Chapter 227

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 unca