The Alpha's Forsaken Feisty Mate

Zenna stopped blinking for a moment when Radulf pulled away. "Nothing has happened. Don’t ruin our outing because of a small distraction," he said, his thumb caressing her cheek as he lowered his hand too.

"Who was it? Who sent him?" she asked with more emphasis in her tone.

"Aria," Radulf replied.

"She did? I must tell my father about this. But now the witness and perpetrator has gone, I cannot do that," Zenna remarked.

"You seriously think he will punish Princess Aria," Radulf raised his brow in a quizzical glance.

"I wanted to show my father how his legitimate daughter is after my life," Zenna murmured.

"I’ve a better idea," Radulf said with a grin. She curiously looked at him, wanting him to confide in her.

Radulf understood her gesture and leaned down to her ear. As he whispered his idea, Zenna’s eyes went wide in bewilderment. Before she could speak, he placed his index finger above her lips. "Shhh. We will discuss it later," he opined. As he withdrew his finger, their wait ended as well.

The boat had come to the dock. People started getting down and as they passed them, some even glanced back at Radulf while gossiping among each other.

"Let’s get in," Radulf held her hand firmly.

"You don’t need to hold me," she murmured.

"But you are scared of water," he reminded her. As they entered the boat, it wobbled on the water’s surface. Her grip on his palm tightened until the boat got stable. They sat down comfortably at the middle spot as more people climbed in.

Radulf securely wrapped his arm around Zenna, making sure she was in comfort. She tilted her head and kept her focus on him. ’He gets warm and cold any time,’ she thought.

Her attention drew the other people on the same boat, who were whispering among each other. Upon focusing more, Zenna realized they were talking about Radulf and his family. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"What? They were hung to death!?"

"Children suffer for their parents’ wrong deeds."

"Keep a low voice. What if he hears us? I’ve heard he was a freaking monster on the battlefield who killed many wolves in a single attack."

Zenna felt upset because so far she thought people only gossiped about her. However, they used to talk about Radulf too. And the comments toward him were harsher. ’I think I made a mistake by bringing him here,’ she contemplated.

"Why don’t you all speak on my face?" Radulf finally pronounced. An eerie silence surrounded the boat. He looked around him and continued, "I lose my temper quite easily. So, you better not provoke me."

Zenna placed her hand above his, hoping he would calm down. Sometimes staying silent was the best in such situations. And to her surprise, Radulf turned quiet. However, after his threat, no one dared to gossip about him. But Zenna knew they would do this behind their back.

To keep Radulf’s mind away from those thoughts, Zenna turned her head to look into the water. "There are magical fish in this river," she told Radulf.

"Are you sure?" Radulf refused to believe her.

"Hmm. I have read about it in a book. But no one has seen it," Zenna replied.

"Because there’s no such fish. Magic doesn’t happen," Radulf stated.

"They do!" A kid spoke up when his mother pressed her hand on her son’s mouth. Radulf and Zenna glanced in their direction as the boy put down his mother’s hand.

"My teacher says magic happens," the boy said confidently.

"Then, your teacher lied to you," Radulf pronounced with a smile.

"A teacher never lies, Sir," the boy said.

"Stay quiet, Jafar," her mother whispered.

"Let the boy speak," Radulf told the mother. "Adults lie. Keep that in mind. It’s better for you to end your illusion," he affirmed, gazing into the kid’s eyes.

"Why are you arguing with a young boy?" Zenna reprimanded him.

"I was giving him insights about the truth of the world," Radulf replied.

"Sir, magic does happen. My younger sister was very sick last year. Even the physician had given up on her. But then, she revived. It was a miracle for us. That’s why magic happens in the most unexpected times," the young boy, Jafar, again argued but in a polite way.

"I hope your sister is fine now," Zenna said.

"Yes, she is, Madam," Jafar answered.

"What will you do, boy, if someone threatens the life of your sister?" Radulf asked a question, which was a bit harsher and meant for the adults. "Will you wait for the stupid magic to happen?" He arched his brow at Jafar.

"Radulf, why are you doing this? You are scaring a kid with such a question," Zenna muttered in a low voice.

"I will fight, Sir. Magic doesn’t always happen. But they do happen when you have least expected them," Jafar pronounced.

Radulf was rather intrigued by the boy’s response than angry. "Then, I’ll wait to see magic someday. What’s your name?" he then asked.

"I am Jafar, Sir," the boy replied. "I have heard about you. You are the great wolf and warrior of our kingdom, Sir Radulf De Lagrange," he asserted with a smile.

"Am I that popular among the kids?" Radulf chuckled.

"Yes. My friends and I... In fact, the entire school talks about you, Sir. You are our inspiration. We train hard to be like you... A great warrior for this kingdom," Jafar pronounced.

"Your son is amusing," Radulf told the lady, who was still asking Jafar to turn quiet.

By then, the boat had arrived at the dock. People started getting down one by one. As Radulf and Zenna stepped out, Jafar came to them.

"Do visit our school someday, Sir. You’ll be impressed to meet our teacher. He is the one who told us about you," Jafar stated with a smile.

Radulf was astonished to learn that. "And who’s your teacher?" He asked.

"A student should never take his teacher’s name. You can find him in Black Hart Academy," Jafar replied and bowed to them before running back to his mother.

"I can’t believe I’ve admirers," Radulf muttered with a smile.

"Of course, you have admirers. People love you," Zenna said as she wanted to make him feel happy.

"Not all love you. Didn’t you hear the others in the boat?" Radulf murmured.

"They don’t know about you. That’s why they were talking in such a manner. But look at that boy! He praised you so much and even kept you in high regard. You are an idol among the future warriors," Zenna pronounced with a proud smile.

"Seems like you are more joyous for me than I am," Radulf stated. "Let’s go and eat somewhere. I saw some new restaurants have opened up here. We should try one of them," he suggested.

Zenna hummed and the two headed toward a fine restaurant.

"Radulf, tell me one thing. You were notorious as a kid, weren’t you?" Zenna teased him.

"What do you mean I was notorious?" Radulf frowned at her.

"Well, the way you speak," Zenna answered.

"I was the most desirable student in my class. And girls were head over heels for me," Radulf stated.

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