The Alpha's Forsaken Feisty Mate

Nina met Zenna at night during the dinner preparation. The moment she stepped into the kitchen, the servants attentively looked at her.

"I am not good at such chores, but I can cook a dessert well," Nina said. "If the Luna allows me, then for today’s dinner meal, I would like to prepare the dessert."

"Miss Nina, a lot of servants are present in the kitchen for doing that work too. You shouldn’t bother yourself," Zenna stated, refusing to let her prepare the dessert.

Nina nodded as she understood Zenna’s intention and watched her leave the kitchen. She followed Zenna to the living hall.

"I wanted to apologize to you, Zenna," Nina said, thus stopping her. "Can you spare me your five minutes?" she asked.

Zenna turned to look at Nina. "What do you have to say? If you had even an ounce of respect, you would not have eyed my husband. You would not have tried to take the advantage of him when he was in rut and you would not have fed me drug," she pronounced.

"When your own family abandons you, you are left with no choice. No one understands this better than you, Zenna," Nina said and walked to her. Her eyes gleamed golden for a moment as she stopped before Zenna.

"My father defeated in the battle against Radulf. To appease Radulf’s anger, I was sent away without asking me what I wanted. I was the present for Radulf from my father. So, I had to impress Radulf to take me as his mate when he didn’t like you. Did I wrong to survive in a new land and a kingdom? I only hoped for love," she explained.

In Nina’s eyes, she did nothing wrong to approach Radulf even if he was married. She wanted to make a place in the heart of a man, who was nice to her.

"Both you and Radulf are at fault. He let you come close to him and you shamelessly did it. I don’t care what kind of life you had in your kingdom, but I am sure it wasn’t like me. So, you shouldn’t compare yourself with me," Zenna stated, not ready to justify Nina’s action.

She was upset that Radulf didn’t punish Nina despite finding out she drugged Zenna.

"Radulf doesn’t want to send me away. That means, he wants me to be near him. Also, the Luna Queen, your royal mother, sent the drug to me. She wanted me to drug you and spend a night with Radulf," Nina revealed the hidden truth behind the incident to Zenna.

It shocked Zenna because she never imagined the Luna Queen would do something like that. She lowered her eyes, blinking fast as she tried to understand what benefits Loretta would have received from this?

"I heard your father wanted you to be marked from Radulf while your royal mother wanted the opposite. I was wrong in my doing, but I was assisted for it. Don’t you think you should find out why the Luna Queen wanted me in your place to become Radulf’s mate?" Nina muttered, forcing Zenna to contemplate.

"Also, Radulf has forgiven me. He wants me to be his friend rather than his mistress. I think that’s a better option. I just wanted to apologize to you for what I’ve done to you. Let’s not hate each other, Zenna," Nina said, squeezing her arm with a warm touch before leaving.

"Radulf knew all of this?" Zenna chuckled, feeling low suddenly.

~~~~~

Later that night, as Radulf sat at the dinner table, he noticed Zenna’s absence. His brows furrowed slightly, and after a moment of silence, he stood.

"Send dinner to Zenna’s chamber. I’ll dine with her," he instructed the staff curtly before leaving his seat.

As he stepped out of the dining hall, his thoughts clouded with frustration. "How long is she going to act like this?" he mumbled to himself.

Reaching Zenna’s chamber, Radulf noticed the door slightly ajar. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.

"You shouldn’t keep the Alpha waiting in the dining hall," Pia was saying as she addressed Zenna, who was seated near the window on a chaise. "I think he’s trying to be nice."

Zenna didn’t turn from her spot, her gaze fixed on the darkened sky outside. "I was under that illusion until yesterday," she replied, feeling almost nothing. "I don’t want to dine with him." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Pia frowned, clearly perplexed. "But you instructed the servants earlier to prepare all of the Alpha’s favorite dishes. You said it was a gesture of thanks for allowing you to see his wolf and even ride on his back. What changed so suddenly?"

"I never said I would have dinner with him," Zenna remarked. "You should let me be alone, Pia," she murmured.

Pia sighed and turned to go when she spotted Radulf, her eyes widening instantly. He placed his finger on his lips, urging Pia to stay quiet. She nodded and left the chamber.

Radulf just stared at Zenna’s form. ’What she must be thinking? Is she cursing me in her mind?’ he wondered.

"He is a bastard," Zenna muttered. "I wish I could wrap my hands around his neck and make him feel what suffocation feels like. Why did he hide the truth from me? Does he truly think I’ll ever betray him? If I had to, wouldn’t I have poisoned him already?" She shrieked and quickly turned around to stand up.

However, she froze at her place to see Radulf in the chamber. She found Pia wasn’t there and gulped slightly before composing herself. Gracefully, she rose to her feet while avoiding his gaze. "What do you want?" she asked.

Radulf appeared before her, startling her. Before she knew, he held her hands and brought them to his neck. "Try it," he smirked.

"What?" Zenna flinched and tried to pull back her hands. But she couldn’t do it. His grip on her wrists was too firm.

"Make me feel suffocated, Zenna. Let’s see how much strength an omega holds before an alpha," Radulf challenged her.