The Alpha's Regret Return Of The Betrayed Luna (Addison) novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - 6 She, Who Never Belong

As instructed, Addison put on something nice, a dress she had been holding onto, hoping for the day she could wear it in front of Zion, sharing a quiet dinner together.

She never imagined that day would come so soon. After washing up and dressing, she applied light makeup to conceal the exhaustion on her face.

As soon as she stepped out of her room, she immediately sensed that something was off.

The entire packhouse carried a solemn atmosphere, quiet, almost eerily so.

As she walked down the hallway toward the dining hall, a growing sense of unease settled over her. Her palms clenched tightly, betraying her nerves. Standing before the towering doors, she took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart.

When she pushed open the door, she wasn't met with the romantic fine dining she had imagined. Instead, as she stepped forward, her eyes took in the sea of people dressed in black. At the center of it all, Claire sat in a white dress, delicately dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

The moment Addison entered, every head turned toward her. A stunned silence filled the room as they all wide eyes stared at her in shock and disbelief.

Addison only fully grasped the situation when her heart pounded violently in her chest. Her breath hitched, and her lashes fluttered as she locked eyes with Zion, who sat at the head of the table, his expression dark with fury.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy with grief, somber and serious, and some were even crying. It was clear they were commemorating the fallen warriors, honoring those who had perished in the war.

It might have been long overdue, but this was the only time their Alpha was present, and the war had finally ended, granting them the chance to grieve their losses.

Many would never return home, and there were no bodies to bury, only the brutal memory of warriors torn apart like ragdolls by the vampires.

At the center of it all, Alpha Zion led the ceremony, offering comfort to the bereaved families. As his Luna, Addison should have been standing by his side, fulfilling her role and providing support.

But instead, it was Claire who stood beside him, assuming the duty that rightfully belonged to Addison.

To make matters worse, Addison wasn't just absent from her responsibilities, but she was dressed in a striking red dress, an inappropriate contrast to the mourning around her.

Rather than offering solace, she seemed to have come there to celebrate, which wasn't entirely false. Her expression only intensified the weight of Zion's burning gaze.

Such disrespect made Zion so angry that he instantly growled manacingly as he stood from his seat. "What do you think you are doing?" He questioned as he took a step forward towards Addison.

Before he could take a step closer, Claire clung to Zion's arm, her voice trembling with grief, laced with quiet sobs as if she were mourning alongside everyone else. The contrast between the two women couldn't have been more stark; one draped in sorrow and offering comfort like a true Luna, while the other arrived late, clad in attire that had no place in a mourning hall.

The difference was glaring, and it didn't take long for the pack members to turn their scorn toward Addison. To them, she had become the perfect target to shoulder their pain, dissatisfaction, and anger.

Murmurs spread through the hall, growing louder as disdain for Addison became impossible to ignore. No one even tried to hide their contempt anymore, openly voicing their criticism as if she weren't standing right there. Their blatant disrespect was suffocating.

Before Zion could even question her, Claire spoke up, her voice soft yet laced with carefully measured sorrow. "Zion, don't be too harsh on her," she said, casting a fleeting, pitying glance at Addison.

"I'm sure she didn't mean to disrespect the dead... Perhaps it's my fault. Maybe my presence made her feel threatened, and she chose today to assert her dominance over you—to remind everyone of her sovereignty. Y-You should comfort her instead."

"After all, she's your Luna, and I—I..." Claire let her voice trail off, never finishing her sentence. She didn't need to. The unspoken words hung in the air, allowing everyone to fill in the blanks with their own assumptions. Speculation spread like wildfire through the hall.

What Claire truly wanted was for everyone to believe that, as Zion's current mate, Addison still held the Luna title, at least for now. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

And because of that, Claire had no choice but to step aside, unable to challenge Addison's position or voice her opinions just yet. But that was exactly what she wanted them to think.

By doing this, she subtly ignited resentment toward Addison, pushing the pack members to start comparing them.

She didn't need to lift a finger because once their anger festered, they would be the ones urging Zion to cast Addison aside.

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