Chapter 69
(Raiden’s POV)
The final day of the competition arrives with an air of anticipation so thick it feels like a living thing.
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The great hall is packed, the tension in the air palpable as the council prepares to announce the final standings. Both Silverfang and Windhowl have fought fiercely, their performance so evenly matched that rumors of a tie have been swirling for days.
But no one expected this.
“The Council has determined,” Elder Darius announces, his authoritative voice carrying across the hall, “that for the first time in history, the Summit of Alphas will be hosted jointly by Silverfang and Windhowl.”
A stunned silence falls over the room.
My own breath catches.
Joint hosting.
Unprecedented.
Unacceptable!
Beside me, the council members exchange looks of surprise and uncertainty, but my gaze locks on Siena. She stands across the hall, her posture poised, her expression neutral. But I see it–the flicker of surprise in her eyes, quickly masked by her diplomatic composure.
She’s done it.
Despite everything I’ve thrown at her, despite the distance I placed between us, she’s brought Windhowl to this moment.
My mate.
My fists clench in reluctant want as I take her in.
Dressed in the formal Luna attire, she looks every inch the leader she’s become.
The emerald fabric of her gown highlights the golden undertones of her skin, and her hair, swept back in an elegant twist, reveals the graceful line of her neck. Horace stirs, preening with pride.
She’s magnificent.
A fierce wave of emotion crashes through me–admiration, regret, longing. I can’t stop looking at her. My heart pounds, my
my mind. pulse roaring in my ears as a decision solidifies in
I can’t let her go.
The ceremonial rings, forged from ancient Silverfang silver, sit heavily in my pocket. I had them made days ago, a silent admission of what I’ve known deep down. I’m not ready to let Siena walk away.
I want to renew our vows–not for the sake of politics or duty–but because she’s the one.
She’s always been the one.
Today.
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Chapter 69
Today, I’ll make it right.
As the closing speeches begin, I barely hear a word. My mind is too consumed with what I’m about to do.
Just a little longer.
Horace paces, his presence a rippling tension beneath my skin
“She’s watching you. Waiting. And here you stand, hesitating like prey.”
“I’m thinking, not hesitating. There’s a difference.”
“Thinking is for humans. Feeling is for wolves. And you feel what I feel–the pull toward her.”
I clench my jaw, trying to push his voice back
“I feel many things. Not all of them warrant action.”
“The pack doesn’t survive on restraint! When will
you
understand?”
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I steal glances at Siena, watching the grace in her movements, the quiet power she exudes. She’s focused, listening intently to the final declarations, but there’s a distance in her expression that makes my chest ache.
She’s preparing to walk away.
Not this time.
The speeches conclude, and Elder Darius gestures toward me.
My turn.
I step forward, heart pounding, eyes finding Siena once more.
I’m ready. Ready to lay my heart bare. Ready to fight for her.
But fate is cruel.
A commotion erupts from the center of the hall.
The murmurs swell as the crowd parts.
And there she is.
Lila.
She stands dramatically illuminated by the crystal chandelier, her face streaked with tears. Her posture is carefully calculated, her hands protectively cradling her stomach.
A chill creeps down my spine.
No.
“I can’t remain silent any longer,” she declares, her voice trembling as she projects vulnerability.
The room falls into hushed silence.
“I carry the Alpha King’s child.”
The air leaves my lungs.
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Chapter 69
What?
A stunned gasp ripples through the hall.
No.
༥ཊཱི,73Ë
“His true heir,” Lila adds, her voice quivering with practiced emotion, “conceived through our fated mate bond.”
A deafening silence follows.
I can’t breathe.
This isn’t happening.
Lila’s tear–filled eyes lock onto mine, her expression one of sorrow and innocence. But I know better.
My mind races, trying to process her words.
Fated mate bond?
Horace’s reaction is instantaneous–violent rejection. A snarl bubbles up, barely contained beneath the surface.
She’s lying.
But the damage is already done.
The crowd murmurs, questions flying as eyes dart between me, Lila, and Siena.
And then-
Lila pulls out photographs.
My stomach drops.
The images show me and Lila… together. Intimate.
No.
“I thought you might want copies. For your personal collection. They really captured something… special between us, don’t you think?”
My blood turns to ice as I stare at the images.
This is impossible. I never touched her. Never would have.
But there we are–my face, her body, positions suggesting things that make bile rise in my throat. The shadows, the angles- it’s a masterful deception.
“You look surprised, Raiden. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten our little encounter already?” She trails a finger along one photograph “Though I suppose you were quite… intoxicated.”
The whiskey. That night in my study. I remember feeling strange, my head spinning after just two drinks. But I also remember leaving–alone. These are fabricated.
They have to be.
“I especially like this one.” She pushes forward a photo where her body is pressed against mine, my hand seemingly on her waist “You were so passionate. So… unlike your usual controlled self.”
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Chapter 69
My skin crawls
1 can almost see the digital manipulation now that I look closer the slightly off lighting on my hand, the unnatural shadow beneath her arm
But who would believe me over these? Over her?
I remain silent, assessing my options, calculating the damage
Siena… The pack council. My position. Everything I’ve built. But more than that the thought of Siena believing I would do this makes something primal and desperate claw at my chest.
“You’re very quiet, Raiden. Is something wrong? I thought you’d be pleased to have a memento of our time together. Her voice drops to a whisper “Unless you’d prefer to create some new memories instead?”
Horace snarls within me, urging me to bare teeth, to threaten, to tear the photos and silence the threat. But that’s exactly what she wants–a reaction that confirms guilt. I need to be smarter than my instincts right now.
“No response? Raidne,” she chokes tears back, looking as if she’d ready to thrash on teh ground in her emotional turmoil.
The photos are strategically angled, carefully framed to suggest an intimaey I don’t remember.
Because it never happened.
But the evidence…
The proof is right there, displayed for everyone to see.
My mind flashes back to that night–the whiskey, the loneliness, the crushing weight of my regrets. I remember Lila entering my study, her voice soft with sympathy, her hands guiding me to bed when I could barely stand.
But nothing happened.
I would know.
Horace howls in protest, snarling at the deception unfolding before us.
“Siena…”
Her name leaves my lips in a broken whisper.
My gaze snaps to her.
The moment our eyes meet, my world shatters.
The devastation in her expression is a blade to my chest. Her amber eyes, always so filled with fire and strength, now reflect raw, unfiltered pain.
No.
“This… isn’t true.” I barely recognize my own voice, rough and hoarse with disbelief.
But Siena doesn’t move.
Doesn’t speak.
Her composure is impeccable, her spine straight, her chin lifted in the same dignified grace she’s always carried. But I see it -the cracks beneath the surface.
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Chapter 69
Don’t believe her.
Please.
Lila’s voice cuts through the silence again.
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“I didn’t want to cause a scene,” she murmurs, her lower lip trembling, “but I couldn’t hide the truth. I had to protect our child.”
Our child.
A violent rejection surges through me.
It’s a lie.
But the room…
The room believes her.
Siena’s face remains unreadable, but I see the moment the walls come down–the moment she shuts me out completely.
“Is this true?”
Her voice is steady, but I can feel the fragile thread holding her together.
No.
I step toward her, desperate to explain, to make her see the truth.
“Siena, I-”
But she steps
back.
One step.
Two.
Gone.
