet and pulled out another card. Declined. Then another. Declined.

Every single one.

Freya couldn't believe it. Niklaus had frozen every single card linked to his.

Cutting off her money? Really? He really thought this would force her home?

The receptionist kept smiling, but her eyes had changed.

Freya recognized that look--contempt, judgment. The fallen Luna who couldn't even pay a hotel bill.

Too bad for them. She wasn't putting on a show anymore.

Freya smiled back and pulled out a gold card. "Try this one. Thank you."

The receptionist's eyes widened slightly at the exclusive card.

"The payment went through perfectly, Miss Gilbert," the receptionist confirmed, surprised.

Freya smiled. "Excellent."

She took the card back from the receptionist.

Outside the hotel, a familiar black Bentley pulled up to the curb. Daniel, Niklaus's longtime driver, stepped out and reached for her luggage.

"Luna Freya," he greeted formally. "Alpha Niklaus sent me to bring you home."

"How considerate," she said sarcastically.

Freya stepped away from his offered hand. "And I suppose if I check into another hotel, he'll have me kicked out of there too?"

Daniel's silence said it all.

Her phone rang, Niklaus's name lighting up the screen.

Freya answered with a deep breath.

"What do you want?"

"Get in the car, Freya," Niklaus commanded, his voice glacial. "This childish game ends now."

"Game?" She laughed bitterly. "Is that what you think this is?"

"You've made your point. Now it's time to come home."

"That's not my home anymore." Freya's jaw clenched.

"You have two options," Niklaus continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Either Daniel brings you back to the pack house where you belong, or you can try surviving without any of our resources. Your choice."

"Our resources?" Freya repeated incredulously. "You mean the resources you're cutting me off from? The credit cards you've frozen? The hotel room you just had me evicted from?"

"You didn't think I'd let you use my money to fund your little rebellion, did you?"

His voice dripped with smugness. "Be realistic, Freya. Where will you go? What will you do? You've been playing Luna for three years--you have no job, no income."

Anger flared hot in Freya's chest. "You think I'm completely dependent on you? That I can't survive without your money or protection?"

"I think you're being stubborn and irrational," Niklaus said, his voice hardening. "Either you come home willingly, or I'll come get you myself."

"Try it," she challenged, ending the call before he could respond.

Daniel fidgeted awkwardly beside the car. "Luna Freya, please. The Alpha is only concerned for your safety."

"No, Daniel." Freya forced a tight smile. "And I'm not Luna Freya anymore. Tell your Alpha that from now on, I'm just Freya Gilbert."

She turned and walked away.

Her phone buzzed with text messages from Niklaus, each more threatening than the last.

Ignoring them, she checked her missed calls. Three were from Fiona, her best friend and owner of Azure Gallery.

"Where the hell have you been?" Fiona asked straight out. "I've been trying to reach you all night!"

"It's a long story," Freya sighed, flagging down a taxi.

"Can I crash at your place?" Freya asked. "For a while. Niklaus got me kicked out of my hotel and I doubt any other hotel in the city will take me."

"What a petty asshole," Fiona growled. "Of course you can stay. But that's not why I called."

"What's up?" Freya asked curiously.

"Good news. Huge news," Fiona said mysteriously. "We're definitely celebrating when you get here."

Freya hung up and got in the cab. Daniel's car followed her the entire way, but she ignored it.

Getting out, she grabbed her suitcase from the trunk and accidentally cut her hand on a sharp edge.

It bled but wasn't serious.

Fiona lived on the 17th floor. Knowing she was coming, she'd left the door open.

When Freya walked in with her suitcase, Fiona jumped--she hadn't mentioned luggage on the phone.

She looked like a runaway.

Fiona took the suitcase from her.

"If you'd told me about the luggage, I could've helped you carry it up... Oh my god, what happened to your hand?"

Seeing Fiona frantically searching for a first aid kit, Freya stopped her. "It's fine. It'll heal fast."

"Your hands are made of gold! Can't you be more careful? Pianists practically keep their hands in safety deposit boxes."

Freya laughed despite everything. The darkness of the past few days lifted a little. "This won't affect anything."

After settling in, Freya sat on Fiona's couch. "So what's this big news you couldn't tell me over the phone?"

Fiona pulled a bottle of red wine from the fridge and poured two glasses. "First, let's celebrate you getting out of that mess!"

They clinked glasses and Freya took a sip. Those three years as contract Luna had been exhausting.

Fiona sat beside Freya. "Edward Bravy was in the gallery today."

Freya sat up straighter. "Edward Bravy? The Edward Bravy? Head of Bravy Studios?"

"The very same," Fiona confirmed, excitement evident in her voice. "He was looking at your paintings, the ones under the name 'F', and he was absolutely blown away. Kept asking who the artist was, said he'd been trying to track you down for years."

"What did you tell him?" Freya asked, her heart racing.

"Nothing yet. I said I'd try to reach the artist, but wanted to talk to you first. Freya, he wants to offer you a position at his studio. This is huge!"

A position at Bravy Studios. Every serious artist dreamed of working there--for the resources, mentorship, exposure to the right collectors and critics. It was everything Freya had wanted before her life had been derailed by debt and desperation.

"Did he leave his contact information?" Freya asked, hardly daring to hope.

"Better. He's coming back Thursday afternoon. Said he'd wait all day if necessary." Fiona paused. "This could be your ticket to a whole new life, Frey. A life where you don't need Alpha Niklaus."

Independence, freedom--the chance to be valued for her talent rather than her status as an Alpha's mate.

Vicki stirred inside her. "Maybe this is your chance."

"Yes," Freya murmured. "I think it is."

"I'll be there," Freya promised. "What time?"

"Two o'clock. And Frey? Wear something fabulous. This is your moment."

***

Outside the hospital room, Niklaus read Daniel's text message with growing disbelief.

[Luna Freya didn't return home. She's staying at a friend's place.]

He had frozen her cards.

He had made sure no hotel in the city would take her.

She was supposed to have nowhere else to go.

A friend?

Niklaus stared at his phone. Freya had friends? In three years of marriage, she'd never mentioned anyone. Male or female?

His wolf Flex whined miserably in his mind. Their mate was rejecting them, and lately Flex had been growing more despondent by the day.

Niklaus immediately texted his beta, Dale, find out whose place she's staying at. Now.

"Niklaus?"

A soft voice called from the hospital room. He turned to see Rebekah looking at him with worried eyes.

"Is everything okay? You look upset." She bit her lip nervously. "Is Freya angry that you've been here with me? The doctor says I'll be discharged soon."

"No," Niklaus said quickly. "Just work stuff."

He cleared his throat. "When is your manager coming to look after you?"

"Hannah should be here any minute."

Rebekah shifted closer to him, her voice trembling. "What if I can never dance again?"

Guilt crashed over him. She'd gotten hurt trying to save Freya. Maybe she'd never dance again because of that.

"Don't worry about it," he said softly. "Whatever you want to do, my company can help you."

"Thank you so much." Rebekah moved to hug him.

Niklaus went rigid but didn't push her away.

Just then, Hannah walked in.

"Am I interrupting something?" Hannah asked playfully.

Rebekah blushed and let go of his arm.

"I should go," Niklaus said immediately, stepping back.

As he reached the door, his phone buzzed. A text from Beta Dale.

[Luna Freya's staying with Fiona Martinez, owner of Azure Gallery. ]

Niklaus stopped in his tracks. Azure Gallery? Why did that name sound familiar?