Mated to My Intended's Enemy novel Chapter 222

Chapter 222: Chapter 222 When He Wants Her Again

Freya’s POV

I woke just before seven, the early morning light filtering through the curtains of Isabella’s room. For a moment, I savored the warmth and weight of my daughter curled against me, her breathing soft and rhythmic. These peaceful moments had become rare treasures in my life.

A few minutes later, Isabella stirred, her small arms wrapping around my neck as her eyes fluttered open. "Mommy, you stayed," she murmured sleepily, a smile spreading across her face.

"I promised I would," I replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She snuggled closer, her voice taking on that sweet, pleading tone she knew I could rarely resist. "Will you take me to school today? Please?"

My heart swelled. "Of course I will, little wolf."

After we’d both showered and dressed, we headed downstairs for breakfast. The kitchen staff greeted us warmly, though I noticed a few surprised glances.

We had just settled at the table when Silvano entered. The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately, charged with unspoken tension. Isabella, oblivious to the undercurrents between her parents, beamed at her father.

"Good morning, Daddy!" Her voice rang with childlike enthusiasm.

"Morning," Silvano replied, his eyes flickering briefly to meet mine before he took the seat across from us.

No "good morning" for me. No acknowledgment beyond that fleeting glance. My wolf, Selene, stirred restlessly within me, longing for more from her mate.

Silence descended as we ate. Though Silvano had agreed to address the Howlthorne Pack situation, it clearly hadn’t changed the fundamental disconnect between us.

After breakfast, I drove Isabella to school, savoring every moment of her animated chatter about her friends and the science project they were working on. When we arrived, she hugged me tightly before racing off to join her friends, looking back once to wave.

I watched until she disappeared inside, then headed to Moretti AI Solutions—the small tech firm I’d established with Johnny, my former college classmate and now business partner. Ever since we’d attended the tech expo last month, we’d been buzzing with new ideas but hadn’t had time to fully explore them while finalizing our collaboration with Umbra Technologies.

Today, finally, we could focus on developing those concepts.

"There she is!" Johnny called as I entered our modest conference room. "I was beginning to think you’d abandoned us for the billionaire life again."

I rolled my eyes at his teasing. "The day’s just starting, and we’ve got mountains to climb."

For the next several hours, I lost myself in work—the one place where I still felt fully competent and valued. We debated algorithm improvements, sketched system architecture on whiteboards, and outlined potential applications for our enhanced predictive models. The atmosphere was collaborative, energetic, respectful—everything my home life wasn’t.

As evening approached, I resigned myself to ordering takeout and working late into the night. We were making breakthrough progress, and I was reluctant to break the momentum.

At around six-thirty, my phone vibrated against the conference table. Silvano’s name flashed on the screen.

I excused myself and stepped into the hallway before answering. "Hello?"

"My mother’s here." His voice was clipped, direct. "Come home early."

Before I could respond, the call ended.

I stood motionless for a moment, staring at my phone. Luna Victoria—Silvano’s mother—had arrived unexpectedly, and I was expected to drop everything and appear as the dutiful mate. The perfect Luna.

When I returned to the conference room, Johnny took one look at my face and raised an eyebrow. "Pack politics?"

"Luna politics," I corrected with a sigh. "I need to go."

"Go ahead," he said, understanding in his eyes. "We’ll compile the meeting notes and send you the action items. You can review them when you get a chance."

"You’re the best," I said gratefully, gathering my things.

He playfully pushed my shoulder. "I know. Now get out of here before your mate comes looking for you."

Thirty minutes later, I pulled into the driveway of our home, noting Silvano’s SUV already parked. As I entered, I found them in the living room—Silvano, Luna Victoria, and Isabella—seated on the sofa engaged in conversation.

Silvano noticed me first, his eyes tracking my movement, but he remained silent. It was Luna Victoria who rose to greet me, her smile warm despite the circumstances.

"Freya, you’re home!" she exclaimed, moving to embrace me.

When we returned to the house, Victoria yawned delicately. "I think I’ll shower and turn in early."

I was about to wish her goodnight when the implication of her words struck me. If she was staying overnight, where exactly was she sleeping? I looked questioningly at Silvano.

He waited until his mother had moved out of earshot before explaining. "My mother plans to stay here for a while."

"What?" I stood frozen in place, mind racing.

Without elaborating further, Silvano simply said, "I’ll be in my study," and headed upstairs, leaving me to process this new complication alone.

Isabella came bounding down the stairs then, grabbing my hand and pulling me up to her room to help with her Rubik’s cube. I welcomed the distraction, though my mind kept returning to the implications of Victoria’s extended stay.

With Luna Victoria occupying one of the guest rooms, I would need to return to the master bedroom—with Silvano. After months of separate living arrangements, the prospect of sharing that intimate space again sent conflicting emotions coursing through me.

Later, after helping Isabella prepare for bed, I made my way to the master suite. Silvano wasn’t there—still in his study, presumably. I used the time to respond to some of Johnny’s messages, though several technical questions required more thought than I could muster in my distracted state.

Finally, I headed to the bathroom to shower, hoping the hot water would ease the tension in my shoulders and help clear my mind.

As I finished and wrapped myself in a towel, I realized I’d forgotten to bring in clean sleep pants. The clothes I’d worn earlier were damp from water I’d splashed while washing my face.

Silvano likely wouldn’t be back yet...

After a moment’s hesitation, I opened the bathroom door and stepped into the bedroom, intending to quickly grab something from my dresser.

Instead, I found myself looking directly into Silvano’s eyes, his gaze immediately dropping to take in my state of undress.

My wolf, Selene, surged to attention, acutely aware of her mate’s presence and the sudden shift in his scent. I froze, one hand clutching my towel, my skin prickling with awareness beneath his intense stare.

For the first time in months, I saw raw, undisguised desire in my mate’s eyes.