Alpha's Regret After She Kneels

(Siena's POV)

The morning of the third competition dawns with a quiet tension that settles deep in my bones.

The air feels charged, heavier than usual, carrying the weight of unspoken things. I try to shake it off as I step out onto Windhowl's training grounds, but the unease lingers, prickling at the edges of my awareness.

Rairity already waiting for me by the strategy table, her arms crossed, eyes sharp and assessing. "You're up early," she remarks, though her tone is more curious than surprised.

"Couldn't sleep," I admit, scanning the grounds where my warriors are making their final preparations.

The third competition is the most grueling-an endurance trial designed to push both the body and mind to their limits. Windhowl is ready. I've made sure of that. But no amount of preparation can quiet the storm that's been brewing inside me.

"Have you heard?" Rairity voice lowers, a conspiratorial edge creeping in.

I glance at her, brow lifting. "What now?"

Her lips press together, a mixture of concern and intrigue dancing in her eyes. "Lila's not here."

I freeze.

"What?"

"She's not by Raiden's side." Rairity gaze flits across the grounds, confirming what I hadn't noticed until now. The usual spectacle of Lila's presence-cloying, overbearing, impossible to ignore—is conspicuously absent.

My heart gives a traitorous lurch, and I curse the flicker of hope that sparks in my chest. I shouldn't care.

I don't care.

"Rumor is..." Rairity hesitates, glancing around before leaning in closer. "Raiden requested her temporary withdrawal from competition activities."

The words hit me harder than they should. I keep my expression neutral, refusing to let my emotions show, but my pulse quickens, and I feel the bond stir-faint, but undeniable.

I don't reach for it. I won't.

"And?" I ask, my tone cool, detached.

Rairity eyes sharpen, reading me too easily. "And... people are talking. They're saying something happened between them last night."

"Something?" I can't keep the question from slipping out.

Rairity lips press into a thin line. "Raiden was drunk. In his study. And whatever happened with Lila... well, he's not pleased about it."

Raiden. Drunk. With Lila.

I picture them together in his study that dark, book-lined room with the leather chairs that smell like him. My fingers tingle with an odd numbness.noveldrama

Did she touch his face the way I've sometimes imagined?

Did she run her hands through that dark hair?

Stop it, Siena. This isn't helping.

"Not pleased about it," I repeat, my voice sounding distant even to my own ears. What does that mean? Did he reject her? Did something happen that he regrets?

The possibilities swirl like autumn leaves caught in a vicious wind.

I shouldn't ask for details. I shouldn't

want to know. I have no claim on him-he's made that perfectly clear with his cold stares and cutting remarks. Yet here I am, fighting the urge to grab Rairity's shoulders and demand she tell me everything.

Instead, I offer a casual shrug that feels like moving mountains. "Sounds like typical Raiden drama."

But it's not typieal. Not to me. The

thought of his hands on her sends a

sharp pain through my chest. I've

become pathetic, haven't I? Pining after a man who looks at me like I'm some irritating puzzle he can't solve-or worse, doesn't want to.

Rairity's eyes haven't left my face. She sees too much. Always has. I turn away, busying myself with straightening items on the nearby table that don't need straightening.

"It's not my business," I add, the words tasting like lies.

Because it feels like my business. Because despite everything-despite all reason and self-preservation—I keep finding myself drawn to him like a moth to flame, knowing full well I'll likely burn.

Because when he looks at me, really looks at me, something electric passes between us that makes me forget why I should stay away.

But he was with Lila last night. And he's "not pleased about it."

I need to remember my place here. Remember why I came.

Remember that whatever game Raiden is playing, I can't afford to be a piece on

his board.

Yet even as I think it, I know it's too late.

I'm already in play.

The words shouldn't matter. Our divorce is imminent, our bond practically severed. But despite everything, I feel the faintest pulse from what remains of that connection-a flicker of confusion, suspicion... and something else I

vers

can't quite name.

My wolf stirs, hopeful, but I shove her back, reminding myself that hope is a dangerous thing.

"It's not our concern," I mutter, more to myself than to Rairity.

But my traitorous mind won't let it go.

I find myself reaching—just for a moment-through the fragile threads of our bond. And what I encounter shocks me. There's no cold detachment, no wall of indifference. Instead, there's... uncertainty.