#Chapter 99: True Intentions
(Siena)
fight
I slip through the moonlit garden, careful to avoid the patches of silver fight that would expose my presence
The night air carries the scent of blooming night jasmine, its sweetness almost overwhelming as it mingles with the earthy aroma of rain dampened soil
My bare feet move silently across the stone path, still warm from the day’s heat despite the evening chill that raises goosebumps along my arms.
Zion told me to meet him here, by the ancient willow that stands sentinel at the garden’s edge.
Its sweeping branches create a curtain of living shadow, perfect for a private conversation before tonight’s severance ritual Just hours remain before the mate bond between Raiden and me will be permanently broken, and my stomach knots with a confusion of emotions I can’t fully untangle.
I pause beneath the willow’s protective canopy, listening to the gentle rustle of its leaves in the night breeze. The sound almost masks the approaching footsteps–almost, but not quite.
“You came.”
His voice emerges from shadows seconds before he does, satisfaction evident in his tone.
The moonlight filtering through the willow’s branches casts striped patterns across his face, highlighting the sharp planes of his cheekbones and the silver gleam of his eyes.
“You said it was important.” I keep my voice neutral, suddenly wary without understanding why. Something about his scent tonight seems different–sharper, more predatory, lacking the warmth I’ve grown accustomed to these past weeks.
He moves closer, bringing with him the scent of pine and winter night that has always distinguished him from other pack members. “I wanted to make sure you’re prepared for tonight. The severance ritual isn’t easy, Siena.”
His concern sounds genuine, but something flickers in his expression that sets my wolf on edge. She paces beneath my skin, hackles raised in warning, though no obvious threat presents itself.
“I’m prepared.” The half–truth tastes bitter on my tongue.
How can anyone truly prepare to have half their soul torn away?
Zion reaches out, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from my face with unexpected gentleness. “You’re doing the right thing. Raiden never deserved you.”
His smile shifts, becoming something I don’t recognize–more intimate, more possessive than I’ve seen before. “You’re more important than you realize, Siena. To the pack. To its future.” His voice drops lower, fingers still lingering near my face. “To me.”
I step back instinctively, bumping against the willow’s rough trunk. The protective barrier I’ve maintained between us–the careful friendship built on mutual respect and shared goals–suddenly feels paper–thin.
“Zion-“I begin, uncertain what I even want to say.
“I’ve watched him diminish you from the beginning,” he interrupts, passion bleeding into his usually controlled voice.” Treating you like a consolation prize after Lila left. Undermining your independence while claiming to support you. You deserve someone who sees your true worth.”
The words echo uncomfortably close to my own thoughts these past weeks. Yet hearing them from his lips sends an unexpected chill down my spine despite the warmth of the night.
“Someone like you?” I can’t keep the edge from my voice, suspicion crystallizing into something sharper.
He doesn’t deny it. “Is that so surprising? I’ve stood beside you when he abandoned you. Supported your projects when he tried to control them. Listened when he dismissed your concerns.”
The fountain in the center of the garden bubbles softly in the silence that follows, water cascading over carved stone wolves in an endless cycle. Above us, clouds drift across the moon, momentarily dimming the silver light that filters through the willow branches.
“Why are you telling me this now?” I ask finally. “Hours before I sever my bond with Raiden?”
His expression shifts again, calculation replacing Successfully unlocked! deserve to know all your options before making och a penmare dec
doubt I saw the transition. “Because yo
Options.
“The coalition position,” I say slowly, testing a theory forming in my mind. “Your connections that made it possible. Was that part of these… options?”
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*Chapter 99 True intentions
His smile doesn’t reach his eyes 1 saw an opportunity to help you achieve your goats. To give you the recognition Raiden never would”
“How convenient that it places me firmly under your influence. Away from the pack. Away from Raiden.” The pieces click together with sickening clarity. “Was any of it genuine, Zion? Or am I just another move in whatever game you’re playing?” Anger flashes across his features, quickly mastered but unmistakable. “Don’t confuse me with him, Siena. Everything I’ve done has been for your benefit
“And yours” The certainty grows with each passing second. “What is it you really want? Me? Or what taking me from Raiden would represent?”
“You’re upset,” he says finally, voice deliberately soothing. “The stress of tonight’s ritual is affecting your judgment. We can discuss this after the severance is complete.”
After I’m no longer bonded to Raiden, after I’m vulnerable, isolated, and dependent on the connections and opportunities Zion has so carefully arranged, the realization makes my blood run cold despite the warn night air.
“I should go,” I say, moving to step around him. “The healer will be looking for me to begin preparations.”
