Mated to My Intended's Enemy Chapter 163 The Call She Didn’t Answer

Isabella

I bounced on my bed with pure excitent after hanging up with Dad. We were going ho! And we were going to surprise Aunt Aurora! I couldn’t wait to see her face when we showed up unexpectedly.

But then,as I hugged my plushie tight against my chest,I realized sothing. Going ho ant seeing Mom again.

My excitent dimd a little. It had been days since Mom’s regular calls,and at first,it had felt like freedom. No more lectures about studying harder,eating properly,or going to bed on ti. No more detailed questions about my day that made feel like I was being interrogated.

I’d deliberately missed her calls at first,leaving early or turning off my phone after school. Then I’d stopped,worried she’d be angry.

But she hadn’t called again.

I frowned,a strange feeling settling in my stomach. Mom had never gone this long without calling before. Even when she was mad at for getting that B in math,or when I accidentally broke her favorite vase,she’d still called. She’d lectured ,sure,but she’d called.

Because Mom always said I was the most important person in her world.

Before I could think twice about it,I reached for my phone and dialed her number. But just as it started ringing,another thought hit : when we went ho,I probably wouldn’t see Aunt Aurora as much anymore.

Mom didn’t like Aunt Aurora. She never said it directly,but I could tell by the tight way she smiled whenever Aunt Aurora visited. And Mom always found excuses for to be busy when Aunt Aurora invited places.

Angry all over again,I hung up before Mom could answer.

The phone rang almost imdiately after. Mom’s picture appeared on the screen—her smiling face making my stomach twist with confusing feelings.

I turned away,refusing to answer. Let her worry for once.

When the landline rang minutes later,I knew exactly who it was. Sure enough,Auntie Sara knocked on my bathroom door soon after.

"Young Miss? Your mother called. She was worried because you hung up."

I rolled my eyes,toothbrush still in my mouth. "I pressed it by accident," I lied,foam dribbling down my chin.

Auntie Sara nodded,clearly relieved,and hurried downstairs to call Mom back.

I snorted after she left. Good. Mom deserved to worry a little. She was probably only calling because she felt guilty about ignoring .

But as I rinsed my mouth,staring at my reflection,my wolf whimpered softly inside . She missed Mom. She missed her scent and her warmth and the way Mom would sing to us when I couldn’t sleep.

"Stop it," I whispered fiercely to my reflection. "We don’t need her. We have Dad and Aunt Aurora now."

But even as I said it,I couldn’t quite et my own eyes in the mirror.

Freya

The phone’s sharp ring jolted from sleep,my heart leaping at the sight of Isabella’s na on the screen.

"Isabella?" I answered imdiately,my voice rough with sleep but flooding with relief.

Nothing. Just silence,then the call ended abruptly.

My maternal instincts surged,wolf and human both suddenly alert. Had sothing happened? Was she in trouble? Was she trying to signal for help?

I called back imdiately,anxiety mounting when she didn’t answer. Without hesitation,I dialed the villa’s landline,my fingers trembling slightly.

"Stone Lake Villa,how may I help you?" Auntie Sara’s familiar voice ca through.

"Sara,it’s Freya," I said quickly. "Isabella just called and hung up. Is everything alright there?"

"The Young Miss should be fine," Sara reassured . "She went to bed very late last night and woke up late today. When I went upstairs earlier,she was still asleep. I’ll go check and call you back."

I exhaled slowly,trying to calm my racing pulse. "Alright,thank you for the trouble."

While waiting for her to call back,I paced the small apartnt. The minutes stretched like hours until finally,my phone rang again.

"Miss Freya? I just spoke with the Young Miss. She said she pressed your number by accident. She’s perfectly fine,just getting ready for the day."

The relief was imdiate,though sothing in my instincts still bristled with doubt. "Thank you for checking,Sara."

After hanging up,I sank onto the edge of my bed,suddenly exhausted despite having just woken up. Since leaving the Shadow Pack—since choosing to let Silvano and Isabella go—I’d been having trouble sleeping. My wolf would wake throughout the night,searching for the familiar scents of mate and pup,whimpering when she found neither.

I glanced at the clock: 5:17 AM. Too early to start getting ready for work,too late to try falling back asleep. With a sigh,I headed to the kitchen to make coffee.

As the machine gurgled to life,I found myself staring at Isabella’s picture on the refrigerator. Her bright smile,so much like her father’s,stared back at . In the photo,she was holding up a science fair ribbon,her eyes shining with pride.

I rembered that day clearly. Silvano had been away,handling so dispute at the northern border. Isabella had been devastated by his absence,but I’d stayed up all night helping her perfect her project. When she won first place,her happiness had been worth every exhausted mont.

Now,I wondered if she rembered that day the sa way. If she rembered staying up with her,or if she only rembered that her father wasn’t there.

The coffee machine beeped,pulling from my thoughts. As I poured the steaming liquid into my mug,I reminded myself why I had made this choice. Why I had signed those divorce papers. Why I had given up custody.

Because sotis,loving soone ant letting them go.

Isabella had made her preference clear. She wanted her father,she wanted Aurora,and she barely tolerated . Every conversation had beco a battle. Every attempt to connect was t with resistance.

And Silvano... well,he had made his choice long before I made mine.

I took a sip of coffee,welcoming the bitter heat. The tech expo was in three days. I had prepared as much as I could,studying late into the night,reviewing industry developnts I’d missed. My old colleagues might reject . They might laugh out of the building.

But at least I was trying. At least I was fighting for sothing,instead of clinging to the shattered pieces of what once was.

The rising sun painted the small kitchen in golden light. A new day. Another step forward.

No matter what happened at the expo,no matter how Isabella truly felt about ,I would keep moving forward. For myself. For the woman and wolf I was still becoming.