“She intercepted everything,” Zion says grimly, flipping through a stack of papers. “She blocked her calls, deleted her messages. She wanted to isolate Siena. To make you believe she wasn’t worth your time.”
I feel sick. Horace howls in my mind, the sound raw and guttural, echoing the grief clawing at my chest.
“She never stopped trying,” I say, my voice barely audible. “Even when I gave her every reason to give up, she still tried.”
The final piece of evidence is a journal, one that we found hidden in Lila’s quarters.
Its pages are filled with obsessive ramblings, detailed plans to sabotage Siena and drive us apart. Lila wrote about using toxic compounds in her perfume to trigger Siena’s wolf, about planting seeds of doubt in my mind, about fabricating evidence to discredit her.
“She’s manipulated everything,” Zion says, his voice tight with anger. “Including your perception of Siena.”
The words hit me harder than I expect, the full weight of them settling over me. Lila didn’t just manipulate situations–she manipulated me.
She fed me lies, and I believed her. I chose to believe her, because it was easier than confronting my own fears and failures.
I rejected the mate who would have fought for me to the ends of the earth, and I did it because it was
convenient.
Horace growls low in my chest, the sound filled with rage and regret.
“I need to fix this,” I say, my voice trembling. “I need to make this right.”
“The Alpha is no longer here,” she says, her tone sharp.
“What do you mean she’s not here?” I demand, my heart pounding.
“She’s appointed me as Acting Alpha during her absence,” Rairity explains. “She’s left on a world journey. She requested privacy and time for healing.”
The words leave me reeling.
She’s gone. Siena, the mate I rejected, the woman I’ve spent years failing, has left.
And I don’t know if she’s ever coming back.
I stagger back, the weight of her absence threatening to crush me. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. Horace howls in my mind, his grief and rage mirroring my own.
“She left?” I whisper, the disbelief clear in my voice.
“She made it clear she didn’t want to be followed,” Rairity says, her tone softening slightly. “She needs time, Raiden. Time to heal. And you need to respect that.”
I sink into one of the council chairs, my head in my hands as the full weight of my actions crashes down on me. I’ve spent years rejecting Siena, pushing her away, believing the lies Lila fed me. And now, when I finally
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see the truth, it’s too late.
“She’s gone,” I murmur, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.
Rairity doesn’t respond, and I can feel her judgment in the silence. I deserve it. I deserve all of it.
But even as despair threatens to consume me, a spark of determination flares to life. I can’t give up. I can’t let this be the end.
“I’ll find her,” I say, my voice breaking. “I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll find her, and I’ll make this right.”
Rairity meets my gaze, her expression unreadable. “If you want any chance of earning her forgiveness, start by respecting her wishes. Let her heal. Give her the space she asked for.”
Her words cut deep, but I know she’s right. If I want any hope of redemption, I have to give Siena the time and space she needs.
But someday, I’ll find her. Someday, I’ll show her that I’m not the man I used to be–that I can be the mate she deserved all along.
And when that day comes, I just hope it’s not too late.
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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.
