(Raiden’s POV)
I stand at the window as dawn breaks across the horizon, splintering the sky into shades of gold and crimson.
The vibrant colors should soothe me, but instead, they mock my restlessness, highlighting the turmoil I feel deep within. The sleepless night has left me drained yet wired, any wolf pacing furiously beneath my skin, clawing and snarling at the images that refuse to leave my mind.
Siena
Her name alone sends a ripple of discomfort through my chest. I run a frustrated hand through my hair, feeling the disheveled strands slip roughly between my fingers.
as my th
I pace my luxurious suite, the plush carpet muffling my anxious footsteps spiral relentlessly.
The idea of Zion, confident and charming, pursuing her openly–my mate–sends a burning sensation through my veins.
My fists clench involuntarily as I recall his casual declaration at the celebration dinner, his dark eyes filled with calculated intent. “She deserves someone who recognizes her worth, he’d said, his voice calm, almost insolent in its quiet certainty.
1 stop abruptly, my heart hammering painfully against my
ribs
Siena means nothing to me, I tell myself fiercely, the thought tasting bitter and hollow even in the privacy of my own mind.
This is just possessiveness, nothing more. She’s legally still mine. Yet the words ring false, echoing emptily in the silence of the room,
Just a bad habit.
Horace snarls within me, furious at my denial, clawing angrily at my insides.
He pushes vivid images into my mind–Siena smiling softly at Zion, blush coloring her delicate cheeks; Siena’s gentle laughter at some whispered joke, eyes bright and trusting: Siena wrapped safely in another Alpha’s embrace, eyes warm with
affection.
I close my eyes tightly, nausea rising sharply, forcing those haunting images away.
But instantly, another memory replaces them–Siena in the medical center, dark circles shadowing her normally bright eyes, her expression filled with fierce protectiveness and quiet vulnerability as she waited anxiously for news of her warrior.
My heart clenches at the memory, my wolf whining softly at her distress.
When had Siena become this capable, compassionate leader–the kind who commanded respect without ever demanding
How had I missed this side of her for so many years, blinded by bitterness and suspicion?
Had she always been this way, and I’d stubbornly refused to see it?
I sink heavily onto the edge of my bed, burying my face in my hands.
My wolf growls accusingly, restless and angry at my stubborn blindness.
The ache in my chest intensifies confusion and regret mingling painfully inside me.
I’ve spent years convincing myself Siena was manipulative, shallow, a gold–digging schemer–yet now, memories of her
16:23 Mon, 21 Apr Hw
Chapter 39
quiet strength and her genuine compassion haunt me, contradicting everything I’ve believed.
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A knock at my door jolts me from my troubled thoughts, and I glance irritably toward the entrance as Lila enters without waiting for permission.
