Free Web NovelChapter 84: Chapter 84 The seed of Doubt
Sylvia’s POV
I stopped dead the second the front door swung open—and there she was.
Selene.
Of course. freewebnøvel.com
My mom stood in the doorway, smiling like she’d just found a long-lost puppy on the porch. Meanwhile, I stood frozen behind her, every muscle in my body locking up.
My jaw clenched.
Well, shit.
The moment Mom had shown up, she’d been on my case with questions.
I should’ve known then. Selene had already gotten to her.
Fed her the story, probably with wide eyes and innocent hand gestures, like she hadn’t been the one lighting the match in the first place.
I could feel my wolf pacing, irritated, ready to snap.
She hated Selene almost as much as I did.
Why couldn’t my so-called sister keep her claws out of things that didn’t concern her?
The next morning, breakfast felt... weirdly peaceful.
Suspiciously so.
The three of us sat around the table, picking at eggs and toast like we hadn’t just survived a full-blown emotional hurricane the night before.
No one brought it up. No “about last night.” No passive-aggressive comments.
Not even Selene, which was the real shocker.
I chewed my bacon slowly, enjoying the rare moment of silence—no drama, no fake smiles, just the rhythmic clink of cutlery.
My wolf, always coiled tight around Selene’s presence, was surprisingly relaxed. Or maybe just...watchful.
But of course, peace never lasts in this house.
“So,” Selene piped up, her voice sugary sweet. “Sylvia, you heading out early? Or do you have time to change out of your pajamas before you attempt leadership again?”
I didn’t flinch. I smiled, slow and sharp. “Wow, Selene, concerned about my wardrobe? That’s rich coming from someone who wore a backless dress to a board meeting.”
She blinked, her smile twitching.
“I was expressing individuality,” she replied tightly.
“Right,” I said, reaching for my coffee. “Because nothing says ’strategic executive’ like flashing your spine at the quarterly review.”
Mom—Alpha Astra—glanced between us, eyes narrowing just slightly.
She didn’t say anything, but I saw it: that flicker of something. Distrust.
A tiny crack forming in her unwavering faith in Selene.
Selene tried to recover, tossing her hair over her shoulder like we hadn’t just traded verbal claws.
“Anyway. I’m sure Sylvia will do fine today. Assuming she doesn’t let her emotions get in the way. Again.”
There it was. The dig. Subtle, aimed with precision.
Mom’s gaze shifted to me, just for a second.
And I knew. Selene was planting seeds—trying to paint me as unstable, impulsive.
But I didn’t bite. I set my cup down and leaned back in my chair, calm as a glacier.
“I’ll try not to let my emotions interfere,” I said smoothly. “Though I imagine it’s hard for you to recognize emotional control when you’ve never actually seen it modeled.”
That one hit. Selene’s smile faltered, and for half a second, I caught it—that flash of rage in her eyes.
And something else. Panic. She knew she was losing ground.
Just then, as I stood to grab my bag, Mom’s voice stopped me.
“Sylvia, hold up,” she said, tone oddly casual. “We can head in together today.”
I blinked. That... was unexpected.
“Sure, Mom,” I said, trying to sound normal, even though my brain short-circuited a little.
Alpha Astra never, and I mean never, offered to commute with me to Frostline.
She kept the lines between family and business cleaner than hospital floors.
This? This was new.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Selene’s reaction.
Her hand froze mid-bite.
Her jaw clenched. And though she kept smiling, her scent shifted—sharp and sour.
She was scared.And my wolf? She liked that.
Selene knew the tide was turning.That Mom and I were inching closer.
I straightened my blazer, grabbed my keys, and nodded at Mom. “Let’s go.”
Let Selene stew in her own fear. freewebnovel.cσ๓
——
The car ride with mom was unexpectedly pleasant—as if last night’s confrontation had been washed away by the morning light.
I cherished these rare moments when the Alpha female who raised me actually felt like my mom, and I wasn’t about to disrupt our newfound peace.
Too soon, we arrived at the company headquarters and separated to our respective offices.
I threw myself into work, particularly focused on evaluating Noah’s design capabilities.
If we could lock down a partnership with him, Frostline’s design division in Howling Peaks would reach unprecedented heights.
Tomorrow would mark the deadline he’d given me for my decision.
As the workday wound down, my wolf grew restless, pacing anxiously within me.
I hesitated at my desk, uncertain whether I should return to the pack house or to Caesar’s home.
Mom had already grown suspicious yesterday, and I worried what conclusions she might jump to if I stayed away another night.
After wrestling with the decision, I ultimately chose to face whatever waited at the house I now shared with Caesar.
Running away had never been my style, even during those years when my Alpha nature had been forcibly suppressed.
When I stepped inside, the house was wrapped in darkness.
No hallway lights left on, no music humming from the kitchen, not even the faintest trace of someone’s cologne lingering in the air.
Just silence—the heavy, suffocating kind that makes you feel like an intruder in your own life.
I stood in the foyer for a long second, keys still clenched in my hand, wondering if this was what being married had boiled down to: coming home to an empty shell and pretending not to care.
No text. No note. No Caesar.
Of course not.
A bitter taste rose in the back of my throat, the kind you get when your imagination starts working overtime.
Was he out with Helena again? Childhood sweetheart turned emotional support system turned... whatever she was now.
Maybe they were sipping wine by a fireplace somewhere, reminiscing about summer camp and high school dances—while I stood here.
I let out a laugh—sharp, dry, and absolutely humorless. It bounced off the marble floors and came back twice as empty.
This marriage was starting to feel like a legal contract dressed up in white satin.
A business merger with rings. And every day, the fine print cut a little deeper.
Still, if I was going to be alone tonight, I might as well make use of it.
I exhaled, pulled myself together, and headed upstairs.
I had a meeting with Noah tomorrow—and if Caesar wanted to pretend this relationship didn’t exist, fine.
I’d dress like the kind of woman who didn’t need her husband’s attention to feel powerful.
I flipped on the light in the master bedroom.
The switch clicked louder than expected in the silence.
Everything looked pristine. Untouched. Lifeless.
Ignoring the familiar ache in my chest, I made a beeline for the walk-in closet.
