Chapter 66
(Raiden’s POV)
Something primal snapped inside me.
I tried to suppress it, to remind myself that she wasn’t mine anymore–if she ever truly had been.
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But Horace didn’t give a damn about logic or pride. It howled, clawing at my control, furious that another wolf–my Beta- had dared to pursue her.
“Traitor!” He growls. “Traitourous dog!”
The image played on an endless loop in my mind throughout the council meeting. Zion’s earnest expression. The quiet conviction in his voice.
The way Siena’s gaze softened, even if only slightly, as he spoke.
I tried to focus on the final competition standings, to listen as the council debated the unprecedented tie between Windhowl and Silverfang, but all I could think about was Zion’s hand lingering near Siena’s, his body angled protectively toward her.
Horace growled low and dangerous, pacing beneath my skin, “You sit here, frozen in your pathetic indecision, while she stands there unprotected! MOVE! What good are these fangs, these claws we possess if you refuse to use them when it matters?”
The pressure builds behind my eyes, a familiar burning sensation as the wolf paces restlessly within
“I can smell your desire to act–the adrenaline singing in your blood calls to me. Stop choking it down like a coward! Your ancestors would howl in shame to see you paralyzed by thought when instinct demands action.”
A snarl rises, almost breaching the surface of my control.
“She is OURS to defend! Not his, not theirs–OURS! Every second you waste in contemplation is another moment she stands vulnerable. Do you think your careful planning will matter when she’s gone? When another claims what should be protected by our teeth and claws?”
The wolf’s presence surges forward, pushing against the boundaries of my consciousness.
“Let me out. Let me show them what happens to those who threaten what belongs to us. Or are you too weak even for that? Too afraid of what I might do–of what WE might do together if you finally surrendered to what you truly are?”
But what could I do?
Nothing.
I had no claim over her. No right to interfere.
The divorce was almost finalized. Three more days, and Siena would be free of me.
Free to accept Zion’s courtship.
The thought sent a sharp, unexpected pain through my chest.
“Alpha?” Elder Matthias’s voice cut through my chaotic thoughts, dragging me back to the present. I blink, realizing too late that the council chamber has fallen into expectant silence. All eyes are on me, waiting for a response I didn’t hear.
“Apologies,” I murmur, forcing a mask of composure onto my face. “Could you repeat that?”
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Chapter 66
Matthias exchanges a knowing glance with Elder Rowan, and I hate the pity I see in their eyes.
“We were discussing the timeline for the final deliberation,” Matthias says evenly, though his tone is laced with subtle disapproval. “The council will reconvene tomorrow to determine which pack takes precedence.”
I nod mechanically, offering some vague acknowledgment before they dismiss the session.
But I barely hear their words.
As soon as the meeting adjourns, I’m moving–too quickly–but I don’t care. I follow the farmiliar scent of jasmine and moonlight, my senses attuned to Siena even before I catch sight of her leaving the council hall.
“Siena.”
Her name escapes my lips before I can stop it, the raw urgency in my voice betraying far too much.
She pauses, her spine stiffening, but she doesn’t turn.
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I catch up to her in three long strides, my hand closing gently–but firmly–around her arm to stop her from walking away.
“What did you tell Zion?” The question bursts out before I can think better of it.
Siena’s head snaps up, her amber eyes widening in surprise before narrowing with familiar fire.
“Excuse me?”
I should let go.
I should walk away.
But my grip tightens instinctively, as if releasing her would sever the last fragile thread connecting us.
“What did you say to him?” I repeat, my voice rough with something I refuse to name.
Her expression hardens, her jaw clenching as her eyes search mine for answers I can’t give.
“That’s no longer your concern,” she says, her tone cool and detached, but I don’t miss the flicker of hurt beneath the surface. “Our arrangement ends sooner than later Raiden. Remember? Lila or not..”
The reminder feels like a blade slicing clean through my
chest.
Lila or not.
I should be relieved. I should welcome the end of this torturous limbo. But all I feel is dread–an unbearable weight pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe.
“He’s my Beta,” I say, though the words sound hollow even to my own ears. “I am your Alph regardless of hwat happenes you self, ungrateful pup!”
Siena’s laugh is soft but devoid of humor. “And I’m your Luna in name only–a title you’ve made meaningless.”
Her words hit harder than I expect, piercing through the armor I’ve carefully built over the years.
I should let her go.
But my body refuses to move.
“Siena…”
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Chapter 66
Her name is barely a whisper, but she hears it.
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For a moment, something flickers in her gaze—something that mirrors the turmoil raging inside me. But then, her walls go up, her expression smoothing into practiced indifference.
“I have nothing more to say, Raiden.”
And with that, she turns away, her head held high, her dignity intact despite my unreasonable behavior.
I watch her walk away, and this time…
I don’t stop her.
But as she disappears from view, a devastating realization crashes down on me with relentless force.
I don’t want to divorce her.
The thought freezes me in place, leaving me breathless and reeling.
When did that change?
Had my feelings ever truly been absent? Or had they been buried–suppressed beneath layers of pride, anger, and misunderstanding?
Horace answers with a low, mournful whine, confirming what I’ve been too blind–or too stubborn–to see.
We never stopped wanting her.
I rake a hand through my hair, frustration and regret tangling in my chest as I struggle to make sense of the chaos in my mind.
What am I supposed to do now?
Siena deserves better.
Better than the man who rejected her, who made her doubt her worth for years.
Better than the Alpha who let pride dictate his actions, driving her straight into the arms of another.
Zion.
My fury rages at the thought of him, of the possibility that she might…
I can’t go there.
I won’t go there.
Because no matter how much I want to believe I still have a chance, I know it’s too late.
Isn’t it?
I pace the length of my study that night, the walls closing in as my thoughts spiral out of control. The whiskey bottle I reached for earlier sits untouched on my desk–I already know alcohol won’t numb the ache gnawing at my insides.
The bond between us is a shadow of what it once was, but I still feel her.
Even now.
Her presence is a constant hum beneath my skin, faint but undeniable.
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And if I feel her…
Does she feel me too?
The thought sends a shiver down my spine, hope stirring where it has no business taking root.
I slam my palm against the desk, cursing under my breath.
It doesn’t matter.
She’s made her choice.
She’s moving on.
And I…
I should let her–go.
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But the thought of Siena belonging to another–of her smiling for Zion the way she used to smile for me–rips through me like a blade.
“Mine.”
Horace growls possessively, refusing to accept what my rational mind keeps trying to force.
But it’s too late.
Isn’t it?
The question echoes relentlessly in my mind, tormenting me with possibilities I no longer have the right to consider.
Hours pass, but I can’t find peace.
Eventually, I give up trying.
The woman I failed.
I never stopped loving her..
The realization is as painful as it is undeniable.
But love isn’t enough.
Not after everything I’ve done.
I close my eyes, trying to quiet the war raging in my soul.
But no matter how hard I try, one truth remains painfully clear.
I don’t want to lose her.
And yet…
