Chapter 156

Freya Six Years Later I arrived at the Northern Territory airport just past nine,the weight of my birthday hanging in the air like an unspoken promise. When I turned on my phone,a flood of notifications lit up my screen—birthday wishes from colleagues and friends in the tech industry where I'd built my reputation as an AI development pioneer. I scrolled through the endless notifications,my heart skipping every time a new message popped up—until I realized none of them were from him. I felt my wolf stir restlessly within me,seeking connection with its mate. The bond between us had once been so strong that we could sense each other's emotions across continents. Now it felt stretched thin,fragile as gossamer. "Happy birthday to me," I whispered,tucking my phone away as I headed for the exit. By the time my cab pulled up to our sprawling woodland villa—a property Silvano had purchased when expanding the Shadow Pack's business interests into this territory—it was already past ten. Sara,our