The Alpha's Forsaken Feisty Mate

"Aren’t you letting me go, Black?" Zenna murmured, her voice soft as the darkness blanketed the sky. She rested her head against the warmth of his fur, tilting her gaze upward to meet his. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Thank you for giving me your time," she whispered, her lips curving into a faint smile before she slowly rose to her feet.

Black’s crimson eyes softened, glimmering under the faint light of the crescent moon. He gazed up at her with a longing expression, his emotions betraying his reluctance to part ways. Black let out a low whimper, his ears lowering as if to plead.

"Don’t look at me like that, Black," Zenna chuckled softly, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "Your eyes tell me you don’t want to leave my side."

The wolf inclined his head in agreement, then nuzzled his face against her feet in an affectionate gesture.

’Let’s stay like this until morning,’ Black thought, wishing for time to freeze in this serene moment.

’And let her fall ill because of the cold?’ Radulf’s voice snapped within the shared consciousness, his practical tone cutting through the wolf’s desires.

Zenna crouched down and placed her soft hand gently on Black’s head. Her touch was warm and soothing, and as her fingers lightly traced his fur, Black’s red eyes fluttered shut, the long lashes casting delicate shadows in the moonlight.

"We’ll see each other tomorrow," Zenna said with a kind smile. Rising to her feet again, she stepped back. "I’ll go inside now," she added, her tone tinged with reluctance, before turning and walking toward the mansion.

Black stood motionless, his gaze fixed on her retreating figure. Radulf seized the moment, his wolfish form darting away from the clearing toward the mansion.

He jumped toward the balcony of his chamber. In a fluid motion, the air shimmered around him as he transformed back into his human form. His muscles flexed under the pale moonlight, and he slipped on a silk robe after entering the chamber, tying it loosely around his waist.

Pacing the room, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing at the door, waiting for her to come to him as she had done last time. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours, yet Zenna didn’t appear.

"Why isn’t she here?" he muttered to himself, running a hand through his dark, tousled hair. His stormy eyes landed on the delicate lilies arranged in the vase on the table. The sight sent a pang of regret through him.

"I’m such a fool," Radulf admitted. "I should never have let Savio’s words sway me."

He reached for the vase, intending to rid himself of the flowers that now felt like a mockery of his actions. Yet, as his hand lingered over the delicate petals, he recalled the young boy, whose mother he saved.

Since the young boy, Julian, brought those lilies, he decided to let them remain unharmed.

"Alpha, Luna Zenna and Miss Nina are waiting for you at the dinner table," a servant’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"She went for dinner?" Radulf mumbled with a frown. "You can leave," he instructed the servant and himself went to the changing room. After dressing up in his formal robes, Radulf headed to the dining hall.

Reaching there, he found Zenna seated on the chair with a neutral expression on her face.

"Were you busy because of work?" asked Nina.

"No. I was waiting for someone," Radulf replied before taking his seat on the main chair.

"Who?" Nina inquired.

"A little wolf," Radulf replied.

Zenna gazed at him, realizing he was referring to her.

"A little wolf?" Nina mused. She watched the eye contact between Radulf and Zenna, understanding the meaning behind it.

The dinner went in silence. What bothered Radulf was how she didn’t give him a single glance after his remark.

"Good night, Nina," Zenna said and left the dining hall first.

"Well, your wife is upset with you. Seems like you’ve hurt her again," Nina remarked, gazing at Radulf, who was fuming in anger.

"That’s not true. I am tired. So, I’ll also retire to bed earlier, Nina. Have a good night," Radulf told her and walked out. He crossed paths with Savio again, who gave him a small smile.

"I’m not listening to your advice anymore," Radulf muttered.

"Well, if a lie is spoken for someone’s good, it’s not called a lie," Savio proclaimed. "Did you make up with your wife? If not, then go and sleep with her. Embrace her to sleep," he stated with a grin.

Radulf glared at him but didn’t say anything.

"Don’t pull up that face, Alpha. Do you know I heard a strange rumor earlier in the market? Luna Zenna has awakened a wolf because you marked her. This gossip is the talk of the town," Savio pronounced.

"She lied," Radulf said.

"Because she can’t bear the humiliation of being called wolf-less," Savio opined. "What if she can actually awaken her wolf after receiving your love?"

"Savio, good night. I don’t want your relationship advice anymore," Radulf said sharply and strode away. Upon reaching his chamber, he finally halted. "I wanted this to happen. So, let’s just see how long Zenna acts in such a way," he murmured.

Meanwhile, in Zenna’s chamber, she changed into her nightgown. "Should I go and check on him? I need to ask him why he takes his wolf’s form every time I am upset," she murmured and rested on the mattress.

"But what if he yells at me? No, I should not see him. I should show him that I don’t care for his presence. Perhaps that can force him to come to me on his own." She turned off the lamp in the bedchamber before lying down on the mattress. Not even a minute had passed when she heard the door open. The moment she opened her eyes, she felt Radulf’s presence behind her.

Promptly, she turned her head. "What are you doing here? I told you not to–" Zenna didn’t finish as Radulf’s finger rested on her lips.