Chapter 139
“Your legacy here remains strong,” comes a quiet voice beside me.
I stiffen, my wolf immediately perking up at the familiar scent of pine and midnight. He’s so silent in his approach that I didn’t hear him coming, but now he stands beside me, his presence as steady and unyielding as
ever.
I glance at him, my expression carefully composed. “I didn’t hear you.”
Raiden’s eyes are on the pack, his gaze soft as he watches the dancers. “You’ve done good work,” he says, his voice low. “They deserved good leadership.”
His words stir something complicated in me. There’s genuine admiration in his tone, but it’s laced with regret, a recognition of the ways he failed to support me.
“They did deserve good leadership,” I reply simply. “Something I tried to provide despite the circumstances.”
The subtle bite in my words isn’t lost on him. He flinches slightly, his jaw tightening, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, he nods, a quiet acknowledgment of the truth.
For a moment, we stand in silence, the weight of our shared history hanging between us.
“I received your divorce papers,” Raiden says carefully, his voice breaking the stillness. “From the courts.”
I turn to look at him fully now, my brow furrowing. There’s something in his tone, something that makes my chest tighten.
“You never signed them,” he continues, his midnight eyes meeting mine.
I sigh softly, turning my gaze back to the clearing. “Legal formality after spiritual severance,” I say, my tone even. “I’ll complete them before returning abroad.”
Raiden’s face remains carefully neutral, but I catch the flicker of pain in his eyes, the way his shoulders tense at my casual dismissal of what remains between us.
“Is that all it is to you?” he asks quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “A formality?”
I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, my heart twisting at the vulnerability etched into his features.
“It has to be,” I say simply, the words tasting bitter even as I speak them. “Besides, old habits die hard as they say.”
Raiden exhales slowly, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “I never wanted this,” he says, his voice low and raw. “I never wanted us to end this way.”
“And yet here we are,” I reply, my tone sharper than I intend. “I fear that all these years, wahnt had little to do with it.”
The pain in his eyes deepens, and for a moment, I hate myself for causing it. But then I remember the nights I spent alone, the years I spent fighting for a bond he refused to acknowledge, and the bitterness rises again.
“We can’t change the past, Raiden,” I say, my voice softer now. “What’s done is done.”
He steps closer, his presence overwhelming even in the open air. “I know I failed you,” he says, his voice trembling slightly. “I know I didn’t see you, didn’t value you the way I should have. But I see it now, Siena. I see everything I lost.”
I swallow hard, my composure threatening to crack. “It’s top late,” I whisper, more to myself than to him.
“Is it?” he presses, his voice filled with quiet desperation.
I meet his gaze, my amber eyes locking with his midnight bes, “Yes, unden,” 1 sey firmly, t
“I hope you find peaceltaiden,” I say, my voice steady despite the ehe in my chest fredly
He nods slowly, his expression unreadable. “And I hope you find happiness,” he replies.
The sincerity in his voice cuts through nie, but I don’t let it show, I turn and walkway, ang standing alone beneath the silver light of the moon.
My wolf whines softly, but I ignore her, focusing on the steady rhythm of my footsteps as I more totted the of the clearing.
I can feel his eyes on me as I go, but I don’t look back.
I cannot.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
