Chapter 13
(Raiden’s POV)
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Zion sits across from me, his face shocked. I can’t believe the message on his phone, and he can’t believe he’s suddenly been thrust into this situation.
We’re caught in a moment that feels endless.
…Why does Siena contact Zion?
She never cared about any man other than me in the past.
……..
Will she? With Zion?
I refuse to consider it’s jealousy. But The words she sent are an unexpected dagger, a reminder of everything that’s wrong
between us.
Zion says, “No, no, Raiden, my king, you need to trust me. I and Siena have no connection.”
I say, “What do you suppose she’s getting at?”
Zion says, “She must-”
A mild knock on the door stops him in his tracks as Lila floats in, a snack in hand. Our eyes remain locked. Regardless of my status with Siena, she is still my wife and the Luna Queen of the territories.
Lila pauses at my side, “Have I interrupted something?”
I shake my head, not trusting myself to speak.
“Raiden?”
“It’s nothing to concern such a pretty little face like yours,” Zion winks.
Lila blushes.
“Sure doesn’t look that way…” She smiles, but I can tell she’s waiting, hoping even, that I’ll fill her in, let her be a part of my circle.
“Just some complications, Lila, nothing that can’t be handled swiftly.” Zion says, “But Before we allow you to enter, you should wait at the door.”
Zion smiles back politely, but I see the irritation in his eyes.
Lila’s gaze flickers to the phone, wanting in the name and the message. But anything regarding Siena remains top secret we must not allow any leaks.
I say, “Anything else?”
Lila senses the shift in the room, in me. She leans forward slightly. “Raiden, You know, I could take care of things with Siena for you. After all, I am your Delta, Raiden. It would be my honor.”
She’s soft but insistent. “I could help with the first–round orientations! You’re far too busy to be handling everything yourself, especially with the Pack Army assembly…”
Lila has always been such a great worker. She’s innovative, smart, calculated, yes, but what I adore is the grace with which she executes her plans.
08.35 Sun, 20 Apr
Chapter 13
She’s right, too. I’ve gotten so caught up in Siena’s messy distortion, I’ve lost sight of the bigger picture.
* 63%
“Alright. Take care of it.” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “But make sure she gets the information. We can’t afford any
mistakes.”
Lila smiles, satisfied. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”
Zion was looking down at his phone, clearly still absorbed in Siena’s matter. Lila, as if unintentionally, happened to catch a glimpse of the screen. Then, her eyes widened in surprise.
…Siena, contact Zion?” Lila says. “Haha! No wonder Siena wants a divorce,”
Lila laughs lightly, as if commenting on the weather.“If this is about the SOA competition, she can challenge all she wants. Raiden. Everyone in the kingdoms ‘knows you will be the victor. You’re the Alpha.” Lila says proudly.
“She would need a sponsor… no one will dare sponsor the Luna over you. And while I’m at it… Zion? What, is she in love with you now?”
“This has nothing to do with me at all!” Zion clears his throat. He minlinks in my ear.
“Lila looks like something is off…She looks so… Strange, and not kind? Was she ever that kind of woman before?”
“Lila…”
But I study Zion. I can’t read him as easily as I usually do.
“Wait, you’re not seriously doubting me, are you?!” Zion said urgently through the mindlink. “You know I can’t stand her- I’ve always hated her. How could I possibly fall for her or try to seduce her?”
He was telling the truth. The surprise on his face was real. If he had already betrayed me and this was all just an act–there was no doubt about it–he’s a garbage actor.
We continued our exchange through the mindlink, making us fall silent to the outside world.
Lila seemed to take our silence as agreement, and she grew even more excited as she started piecing things together.
“So, it must be Siena’s betrayal!” Lila exclaimed. “A Luna falling in love with another man and wanting a divorce–something like this has almost never happened in our history. Maybe she should be thrown in prison!…”
“- I’m sorry, but please step out first,” I say to Lila.
“…What? King, how could you! …“Lila says.
“…….” I narrowed my eyes at her.
My silent anger made Lila instinctively shrink back. But she quickly masked it with the wounded expression I knew all too well–the one that radiated innocence.
“Alright, if this is what the King desires…“Lila says.
Lila left the office, allowing both Zion and me to breathe a sigh of relief.
Zion says, “Alright, maybe I misjudged. Lila was acting really strange just now… Maybe she’s not as innocent and kind as we thought.”
I say, “Shut your mouth. She’s my Delta–I know her better than anyone.”
Horace growls inside me. He’s restless, angry.
08:35 Sun, 20 Apr 4
Chapter 13
(When will you wake up, Maident See what’s been in front of you all along? So much prejudice you’ll come to regret!]
I push the inner protest aside, a task that is getting harder and harder to do. I don’t want to hear it.
“I will never regret it,” I mutter under my breath
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I can feel the pull of Horace, his frustration. He wants me to go after her, to fix things, but I’m not sure if it’s too late. I don’t know what to believe anymore,
I used Zion’s phone to call Siena directly, confirming that she wasn’t betraying me.
Zion, throughout the entire call, pretended he hadn’t heard a thing–even though this topic involved him as well, despite his repeated claims that he had never met Siena in private.”
When the call ended, I handed the phone back to Zion.
Zion couldn’t hold back. “Hey bro, My king, I mean, hypothetically–just hypothetically. You just said you never loved Siena. But here you are, getting so worked up over a fake wife texting another man…”
He paused, watching, me closely before adding, Could it be that you actually regret treating her that way? That you actually love her? That you’re jealous?
Impossible.
I rubbed my temples, finding his words utterly ridiculous.
I was only concerned about her–concerned that she should uphold the contract and that she shouldn’t be cheating during our marriage.
I would never regret anything. And there was absolutely no way I could love Siena.
A sudden thought struck me–could my words earlier have made Siena misunderstand? Could she have somehow gotten the impression that I loved her?
But that’s not what I truly felt. Not at all.
I pulled out my own phone, attempting to send Siena a message.
But instead, a large red [X] flashed across the screen.
…Siena has blocked me?!
市
AD
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