CHAPTER 243: CHAPTER 243 THEIR DARKEST THOUGHTS 2

’’Why? Why do I have to hold back? She’s my mate—mine from the very beginning. Claiming her, marking her, was my right. Why did I have to endure the rut for six long years, twenty-four excruciating cycles, without her?’

’Why must I share my mate with my Beta and another man? I should have marked her the moment I found her. Then I’d have the right to stay by her side, to kill anyone who dared come near her, and never have to watch her be with other men...’

Zion’s breath grew heavier as he trailed behind Addison, each thought gnawing at him. Yet, despite the fire raging inside, something deep within still held him back from acting on it.

’Ugh! I fucking hate this. I want her; she owes me six pups by now. I should have knotted inside her more, made sure she carried my pup. Then she could never run from me. She’s my Luna, my woman, the only one meant to bear my child.’

In his mind, Zion saw Addison standing by the window of his Alpha Suite, her belly round with his pup. He even imagined himself chasing a young pup through the playground while Addison watched from the sidelines, her melodious laughter ringing like wind chimes.

But the warmth of the vision shattered, replaced by the memory of her tumbling down the stairs, of him slamming her into the wall. The contrast hit him like a physical blow, wrenching him from bliss to torment in an instant.

"Ugh!" He groaned, nearly doubling over, as if dragged from the heavens only to be hurled straight into hell.

"Zion, what’s wrong?" Addison’s worried voice reached his ears. When he looked up, her blurred, anxious expression seemed to overlap with a memory of her pitiful face from the past, silently begging him to believe her.

But instead of trusting her back then, he had slammed her against the wall. He could still recall the hurt and pain in her eyes... but he hadn’t stopped. He had turned away, carrying another woman to safety, while his mate, injured and vulnerable, was thrown into the dungeon and tortured.

"This isn’t good. Alpha Zion seems to be falling into his darkest thoughts... what should we do?" Elric’s voice was edged with panic as he glanced between Zion and the others.

Maxwell stood over Zion, contempt and coldness in his gaze, as if staring at the foulest thing imaginable. Levi’s expression was no softer; his eyes burned with hate and fury. Elric realized with dread that they, too, were being pulled into their own dark thoughts. And at this rate... it wouldn’t be long before blood was spilled.

Hearing this, Addison’s heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach. She had no idea what to do, and though Elric appeared composed, he was far from it. His face had already paled, and sweat clung to his skin as he fought to keep control.

Fortunately, mages possessed strong mental fortitude—otherwise, he might have fallen just like Zion and the others.

"Should we set up a barrier first and protect ourselves?" Addison asked, glancing up at Elric.

But Elric shook his head. "We can’t. We must finish this and get out of the forest as soon as possible. Spending a night here means death, and even with a barrier, it might not last until morning before we’re overrun by Night Walkers."

He grew fidgety, his expression tightening. Just the thought brought back the memory of that night when he and his master stumbled upon the cursed village. His face drained of color even further, because only he knew the true horror of that night, and the thought of reliving it made panic coil in his chest.

Addison reached out and rested her hand on Zion’s shoulder, only to feel him trembling uncontrollably. The instant her palm touched him, a wave of anguish and pain surged into her, raw and overwhelming, as if it were her own.

It struck straight through her chest, making her flinch, but she didn’t let go. She could see him on the verge of crumbling beneath the crushing weight of guilt, and in that moment, it was as if she were pulled into his vision.

She saw herself through his eyes—back in the Midnight River Pack—lying on the floor after he had slammed her into the wall. Her body was already aching from the fall, yet the blow had left her feeling as though every bone had shattered.

Still, a small, fragile hope had clung to her that he might at least question her... maybe even believe her. After all, she was still his Luna back then.

In his memory, she looked disheveled, pitiful, and broken. The pain seared into her chest, and she realized she might be feeling exactly what Zion felt now. Even Levi and Maxwell winced, their expressions tightening as if they too could feel Addison’s pain.

The chain reaction was unexpected. The pain flooding through Addison seemed to snap Levi and Maxwell out of their trance, pulling them back from the edge of their own dark thoughts. But Zion was too far gone, lost deep within his memories.

After the scene on the stairs, another memory crashed over him: the dungeon. He had come down only to find the floor slick with blood... and Addison gone. The moment her scent, laced with blood, hit his senses, his vision went red.

Addison trembled as the memory enveloped her, seeing everything through Zion’s eyes.

In his rage, he had seized the Omega by the throat, lifting her high into the air, demanding answers. Through choking breaths, she confessed that Beta Greg had ordered her to clean the cell and hide the evidence.

Zion’s vision in that moment had been crimson, as though the world itself was drenched in blood. His chest heaved with fury and anguish, and without thinking, without even considering further questions, he beheaded the Omega on the spot.

He had been too consumed by rage to think clearly, too desperate to notice the bigger scheme at play. All he could do then was storm out of the dungeon, driven by one single, desperate thought: finding Addison alive.

Addison’s heart twisted at the sight, but she couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She knew that if she did, she might falter, might find herself forgiving Zion too easily, accepting his feeble excuses, and brushing aside the pain she had endured for three long years.

So, she forced herself to let go. It wasn’t easy; it took every ounce of her strength, and when she finally broke free, it felt as though she had been flung away. She stumbled to the ground, breathless, only to realize that her cheeks were cold and damp—she had been crying without even knowing it.

"Addie!"

"Addison!"

Both Maxwell and Levi, snapping out of their daze, saw Addison stumble to the ground after forcing herself to let go of Zion’s shoulder. Pain and confusion twisted her features as she cried, and her emotions were a tangled storm that even they could feel; it was raw, complicated, and steeped in hurt.

Even Zion had begun to emerge from his reverie of the past, drawn back by the sensation of Addison’s hand pulling away and her pain. When he lifted his gaze, he saw her tear-streaked face staring at him, her eyes brimming with emotions he couldn’t fully name, but one of them was unmistakable: stubbornness.