Freya's POV
Before I went to bed at night, my cell phone rang suddenly.
I glanced at the caller ID; it was Grace's number, and my expression soured.
I furrowed my brow.
Why was Grace calling me all of a sudden?
After a moment of hesitation, I reluctantly answered the phone.
"I heard you've rejected Kingsley and left the pack?" Grace's voice immediately emanated from the phone, as a viper spitting out venom.
I couldn't help but hold the phone away from my ear and waited for her to finish before I responded faintly, "That's correct. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
Thinking that she had actually tampered with the medicine she gave me, I really didn't want to exchange another word with such a malicious person.
"Let's meet tomorrow morning at ten o'clock at the Eclipse Cafe."
Just as I was about to hang up, Grace's voice chimed in again.
I clenched my jaw and replied, "Sorry, I'm not available."
Grace responded nonchalantly, "You don't want me to show up at your workplace or where your friends work either, do you?"
I gripped my cell phone tightly, and my face darkened.
Grace continued, "Don't be late. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she hung up.
I lay in bed, tossing and turning, contemplating the upcoming meeting with Grace.
I debated whether I should bring a knife for self-defense when we met tomorrow.
Eventually, I made up my mind and removed Kingsley's number from my blacklist.
Just as I was about to text Kingsley, I received a series of messages from him.
"You're back in touch with Finley?"
"I can explain about the funeral."
"Are you still mad at me?"
"When are you coming back?"
"Listen to me, Finley is not a good person!"
"You should stay away from him!"
"I'm worried about you..."
"You're not angry anymore?"
I rubbed my forehead, feeling exasperated, and sent a text message in response, "Shut up! See you tomorrow morning at 10:20 at the Eclipse Café! No early arrivals!"
The next day, I went to the Eclipse Cafe.
"Looks like I underestimated you. I didn't think you actually had the courage to reject Kingsley and leave the pack," Grace said grimly, casting me an unfavorable gaze.
I smiled and took a sip of my coffee. "It's not too late to find out. I did underestimate you, too."
Grace appeared a bit confused. "What did you say?"
I raised my eyes and gazed at her coldly. "Wolfsbane. You put wolfsbane in the medicine you gave me, didn't you? It's my fault; I underestimated your wickedness to the point that it took me so long to realize you poisoned me."
Grace's eyes widened briefly before she resumed her composure.
"What proof do you have that I poisoned you with wolfsbane?" Grace snorted softly. "I had someone else buy that drug. I could just as easily claim I had no knowledge of it."
I clenched my fists.
Grace delicately stirred her cup and met my eyes. "As Kingsley's mother, I was deeply concerned about his delay in producing an heir. I didn't blame you; in fact, I even enlisted a friend to help find medicine to regulate your body. I simply didn't realize that wolfsbane was mixed into that medication. Freya, do you believe a judge would buy my statement in court?"
I clenched my hands. I had seriously underestimated Grace; even when confronted directly, she managed to respond without flinching.
"You're right, but what if I were to make this public?" I said slowly. "Don't forget the power of rumors; they can be enough to tarnish a person's reputation. If this were to spread, and with the fact that I haven't conceived in years to back it up, more people might believe that you, as Alpha Kingsley's mother, are selfish and malicious. At that point, do you think anyone would still want their daughter to be chosen as Kingsley's mate? Furthermore, an Alpha who can't have a mate or an heir—do you think he stands a chance to compete for the future Lycan King position?"
Grace fixed a wicked look in her eyes as she gazed at me.
"No one will believe this rumor!"
I leaned back and said, "It doesn't matter, but considering how highly Lycan King regards Kingsley, what do you think he'll do to you once this rumor tarnishes your reputation?"
Grace's expression turned ugly as sin. She took a deep breath, desperately trying to maintain her composure, then raised her eyes to appraise me.
"Now that you've rejected Kingsley and left the pack, you're no longer the Luna of the pack, so..." Grace paused and glanced at me. "Hand over that Luna necklace."
I snorted, "Grace, you're mistaken. Didn't Kingsley inform you that he hasn't accepted my rejection yet?"
Grace frowned upon hearing this. "What?"
Then, in a patronizing tone, she said, "Tell you what, make an offer. Sell me that necklace, and the money you receive will at least make your life easier."
The Luna necklace is a moon-shaped red diamond pendant that Kingsley personally bestowed upon me during our Matching Ceremony, signifying that I am the Luna of the pack. However, after I rejected Kingsley and left the pack in a rush during our argument, I never had the opportunity to return the necklace to him.
Still, I wondered why Grace was suddenly interested in this necklace, to the extent that she was willing to pay for it.
I raised my eyes to her with a meaningful look and asked, "Do you really want it?"
Grace frowned. "Of course!"
I smiled and replied, "Alright, then a hundred million dollars."
Grace's expression changed. "Freya, are you out of your mind?"
I quirked the corner of my mouth and spoke softly, "Regardless of what you think, I won't sell it for less than a hundred million."
Grace's face darkened completely, and she reached for the coffee on the table, as if about to splash it on me. "What the hell do you think you are?"
Just before the scalding hot coffee could reach my face, a figure stepped in front of me.
Kingsley scowled and glared coldly at Grace. "What are you doing?"
By now, his white shirt was stained with brown grime.
Grace hurriedly explained, "Kingsley, it's not what you think."
Kingsley's amber eyes betrayed his anger. "Who gave you the right to make her hand over the Luna necklace?"
Grace scowled. "She had already reject you and left the pack. She has no right to keep the Luna necklace!"
Kingsley stared coldly at Grace and spoke in a deep voice, "I haven't accepted her refusal. No one has the right to take the Luna Necklace from her, not even you!"
Grace paled in anger. "Kingsley, who are you talking to? I'm your mother!"
Kingsley clenched his fists and coldly stared at Grace. "You should be grateful you're my mother. Why else do you think you got away with hurting my Luna?"
Grace froze in place, gazing at Kingsley with wide-eyed shock.
Then Kingsley reached out to take my hand.
I resisted and pushed his hand away, saying, "Don't touch me!"
Then I grabbed my bag and keys and exited the coffee shop.