Mated to My Intended's Enemy novel Chapter 227

Chapter 227: Chapter 227 A Heartbreaking Decision

Freya’s POV

Sleep never came that night. I stared at the ceiling, Silvano’s words echoing through my mind.

Those black lines beneath his collar... they weren’t normal. My scientific mind cataloged everything I’d observed: his physical pain when touching me, eight months of gradual withdrawal, the energy disturbance my system had detected. The pieces formed a terrifying puzzle I wasn’t sure I wanted to solve.

By dawn’s first light, Silvano was gone. His side of the bed barely disturbed, as though he’d spent the night perched on the edge, afraid to relax even in sleep. The only evidence he’d been there at all was his lingering scent.

"Daddy left early again?" Isabella asked when I entered her room to help her prepare for school.

"He had important pack business," I replied automatically, the excuse worn thin from overuse.

As I brushed her hair, I caught Isabella watching me in the mirror, her expression far too serious for a five-year-old. One-quarter fairy bloodline had given her an uncanny perception that sometimes made me forget she was still a child.

"You’re wearing your sad-but-trying-to-hide-it face," she observed.

"Am I that obvious?" I attempted a light tone while braiding her hair.

She nodded solemnly. "Mommy, did you and Daddy have a fight?"

"No, sweetie. Sometimes we just... need space."

The drive to school was filled with Isabella’s chatter about her upcoming history project, but my mind kept drifting to Silvano and those ominous black lines. By the time I dropped her off, kissing her forehead and watching her run to meet her friends, my determination had solidified.

I needed answers.

---

The Moretti AI Solutions building gleamed in the morning sunlight as I pulled into my reserved parking space.

I locked myself in my private lab, pulling up the previous night’s system data. The Artemis system—my creation—had originally been designed to monitor pack territory for intruders. Over time, I’d expanded it to track energy signatures, bond strengths, and supernatural anomalies. It was still experimental, but the patterns it had detected around Silvano were unmistakable.

Time stamps clearly showed:

*Silvano’s proximity → Energy interference increases → Black corruption waveform appears*

"What are you doing to yourself?" I whispered, tracing the pattern with my finger.

According to all historical data in our archives, this resembled a "curse feedback loop"—ancient magic that should be extinct in modern werewolf society. The more I analyzed, the more my heart raced with fear. If my interpretation was correct, Silvano was under a powerful curse specifically targeting our mate bond.

A knock at my door broke my concentration.

"Enter," I called, quickly minimizing the screen.

Johnny leaned against the doorframe. His eyes narrowed as he took in my appearance.

"You look like you just crawled out of a battlefield," he observed, setting a coffee on my desk. "Spill it. Who’s responsible? Silvano? Xander from accounting? Or that Aurora who materializes out of thin air whenever your husband needs ’assistance’?"

I accepted the coffee gratefully. "It’s complicated."

"t I’ve never seen you this rattled." he replied with the casual irreverence.

The computer beeped, bringing my attention back to the screen where a new data pattern had formed. My blood turned to ice as I read the projection.

"Johnny," I said quietly, "I need you to reschedule all my meetings today."

He studied my face. "That serious?"

"Life or death," I answered, not bothering to mask the tremor in my voice.

After Johnny left, I stared at the screen’s horrifying conclusion: at the current progression rate, the curse was consuming Silvano from within. His body couldn’t sustain it much longer—perhaps weeks, maybe only days.

For the first time since our relationship began deteriorating, I felt real fear grip my heart. Not fear of abandonment or rejection, but raw terror that Silvano might die while I stood helplessly by, unaware of what he was fighting.

Evening found me pulling into our driveway, my mind armed with knowledge but my heart heavy with dread. The house lights were on, suggesting Silvano was home—unusual for these days.

Luna Victoria met me in the foye.

"Isabella is already asleep," she informed me. "She was tired after her playdate with Cici."

"Thank you for looking after her," I said, hanging my coat.

Victoria hesitated, something rare for her. "He’s in the garden."

I nodded, understanding the unspoken message.

I found Silvano seated on the stone bench beneath the ancient oak tree where we’d first declared our feelings for each other years ago.

"Containing it by destroying our bond?" I stepped closer, ignoring his flinch. "Because that’s what this curse is designed to do, isn’t it? Sever us permanently."

The pain in his eyes confirmed my suspicion.

"If our bond breaks," I continued, "the curse feeds on that rupture, growing stronger. But if we maintain the connection—"

"Then you’ll die too," he interrupted harshly. "The curse will spread through our bond and consume you. Why do you think I’ve been keeping my distance? Limiting our contact? Fighting every instinct that tells me to claim you, mark you, remind every wolf in our territory that you’re mine?"

His confession sent heat spiraling through me despite the dire situation. Eight months of believing he no longer desired me, only to learn he’d been fighting his instincts to protect me.

"So you chose to suffer alone," I whispered.

"I chose to keep you alive," he corrected. "You and Isabella are everything to me."

"And you thought I’d just let you die?" I moved closer, close enough that he had to look directly into my eyes. "That I’d accept Aurora taking your place? Taking your life?"

His brow furrowed. "Aurora? What does she have to do with this?"

The genuine confusion in his voice gave me pause. Before I could respond, the garden lights suddenly illuminated, and Victoria’s voice called from the patio door.

"Silvano, Aurora is here. She says it’s urgent."

As if summoned by our conversation, Aurora appeared in the doorway, her striking figure silhouetted against the house lights. Even from this distance, I could see her perfect smile falter when she spotted us standing close together.

"I’m sorry to interrupt," she said, not sounding sorry at all. "But there’s been an incident at the northern border. The Granite Ridge wolves are requesting immediate assistance."

Silvano’s posture shifted. "I’ll be right there."

As he moved toward the house, I caught his arm, ignoring the wince my touch caused him.

"This conversation isn’t over," I said, low enough that only he could hear. "I won’t let you face this alone anymore."

For a breathtaking moment, raw emotion flooded his eyes—longing, fear, and something that looked remarkably like hope. Then the cold mask slid back into place.

"Take care of Isabella," he said formally.

I watched him walk away with Aurora, her hand subtly coming to rest on his arm in a gesture far too familiar.