Chapter 50
(Raiden’s POV)
“She outmaneuvered everyone.”
The words are repeated so often that they feel like a clunt, a reminder of just how much I’ve underestimated her.
How did she pull this off? She had every reason to fail, every reason to crumble under pressure, but instead, she walked into that room and flipped the tables on everyone.
The news of Siena’s diplomatic traumph spreads quickly–impossible not to notice, impossible not to hear the whispers.
Who is she, really?
My senior council member admits it reluctantly, his voice tight with the tension of having to acknowledge what he didn’t want to. “She’s something else, Raiden. Who knew she had it in her?”
1 watch him, and the question echoes in my mind: Who indeed? Did I never see it? Was I blind to her strength all this time! Or has she really changed?
I’m furious, more at myself than anything else.
She’s turned what should have been an easy loss into a massive win. And it gnaws at me.
It’s not just the success. It’s the fact that, somehow, she did it without me.
Without me ever having to lift a finger for her.
It eats at me, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve made a huge mistake. Not just by rejecting her, but by ever underestimating her in the first place.
Was she playing e the entire time? That must be it, it’s teh only explanation I have.
Zion corners me in the hallway outside the Council chambers, his eyes narrowed with barely contained anger.
“What are you playing at, Raiden?” he demands, positioning himself so I can’t easily walk away. “You saw what happened in
there.
I meet his gaze coldly. “Politics happened.”
“False” Zion steps closer, lowering his voice. “You’re letting her get sabotaged, Raiden. And it reflects poorly on you.”
I feel it, that sting, deep down in my gut. The truth, sharp and undeniable.
“I don’t control what Lila does,” I reply, but the excuse sounds hollow even to my ears.
“Don’t give me that crap.” Zion’s jaw tightens. “She’s your beta. Your responsibility. And you’ve given her free rein to undermine your mate at every turn.”
“Siena doesn’t need my protection,” I counter, with this proposal.”
the words automatic. “She made that clear when she went behind my back
Zion shakes his head in disgust. “Listen to yourself. You sound like a wounded teenager, not an Alpha Siena is still your mate, regardless of your personal issues.”
“Stay out of it, Zion”
Chapter 50
“I can’t. Not when you’re letting your pride destroy something that matters.” He doesn’t back down. “What happened to you? The Raiden I know wouldn’t let anyone, especially Lila, pull this kind of shit.”
I lean against the wall, suddenly exhausted. “Maybe I don’t care anymore.”
“That’s a lie.” Zion says quietly. “I saw your face when the vote was announced. You care. You’re just too stubborn to admit you might have misjudged her
The words rattle in my brain–sabotaged. Zion’s right. I’ve been too busy, too consumed by my own pride to care what’s going on with her. I’m supposed to be her mate.
I’m supposed to protect her, to stand by her. But all I’ve done is back off. The worst part is, it’s not just Lila sabotaging her- it’s me too.
“She doesn’t need me,” I say, the words batter on my tongue.
That’s not the point, and you know it. Zion’s expression softens slightly. This isn’t just about Siena anymore. Your pack is watching. They see their Alpha letting his mate fight alone. What message does that send?”
Siena’s success, her unexpected triumph, it pulls at something inside me that I don’t want to feel. It makes me wonder if I’ve been too harsh, if Ive been wrong about her all along. And that feeling makes me sick.
I know what I’m supposed to do, I finally admit. “I should support her, I should care, but I don’t”
Zion studies me for a long moment. “We both know that’s not true. The question is, what are you going to do about it”
He walks away, leaving me alone with the uncomfortable truth that’s been gnawing at me since the vote was called: I’m not just failing Siena–I’m failing myself.
And so I don’t answer Zion. I just let the silence sit between us, heavy and uncomfortable.
Lila approaches, her usual smile in place, as practiced and polished as ever.
I see her before she even speaks. I’ve gotten used to this game, her manipulation, her always looking for an angle to turn things in her favor. But tonight, I can’t even pretend to play along.
“I’m glad you’ve come,” I say flatly, my voice hard as I look her over. I don’t feel the warmth I used to. “I understand you’ve been accessing Windhowl’s records.”
She falters for just a second, then her mask slips back into place. The shock is barely there before she smooths it over, her expression soft and innocent as she responds. “I was just trying to help, Raiden.”
Her voice is smooth, but there’s something insincere about it, a hidden edge that cuts deeper than any of her words. “She’s been hiding everything from you. The financial issues, all of it. I was trying to warn you. You need to know what’s really going on.”
I shake my head, frustrated by the lies hanging between us. I see it now, the games she’s playing. She’s trying to manipulate me into turning against Siena, into thinking that all of this mess is her fault.
I don’t bite.
Not this time.
“I don’t need that kind of help,” I say,
the words coming o
out colder than 1 intend. “Not from you”
For a split second, I think I see the real Lila–the one beneath the carefully crafted mask. The disappointment in her eyes, the hint of something dark that flares in her gaze before she recovers. But I don’t care.
Not anymore.
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Chapter 50
She steps closer, her voice lowering, dripping with concern that feels fake. Her eyes are misting, her lips quiver.
“Riaden, I’m only trying to protect you. You don’t see it, but she’s been manipulating you. You can’t let her keep you blind like this. She’s hiding everything from you. She’s not the person you think she is, Raiden”
I hate how familiar the words sound. I hate how many times I’ve heard them in the past.
The insinuations, the lies. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve heard them, the words never lose their power. They make me douls.
But I’m done doubting.
I don’t need to play this game anymore.
“I don’t need protection from you, Lila,” I snap, cutting her off. “And I don’t need you to tell me what’s going on in my own damn pack. I am the Alpha KingTM
A King that has become unhinged.
E
