CHAPTER 275: CHAPTER 275 PLANNING 4

Back then, she had been a lovesick fool, hoping he might notice her if she tried harder, so she paid attention to every rumor or news about him, his feats, his victories, his ferocity.

She knew of the countless times he had gone on killing frenzies in the enemy territory, earning him a notorious reputation that inspired fear in many.

But Addison didn’t fear him. Instead, she admired his strength, the kind of strength that made him a living nightmare for his enemies, a presence that alone could instill terror the moment his name was mentioned. That, she realized, was an achievement in itself.

Seeing that Addison was entrusting him with this task, Zion broke into a smile. Even Shura, his wolf, couldn’t contain its joy, leaping excitedly within his mind. Overcome with emotion, Zion took two quick strides toward Addison, wrapped her in a firm embrace, and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

It wasn’t just excitement driving him; beneath it was a fierce determination to prove himself. Opportunities like this didn’t come easily.

Addison was a strong, independent woman who preferred handling things on her own, and for her to trust him with such an important responsibility was a chance for Zion to demonstrate not only his abilities but also his worth as one of her fated mates.

After all, if the time came when she chose to bond and mark them, the three of them—Zion, Maxwell, and Levi—would become her Royal Concubines, standing beside her as she ruled. Their positions would be elevated, yet they would still be responsible for leading their own packs under her reign.

Together, their union would merge three powerful packs into a united force and become the backbone of the Kingdom’s strength. The Greyhounds were the Kingdom’s blade, striking down its enemies, while the Ackermans stood as its shield, defending it.

With Addison as both Luna of their packs and Alpha King of all werewolves, it would appear as though she were annexing the two packs, but in truth, it was a partnership that elevated them all.

Still, such a union came with scrutiny. Every eye would be on them, on Zion, Maxwell, and Levi, and every flaw would be magnified. That was why they needed to showcase their strengths at every turn, never giving anyone a reason to doubt Addison’s ability or to diminish her rule.

After Zion hugged her, Addison stiffened for a moment before allowing herself to relax. As much as she tried to deny their mate bond, resisting it only ended up punishing herself as well.

The mate bond’s pull was strong, strong enough to affect her mind and heart, no matter how much she tried to fight it. Perhaps it was better not to be so firmly against it.

Besides, she could see that Zion was truly trying to make amends for his past mistakes. She couldn’t simply erase the memory of her suffering, or the fact that she had nearly lost her life and her babies when she was tortured.

Yet when she forced herself to think more deeply about it, and considered Zion’s explanations, the truth became harder to ignore: he had not ordered her torture. In fact, he had prioritized sending a healer to her side over Claire’s.

His decision to send her to the dungeon back then had been less out of cruelty and more out of misguided protection, born of his foolish mistake of mistaking Claire for the Royal Princess.

The real cruelty had come from Greg. It was Greg who had taken advantage of the situation, twisting it to feed his prejudice against her. To him, she had been unworthy of being Luna because of her supposed weakness.

In the end, her suffering had not been born from Zion’s direct command, but from Greg’s hatred and from the bitter consequences of their lack of communication.

But perhaps the reason she still felt so averse toward Zion was because of that night, the night she heard the moans coming from Claire’s room and assumed they were having sex.

Even now, she could hardly recall the details clearly; her mind had been consumed by the sharp, shattering pain of her heartbreak. And yet, thinking back, she realized something strange: she hadn’t truly felt the sting of betrayal that night.

At that time, she convinced herself that the reason she hadn’t felt the sting of betrayal was because their mate bond was incomplete, dulling what should have been an unbearable pain.

Besides, Claire had already been pregnant then, and since Zion openly claimed the child as his, Addison assumed it must have been true. She thought that if Claire could conceive while she herself had never felt anything, then it all made sense, the bond was incomplete, and so it affected some things that tethered them, and that explained everything.

She never stopped to question whether they had actually done such a thing under her own roof.

What she couldn’t forget, however, were the hateful words Zion had thrown at her, words sharp enough to convince her he would rather touch another woman than ever look at her.

Back then, she had also believed that Claire was his true fated mate. To discover now that it had all been nothing more than a façade to protect Claire’s identity and reputation... that was his real mistake. Not only choosing lies over truth, but also choosing to wound her with his unjust hatred, leaving her alone in the dark.

But now, if she examined it more carefully, was it really Zion she had heard with Claire? Or had Claire staged the entire scene just to drive a wedge between them?

As these thoughts tangled in her mind, Addison chose not to resist. She simply remained still and allowed Zion to hold her. To him, that small act was already a victory. The fact that she wasn’t pushing him away, as she had so many times before, was enough to make him smile for three days straight.

After savoring Addison’s warmth in his arms, Zion shifted into his wolf form and slipped beyond the pack’s border, sprinting into the forest with silent precision. Every step was measured, his senses sharp as he scanned for any sign of pursuit.

Sure enough, rogues lingered on the outskirts, cloaked in masking spray to conceal their presence. Fortunately, Zion had already hidden his own scent before leaving; otherwise, his Alpha’s scent would have alerted them instantly.

Using his natural agility and the cover of his midnight-black fur, he melted seamlessly into the darkness. Not even the pack’s border patrol noticed his departure; at most, a few guards felt a rush of wind sweep past, but they dismissed it without suspicion.

After Zion’s departure, Addison, Maxwell, and Levi were left staring at one another. Levi still held Zion’s discarded clothes from his shift, while the three of them remained in Addison’s room.

Now that the business at hand had settled, their attention was drawn to something else, the room itself. Addison’s divine scent lingered heavily in the air, enveloping the space and stirring an undeniable reaction within their bodies.

Without meaning to, Addison’s eyes flickered downward, lingering where they shouldn’t have. The moment she realized her gaze had passed over the growing bulges in their pants, she silently wished she hadn’t looked at all.