Mate Me in Moonlight

Chapter 123

POV: Adeline

I noticed him watching her during the second day of the delegation's visit.

He was one of Henrik's wolves—tall, with dark hair that fell across his forehead and a quiet intensity in his expression that reminded me of Luca. Every time Freya passed through the hall, his eyes followed her. Not in a predatory way. Something softer. Wondering.

Freya, characteristically, seemed completely oblivious.

She moved through her duties with her usual efficiency—coordinating schedules, managing the delegation's requests, keeping the complex machinery of inter-pack diplomacy running smoothly. If she noticed the dark-haired wolf tracking her movements, she gave no sign.

But I noticed.

And I was absolutely going to say something about it.

I caught her in the corridor after the afternoon meeting, her arms full of documents and her mind clearly elsewhere.

"Freya."

She turned, her expression shifting to that warm, slightly exasperated look she reserved specifically for me. "If this is about the seating arrangement for tonight's dinner, I already fixed it. The Pinecrest Beta won't be next to Marcus anymore."

"It's not about seating arrangements."

"Then what—"

"The dark-haired wolf from Henrik's delegation." I kept my voice light, innocent. "The one who can't stop looking at you. What's his name?"

The flush that swept across Freya's cheeks was immediate and spectacular.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar."

She glanced around the corridor, checking for witnesses, then grabbed my arm and pulled me into an empty side room. The documents in her arms tumbled onto a nearby table as she turned to face me.

"His name is Tobias," she said, her voice dropping to something barely above a whisper. "He's Henrik's senior tracker. We talked briefly yesterday during the grounds tour, and he—I don't know. He was easy to talk to. He made me laugh."

"And?"

"And nothing. He's from another pack. He'll leave in two days. There's no point in—" She broke off, her hands twisting together in a gesture I'd never seen from her before. Freya, who was always so confident, so sure. "I'm being ridiculous."

I leaned against the wall, studying her. "You're being scared."

The word landed between us like a stone in still water.

"I'm scared," she admitted, her voice smaller than I'd ever heard it. "What if I'm not enough? What if he looks closer and decides I'm not what he thought? I've watched other wolves find their mates, find their happiness, and I always told myself my time would come. But what if it doesn't? What if I'm meant to—"

"Stop."

She fell silent.

"Freya." I stepped closer, taking her hands in mine. "You are more than enough. You have been my anchor since I arrived at this pack. You welcomed me when I was broken. You believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself. Any wolf would be lucky to see you clearly."

Her eyes glistened. "But—"

"No buts. Let yourself be seen. That's all. You don't have to have all the answers. You just have to be brave enough to let someone look."

The evening gathering was informal—a chance for both packs to mingle before the delegation departed.

I positioned myself where I could watch without being obvious, Aiden a warm presence beside me, his amusement threading through the bond as he realized what I was doing.

Matchmaking? His mental voice was warm with humor.

Observing. There's a difference.

Of course there is.

Freya entered the hall, and I watched her scan the room—casual, seemingly random. But her gaze stopped when it found Tobias, standing near the eastern windows.

He was already looking at her.

For a moment, neither of them moved. The space between them felt charged, electric with possibility. I saw Freya's throat work as she swallowed. Saw her shoulders straighten.

Then she crossed the room.

I couldn't hear their conversation from where I stood, but I didn't need to. The way he turned to face her fully, giving her his complete attention. The way her hands gestured as she spoke, animated in a way she rarely allowed herself to be with strangers. The smile that spread across his face—genuine, warm, lighting up his features.

She laughed at something he said. He laughed back.

They were still talking when I finally looked away, letting them have their privacy. Whatever was building between them, it was fragile. New. The kind of spark that could catch or die depending on how carefully it was tended.

Aiden's arm settled around my waist, and I leaned into him.

"It's not a romance yet," I murmured.

"No," he agreed, following my gaze. "But it's a beginning."

A beginning. After everything—the war, the losses, the long months of survival—we were all finally finding our way to new beginnings.

I smiled and let the warmth of it spread through me.

Freya deserved this. Deserved happiness, deserved hope, deserved someone who looked at her the way Tobias was looking at her right now.

Not a romance yet.

But a beginning.

And sometimes, beginnings were everything.