"Wait—Alpha Zion, are you saying that the woman you brought with you is the missing princess? And you never told us?" Gamma Levi’s eyes flickered with restrained fury, his voice tight as though he was holding back the urge to lash out at his Alpha.
And who could blame him? To him, it was beyond reckless—downright foolish—to keep such a crucial secret from the core members of their pack, especially from his Luna, who had suffered deeply because of this deception.
Zion could see the fury bubbling beneath Levi’s calm facade. It was clear he was doing everything in his power to hold back the harsh words simmering on his tongue, only restraining himself because Zion was his Alpha.
If not for that, Levi might have already unleashed a storm of spit-laced rage, listing every ounce of pain his Luna had endured—pain caused by her mate bond with Zion, and the crushing sense of duty she felt from the life debt she owed to the pack.
It took everything Levi had to restrain himself, along with a constant stream of pep talks from his wolf to keep his anger in check. Normally, this kind of behavior—openly showing such temper toward an Alpha—would have warranted severe punishment, if not outright execution, especially from other Alphas.
In most Alpha bloodlines, hierarchy was absolute, and above all else, there was pride. If a subordinate so much as raised their voice without knowing their place, their head could be rolling on the ground in an instant. And even if the one overstepping was their own Luna, there would still be consequences—strict, calculated punishment to reinforce the order they upheld.
That was why it was incredibly generous of Zion not to hold Levi’s outburst against him. And Levi’s wolf knew it too well. Among werewolves, wolves were the ones most obsessed with hierarchy, and Levi’s wolf could practically feel Shura breathing down his neck, even though Shura hadn’t fully emerged to lash out. Zion was keeping his wolf on a tight leash.
"Unleash me! I need to teach this mutt a lesson!" Shura growled from deep within Zion’s mind, clawing to break free.
Zion’s frustration flared as he snapped back inwardly, "Do you want to cause even more trouble right now?!"
"Me?! Why are you acting like I was the one who started this mess?!" Shura snapped, his voice sharp with frustration. "This was your brilliant idea, remember? I tried to stop you, I protested—but you wouldn’t listen! You should’ve just handed that woman over to the other Alphas and let them deal with her. Then none of this would’ve spiraled out of control."
Shura was pacing restlessly inside Zion’s mind, agitated and unable to settle. They still had no leads on Addison’s whereabouts, and a gnawing emptiness had taken root inside him, like something vital was slipping through his heart. Zion felt it too. That hollow ache, that rising dread. It’s what drove him to seek out Levi now.
Zion believed Levi might know where Addison was. But he also understood why Levi would hide her from him. Levi feared Zion would only hurt her again, and because of that, Zion was forcing himself to stay calm. To be patient.
And in a twisted way, Levi took a bitter sense of satisfaction in that. For once, his Alpha’s relentless pursuit would hit a dead end. Maybe then Zion would finally understand what his Luna had gone through—how it felt to be stripped of choice, to have choices made for her, and to be left with nothing but pain.
He had failed her first.
Still, despite Levi’s defiance, Zion chose to put him in charge of the investigation. It was both a gesture of sincerity and an offer—an unspoken chance for Levi to come clean. By doing so, Zion could justify reducing his punishment. After all, helping Addison escape was technically a betrayal, one that could be punished by a hundred lashes with silver or even death.
But Zion didn’t want Levi dead. Addison wouldn’t want that either. This was the only way he could honor both her and the bond they once shared. More than that, he wanted Levi to know the truth—because as much as Zion yearned for answers, Levi, who had served Addison loyally as her Gamma, deserved to know them just as much.
This was the only grace Zion could offer Levi—for his unwavering loyalty to Addison, for protecting her when Zion failed to. He didn’t know what might have happened if Addison had remained in that dungeon. A part of him feared that it could have killed her, and he didn’t want to dwell on that possibility. Maybe Levi had made the right call to help her escape. Maybe it was the only choice.
That uncertainty gnawed at him, and it was the very reason he needed answers. Too many things didn’t add up. Addison’s fall, her disappearance, the strange blood on the stairs... and now, even Beta Greg had vanished without a trace. Zion had no idea what his beta was thinking or why he did what he did—and that unsettled him more than he was willing to admit.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eew𝒆bn(o)vel.com
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