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#Chapter 75: Payback and Pleasantries
#Chapter 75: Payback and Pleasantries
(Raiden’s POV)
The news hits me harder than I expect.
Eighteen months. It’s been eighteen months since Siena walked out of my life, her head held high, her voice steady despite the tears in her eyes.
Eighteen months since she severed the bond between us with those ancient words, leaving me to drown in the wreckage of my own mistakes.
And now, she’s coming back.
Not for me, of course. She made that clear in her brief, carefully worded messages delivered through Rairity. Siena’s return isn’t about reconciliation or revisiting the past.
She’s returning to Windhowl to visit friends, to check on the pack’s progress, to see for herself how things have fared in her absence.
Still, the news sends Horace into a frenzy. He paces restlessly in my mind, his excitement wild and untamed, his hope clawing at my chest despite my attempts to push it down.
“She’s not coming back for us,” I remind him, my voice firm even as my own heart betrays me by quickening at the thought of seeing her again. “She’s moved on. We have to respect that.”
But Horace doesn’t listen. He never does when it comes to her.
I try to focus on the upcoming SOA summit, on the agenda and the diplomatic meetings that require my attention, but my mind keeps drifting back to Siena.
I think about the letters she’s sent to Rairity, each one written with the same formal, deliberate tone that keeps me at arm’s length.
I think about the programs I’ve implemented over the past year and a half–the very ones she proposed during our marriage, the ones I dismissed without a second thought.
Educational initiatives. Veteran support systems. Diplomatic outreach.
Each success is a bittersweet reminder of how right she was.
It’s impossible not to see how much stronger Windhowl has become under the shared leadership we’ve established with Silverfang. The harmony between the packs, the prosperity we’ve achieved–it’s all rooted in Siena’s vision.
And I was too blind to see it.
When whispers spread that Siena has been spotted at a popular werewolf gathering place, I don’t think. I act.
The council chamber buzzes around me, elders debating logistics, the voices droning patiently through the detailed agenda for the upcoming summit.
My fingers drum restlessly against the polished oak table, pulse quickening at the mere thought of her–so close, within reach after all this endless time. My chest tightens, breath suddenly shallow, as memories of her flood me, vivid and relentless, blotting out everything else.
I push abruptly from my chair, the legs scraping sharply against the stone floor. Conversations falter, heads snapping toward me in startled confusion. My Beta pauses mid–sentence, eyes narrowing as he registers my movement.
“Alpha, we’re not done-” he starts firmly, stepping forward, concern etched deeply into his brow.
But Zion’s words blur, fading to a distant hum beneath the roaring urgency in my ears. Without answering, without even glancing back, I stride swiftly toward the exit, heart hammering wildly.
I cannot be stopped. I will not be stopped.
The drive across town is reckless. My hands grip the wheel tightly, my knuckles white as I weave through traffic with a single–minded determination that borders on desperation. I feel like a lovesick adolescent rather than the composed Alpha King I’m supposed to be.
By the time I pull up outside the upscale bar, my heart is pounding in my chest, Horace straining against the seams of my control. The music pulses through the air as I step inside, the sleek, modern décor illuminated by soft, ambient lighting. The crowd is lively, packs mingling and celebrating in a way that feels both chaotic and intimate.
And then I see her.
Siena.
She’s sitting near the center of the room, surrounded by a small group of people.
Her golden hair is longer now, falling in soft waves over her shoulders, and her posture is relaxed in a way that feels
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#Chapter 75: Payback and Pleasantries
unfamiliar. She’s laughing–a genuine, unrestrained laugh that lights up her entire face.
I stop in my tracks, my breath catching in my throat.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen her laugh like that.
During our marriage, her laughter was rare, fleeting, something I never fully appreciated. Hearing it now, seeing her so at ease, strikes me with painful clarity. This is the joy I suppressed.
This is the light I dimmed with my reckless rejection.
But what twists the knife even further is the man sitting next to her.
He’s tall and broad–shouldered, with the kind of effortless charm that draws people in. His accent, when he speaks, is undeniably European, and his hand rests casually on the back of her chair as though it belongs there.
Horace bristles, a low growl rumbling in my chest before I can stop it.
Rationally, I know I have no right to feel this way. I forfeited any claim to her the moment I let her walk away. But the sight of another man so close to her ignites something primal in me, something possessive and territorial that I can’t quite
suppress.
I force myself to move, weaving through the crowd until I’m close enough to catch bits of their conversation.
“You’ve done incredible work abroad,” the European Alpha says, his voice smooth and admiring. “Your reputation precedes you, Siena. It’s no wonder so many packs are eager to collaborate with you.”
Siena smiles, a soft, genuine smile that makes my chest ache. “Thank you, Alaric. But it’s not just me. I’ve had incredible support along the way.”
I feel like an outsider, standing just a few feet away but completely removed from the world she’s built for herself.
And then her eyes meet mine.
For a moment, her expression is unguarded, her amber eyes widening in surprise. I see the flicker of emotion there—shock, maybe even a hint of something softer–but it’s gone in an instant, replaced by the careful neutrality she perfected during our years together.
The irony isn’t lost on me.
“Raiden,” she says, her voice calm and measured. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Her words are polite, but there’s a distance to them that feels like a knife to the heart.
“I heard you were back,” I manage, my voice low and steady despite the storm raging inside me. “I thought I’d come by.”
She nods, her expression unreadable. “Well, as you can see, I’m keeping busy.”
I glance at the group around her, at Rairity, who’s watching me with a mixture of curiosity and caution, and at Alaric, who hasn’t moved his arm from the back of her chair.
“I can see that,” I say, my gaze returning to hers. “You look… well.”
It’s a weak statement, but it’s all I can manage.
“Thank you,” she replies, her tone cool but not unkind. “You do as well.”
The conversation feels stilted, awkward in a way that makes Horace itch with frustration. I want to say so much more, to apologize, to explain, to tell her how much I’ve changed, but the words stick in my throat.
Instead, I nod toward Rairity. “I see Rairity been keeping you updated.”
“She has,” Siena says. “It’s been good to hear about Windhowl’s progress. You’ve done well.”
There’s no malice in her words, no bitterness, but the formality of her tone is worse than anger. It’s as though she’s speaking to a stranger, not the man she once called her mate.
“Most of the progress is thanks to your ideas,” I admit, my voice quieter now. “I should have listened to you sooner.”
Her expression flickers for a moment, something unreadable passing across her face, but she doesn’t respond.
The silence stretches between us, heavy and oppressive, until Alaric finally speaks. “Shall we get another round of drinks?” he asks, his voice cutting through the tension.
Siena looks at him, her smile returning as she nods. “That sounds like a good idea.”
I watch as they stand, Horace growling softly in my mind as Alaric places a hand on the small of her back.
She doesn’t look back at me as they walk away.
I remain rooted to the spot, the noise of the bar fading into the background as I watch her disappear into the crowd. The ache in my chest is almost unbearable, but I don’t move.
This is the reality I created. This is the price of my mistakes.
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#Chapter 75 Payback and Peasantries
And as much as it hurts, I know I deserve every moment of it.
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