His hand catches my wrist, grip firm but not painful. The touch sends an unpleasant shiver up my arm, nothing like the electric connection I feel even now when Raiden touches me.
“Siena” My name emerges as both a plea and a warning. “Don’t make hasty decisions based on misunderstandings. Everything I’ve done has been in your best interest.”
The patronizing tone–so similar to Raiden’s worst moments–strikes a spark of anger that burns through my confusion. I pull my arm free, stepping fully into a patch of moonlight that illuminates us both.
“That’s what Raiden always said too,” I reply, finding strength in the comparison. “At least he had the excuse of a mate bond driving his protective instincts. What’s your justification for deciding what’s best for me without my knowledge or consent?” “You’re making a mistake,” he says softly. “Questioning my motives when I’ve done nothing but support you.”
“Support with strings attached isn’t support at all,” I counter, backing toward the garden path. “It’s control wearing a prettier mask.*
Before he can respond, a new scent reaches us both–cedarwood and smoke, with undertones of alpha power. Raiden. My pulse quickens traitorously, the mate bond humming with awareness of his proximity.
Zion notices my reaction, his eyes narrowing as he tracks my accelerated heartbeat. “Still affected by his presence,” he observes, disappointment evident in his tone. “Even after everything he’s done.”
“At least I know exactly what he’s done,” I reply, finding unexpected clarity in the moment. “His manipulations were clumsy, obvious. Yours are more insidious, hidden behind friendship and supposed respect.”
Raiden appears at the garden entrance, his tall figure silhouetted against the pack house lights beyond.
“Am I interrupting?” His voice carries across the garden, carefully neutral despite the tension evident in his posture.
“Not at all, Alpha.” Zion’s mask slides seamlessly back into place. “I was just ensuring Siena understands the severance ritual procedures.”
The lie rolls easily off his tongue, making me wonder how many other falsehoods I’ve accepted without question these past months. How long has he been playing this game, positioning himself as my champion while undermining my bond with Raiden?
“How thoughtful.” Raiden’s voice remains controlled, but I catch the flash of his eyes in the moonlight–not quite gold, but no longer full either.
His wolf rises close to the surface, responding to the territorial challenge Zion represents.
“The healer is looking for you,” Raiden says to me, careful not to issue a command. “Final preparations need to begin soon if the ritual is to be performed at midnight.”
The reminder of what awaits sends a fresh wave of anxiety through me.
I glance between them–Raiden, who controlled and diminished me while claiming it was protection, and Zion, who offered support and respect that now reveal themselves as carefully crafted manipulations.
Different methods, same fundamental problem.
“Tell her I’ll be there shortly,” I reply, needing space from both of them to think clearly. “I want a few minutes alone fir
Concern flashes across Raiden’s features, quickly masked but not before I catch it. “Of course,” he says, stepping ba toward the garden entrance. “Take whatever time you need.”
Zion hesitates, clearly reluctant to leave me alone with my thoughts–thoughts that might lead to questions about his true intentions. “I can stay if you’d like company,” he offers, ignoring the low growl that escapes Raiden at the suggestion.
“No.” The firmness in my voice surprises all three of us. “I need solitude right now.”
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#Chapter 99 True Intentions
Something dark flickers in Zion’s expression before he nods in apparent acceptance. “As you wish sex you the ceremonial grounds.”
They leave in opposite directions–Raiden toward the pack house, Zion toward the forest path that leads to the caram clearing where the ritual will take place. Neither looks back, though I feel Raider’s awareness through our bond, he concern pulsing against my consciousness like a gentle touch.
Alone beneath the night sky, I sink onto a stone bench beside the bubbling fountain.
Water droplets occasionally splash against my skin, cool and startling against myated flesh. The scent of night jasmine surrounds me, no longer pleasant but cloying, overwhelming in its sweetness.
My thoughts swirl like the fountain water, circling the same questions without finding answers
I trusted Zion when he supported my independence, believed him when he championed my causes, accepted his namate about Raiden’s failures without questioning his motives for highlighting them
Was anything he offered genuine? Or was I simply a convenient path to whatever power he seeks?
And Raiden–controlling, protective, infuriating Raiden–is he truly as uncaring as I’ve convinced myself of? Or have 1 allowed Zion’s subtle manipulations to color my perception, magnifying genuine mistakes into unforgivable betrayals? In the distance, ceremonial drums begin their slow, steady rhythm–the ritual preparations commencing. The sound reverberates through the garden, through my body, counting down the moments until I must make a final decision
Severance or reconciliation.
Raiden or freedom.
