The Alpha's Forsaken Feisty Mate

Radulf leaned back in his chair, his sharp gaze falling on the empty seat to his left. A small frown etched across his face as he turned to one of the servants. "Where’s Zenna?" he asked.

The servant hesitated before bowing slightly. "Luna Zenna said she doesn’t have an appetite, Alpha," they replied cautiously.

Radulf’s frown deepened, and a flicker of annoyance crossed his features. "Tell her I want her here in the dining hall. Now."

Before the servant could leave, Nina entered the dining hall. She approached the table with a small smile and gracefully took the seat to Radulf’s right. "I didn’t feel like eating alone in my chamber," she began, "As your respected guest, I thought it would be proper to join you for dinner. After all, meals are best shared, aren’t they?"

Radulf didn’t respond immediately, his piercing eyes briefly flickering toward her before returning to the empty chair on his left.

"I wonder why you didn’t send me away even after discovering that I drugged Zenna," Nina said as she rested her elbows on the table, watching him intently. "Nor did you seem to care when I slit my wrist. Strange, isn’t it?"

Radulf’s expression remained composed, though his gaze turned colder. "Presents aren’t returned, Miss Nina," he replied. "However, they can be discarded. Let’s maintain a certain level of decency between us."

Nina tilted her head slightly, a faint smirk playing on her lips. "Hmm. Well, you won’t need to worry about maintaining any decorum. I won’t be staying in this mansion much longer. The Luna Queen has summoned me to stay at the palace. This will be our last meal together."

Radulf’s frown deepened at her words, his brows drawing together. ’The Luna Queen?’ he thought, irritation flickering across his face.

"Did the messenger not inform you?" Nina pressed, watching his reaction with interest.

"No," Radulf replied curtly. "I didn’t allow anyone to see me for a while, that’s why." In the back of his head, a lot of questions were already swirling. Loretta was going to play a dirty game with him.

Nina reached out, her soft hand covering Radulf’s. She leaned in slightly while searching his eyes. "However, if you ask me to stay here, I won’t leave, Radulf," she said with a small smile. "All you need to do is give me your precious time."

Radulf regarded her for a moment, his face devoid of emotion. "You should stay in the mansion, Miss Nina. But I won’t force you," he stated firmly. "If staying here becomes too difficult for you because of my wife, then I won’t stop you from leaving."

’Are you crazy?’ Black roared in Radulf’s mind, his wolf’s fury barely contained.

Ignoring his wolf, Radulf kept his focus on Nina, who tightened her hold on his hand.

"Then make me your second wife, if not the first," she proposed boldly. "You can try to know me, Radulf. Fate can be changed, and mate bonds can be broken if true love is found." Her fingers lightly caressed his hand as she began the persuasion.

Radulf’s eyes dropped to their joined hands. Finally, he pulled his hand away, breaking the contact between them. "Nina, I’m afraid I am not willing to take a second wife," he said.

Black let out a relieved growl in the back of Radulf’s mind, content with his response.

A faint flicker of disappointment crossed Nina’s face, but she quickly masked it.

Radulf leaned back slightly. "Why don’t you become my friend, Nina, instead of pursuing me as a partner?" he offered. "I’m sure we could be great friends. It would be a relationship built on trust, not false expectations."

Nina hesitated, her eyes narrowing slightly as if weighing his words, so she didn’t respond immediately.

"Take your time to think about it, Nina," Radulf said, signaling the end of their conversation.

Before Nina could respond, the dining hall doors burst open, and Pia rushed in, gasping for air. Her panicked expression shattered the tension lingering between him and Nina.

"Alpha!" she cried, her voice trembling. "Luna Zenna isn’t in her chamber. I—I searched everywhere, but she’s nowhere to be found!"

Radulf’s brows furrowed immediately, though he tried to remain composed. "Maybe she’s in my chamber or some other part of the mansion," he suggested.

"No, Alpha," Pia said, shaking her head, her worry growing further. "Luna Zenna specifically asked me not to disturb her or call her for supper. I’ve been outside her chamber this entire time, keeping watch. She hasn’t left through the main door."

Radulf promptly sprang into action, his wolf was more worried for Zenna than him.

"Miss Nina," Radulf said, his tone abrupt and authoritative, "please continue with your supper."

Without waiting for a response, he strode out of the dining hall, as his senses sharpened to pick up Zenna’s scent. His wolf stirred restlessly, urging him to find her without delay.

’She isn’t in the mansion. I can’t catch her scent,’ Black growled in frustration.

Without wasting another moment, he barked instructions to the servants, sending them to search the estate grounds and beyond. Meanwhile, he stepped outside himself, determined to find Zenna.

The cool night air greeted him as he strode toward the vast garden, his sharp eyes scanning the dark expanse. He stopped at the center of the garden, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, letting his wolf’s heightened senses take over.

"Zenna," he murmured, her name seemed like a plea on his lips.

After a moment, a faint trace of her scent reached him. It was weak, barely lingering, but unmistakably hers. Radulf’s eyes snapped open, his wolf growling low in his chest.

’She’s far,’ Black observed. ’I am going to kill myself and you if anything happens to Zenna,’ he threatened Radulf.

"That won’t happen, Black," Radulf said and ran in the direction from where Zenna’s scent was coming. It took him around twenty minutes to reach the foggy place where a huge lake was present. Radulf spotted Zenna standing at a dock’s edge.

"Zenna!" Radulf shouted her name.