Chapter 48-
Chapter 48
(Raiden’s POV)
I can feel her before I see her.
Siena sits at the far end of the conference table, her back straight, her voice steady as the presents Windhow’s strategy for the upcoming negotiations.
She’s commanding, in control, but I can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong, Her face is too pale, the shadows beneath her eyes too dark. She’s exhausted, and I can tell. I don’t know how, but I just know
My wolf stirs, a low whine raking through my chest, instinctively drawn to her. I try to ignore it. I try to focus on the meeting, but my gaze keeps sliding toward her.
The words coming out of her mouth barely register in my mind. My focus is on the way she holds herself, the way she rubs a hand over her face after every few sentences, as though she’s holding herself together by sheer will alone.
Zion moves toward her after the meeting his broad shoulders cutting through the sea of people, and I can’t help but watch His hand rests on her shoulder, light and casual, but there’s something possessive in the way he keeps it there for just a bear too long. He whispers something to her–probably nothing important, but the way she smiles in response is different.
It’s weak, the kind of smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She’s not happy. I can see it. But Zion doesn’t notice. He’s too busy with his own smug satisfaction, like he’s claimed something that was never his to take.
My jaw tightens, my wolf growls low in my chest, but I ignore it. I can’t. Not now. Not when I promised myself I wouldn’t let her back into my thoughts like this.
“You’re distracted again,” Lila’s voice cuts through my internal chaos. Her fingers dig into my arm, nails pressing into my skin as she leans in closer. “Remeber what we talked about? You need some distance Raidne. Let her play her little games. It doens’t matter–you win.” she smiles. “You always will when you’re with me.”
I glance down at her, then quickly pull my eyes away, focusing on the conversation at hand. “What are you talking about?”
Lila raises an eyebrow, her lips curling slightly in a sharp, knowing smile. “You’ve barely heard a word I’ve said all day. Your mind keeps drifting to her.This eeds to stop. I need you here Raiden, with
me
“I’m focused on the negotiations,” I snap, my voice sharper than I intended. But the lie tastes bitter, and I can’t help but feel guilty. It’s not just the negotiations.
It’s her
It’s always been her
But not anymore.
I drag my attention back to the meeting, doing my best to ignore the way my chest tightens every time I glance at Siena.
She’s sitting with her pack now, her head slightly bent as she talks with Rickard and Rairity.
But even from across the room, I can feel the tension radiating from her. The weight of the stress she’s carrying, the distance between us growing wider every day.
Did I do that?
The urge to go to her is unbearable, but I fight it.
16:26 Mon 21 Apr
Chapter 45
I
My wolf howls, a low, mournful sound, but I drown it out with cold logs
“Horace, she made her choice. She chose to step away from me, from us. And I made my own chance was a choice
never take back, not now, not ever.”
Lila leans in again, her perfume heavy in the air. You need to stop letting her get under your in the mars, bet Tips brushing against my ear. “She’s moved on. You need to do the same “
I nod stiffly, trying to force myself to believe it
What I need, is for Lila to quit whispering in my ear
Part of me doesn’t want to let go. A part of me keeps wondering what would’ve happened if things had been diferent.
If I hadn’t been so selfish. If I had just told her the truth when I had the chance.
But no. I’ve made my choice. I’m not going to let her drag me back into that painful mess.
That night, after the dinner I find myself alone in my quarters, the weight of the day pressing down on me.
The laughter and clinking of glasses from the dining hall still echo in my mind, but it feels distant, be in trapped in some foreign world where I don’t belong.
I can’t stop thinking about Siena. I see her in my mind–her tired eyes, the way her
the way she keeps her distance from me, from everyone.
But I don’t want to care. I can’t afford to care. She had her chance.
The mate bond pulses weakly in the back of my mind, a faint, fluttering sensation that reminds
amp more every da
reach for it, instinctively, even though I know it’s fading, even though I know it’s nothing more than a pale shadow of what it used to be.
And when I feel it, I can’t ignore the sharp ache that runs through me.
The pain isn’t physical, not exactly, but it feels like something is being tom from me, something that I never thought I
would lose.
It’s not just the bond. It’s her. It’s everything I threw away for the sake of convenience, for the sake of a life that didnt nod the complications of her.
1 try to push it away, try to ignore the pull in my chest. But it’s hard
I reach out again, testing the bond, just to see if maybe, just maybe, she feels the same
I don’t know why I do it. Maybe I’m hoping for some sign that she’s still there, still mine.
But when I feel her, it’s not the reassurance I was hoping for
It’s weak. Faint. Almost dead.
1 close my eyes, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.
Of course
1 stand up abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. I pace around the room, trying to clear my mind, but all I can wo
her
Her face. Her smile. Her voice. Her touch. It’s all fading. And the worst part is. I don’t know if I care enough to fight son in
anymore.
10-20 M
CMON 21 Ap
Chapter 18
I force myself to reach through the mate bond one last time, hoping for something, anything,
But there’s nothing. No warmth. No pulse of affection. Just cold emptiness.
She’s moved on. She’s gone. And I’m here, still holding onto something I shouldn’t.
Lila’s right. I need to move on. I need to stop letting Siena haunt me,
I take a deep breath and force myself to push everything about her from my mind. It’s not easy, but I do it. I have to
When the knock at the door comes, I don’t flinch. I’m ready for this. I open the door, and there’s Lila, standing in the doorway, her eyes searching mine.
“You okay?” she asks, her voice soft but full of an understanding I don’t want.
“I’m fine,” I lie, and even though the words feel heavy, they come out easier than they should
Lila steps inside, her hands sliding over my chest, pulling me back into the present. “Good,” she whispers, pressing a kiss to my neck. “We’ve got things to do. Things we need to prepare for.”
I nod, letting her pull me away from the storm inside me, from the thoughts of Siena that still lurk in the corners of my mind.
I tell myself I’m fine.
I tell myself I don’t care
And for the first time in years, I almost believe it.
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