The Alpha's Forsaken Feisty Mate-Chapter 21: You were the curse

Zenna put some distance between them while tucking her hair behind her ear. Radulf watched her expression, wondering why she had come to his bedchamber.

"Why did you come here? You know that I don’t like your presence around me," Radulf said, his facial expressions turning serious.

"Do you despise me because my father is the Alpha King? Or is it because I’m wolf-less? Or perhaps both?" Her heart trembled with an unknown fear of hearing another harsh response from Radulf.

"I think you know the reason already," Radulf stated. "If you’re finished with your questions, you should leave, Zenna," he asserted, peering right into her eyes.

"The day I was told I’d marry the Alpha of the Shadow Hunter Pack, I was happy. Because of my destiny, I believed no one would marry me. At the same time, I got freedom that day from a place where I was locked for eighteen years. I don’t know how you saw me for the first time when we stood before each other, but I truly hoped to build my future with you," Zenna revealed what she felt about him.

Usually, their conversations would devolve into heated arguments, driven by the way he treated her. But this time, Zenna didn’t have the strength to fight back. Her heart was too fragile to bear another blow.

"You dream too big, Zenna," Radulf said. "A family with you was never part of my dreams. You’re the daughter of the man who took everything from me."

Deep within him, his wolf stirred. ’Radulf, don’t say this to our mate. She’s not at fault,’ Black’s voice growled in his mind, full of reproach.

’Stay silent, Black. She deserves to know what I lost,’ Radulf retorted, shutting his wolf down with the sheer force of his pain and bitterness.

His emerald green eyes bore into hers, hardened by years of grief. "I loved a woman once," he began. "She died mysteriously the same day my father was hanged. The day your father declared justice. That day, my life shattered into pieces."

Radulf paused as the painful memories of the past bore heavily on him. "You were the curse that walked into my life, Zenna. There isn’t just one reason to hate you; there are countless. You and I may be fated mates, but I will never accept you—not in my heart, not in my soul. So don’t waste your time dreaming of a family with me. It will never happen."

His words crumbled Zenna’s remaining hope from this marriage. Her breath hitched, and tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill any time. She nodded slowly as she felt a rejection from him.

"I get it," Zenna said and got down from the bed. Without uttering another word, she simply walked out of Radulf’s chamber.

’Why did you tell her about loving a woman in the past? She’s not even our fated mate, but mere attraction to us,’ Black growled this time in rage.

’Will you shut up, Black? Zenna is expecting too much from me. I don’t care what kind of life she had before the marriage because mine own was fucked up. So, don’t manipulate my thoughts by using the excuse of a mate bond!’ Radulf muttered in his head.

’You are breaking, Zenna. What if we lose her too? What if she leaves us? What will you do? Will you truly live happily?’ Black shouted back at him.

Radulf wryly laughed. "Zenna is trapped in this marriage. She will never leave my side. Because if she does, Phillipe will kill her. After all, her life’s strings are held by her evil father. If she had to leave, she would have done it long ago."

For four years, Radulf intentionally did not send a single letter in Zenna’s name because he wanted her to run away on her own. He wished not to see her when he would return from the battle.

~~~

Zenna stood by the large window of her room, the moonlight streaming in and illuminating her tear-streaked face. With trembling fingers, she wiped the tears from her eyes, but they seemed to stream continuously, refusing to stop.

"I shouldn’t have listened to Savio," she murmured. "I shouldn’t have told Radulf how much I yearned for him. All he’s done is give me reasons to hate myself for hoping."

Her gaze fell to her hands, now clutching the edge of the windowsill. The pain in her chest was suffocating, a heavy ache she couldn’t shake. ’Why does it hurt so much? It’s not like I fall in love with him,’ she wondered.

His words replayed in her mind. It wasn’t just the rejection—it was the way he had spoken them, as if her existence itself was an affront to him. "It felt like he rejected me in every way that mattered," she whispered, and her voice choked.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down. "I thought... when he asked me to the ball, he truly wanted this relationship to work," she admitted. "I let myself believe there was a chance, that he might feel even the faintest glimmer of what I feel for him."

Zenna exhaled shakily, her hands falling to her sides. The dream she had clung to felt like a cruel joke now. ’Perhaps it was foolish to hope that a man as broken as Radulf could ever love someone like me. No one wants me.’

"Luna, are you alright?" Pia’s voice reached her ears, and she quickly wiped off her tears, not wanting her to see in such a state. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Yes. What happened?" Zenna asked, not facing her lady-in-waiting.

"Princess Aria has sent an invitation for you," Pia replied, holding an envelope in her hand.

"Wh-why?" Zenna’s voice quivered. Aria never liked her. She used to bully her whenever she would get the chance. A sudden invitation after four years was unexpected for Zenna.

"Just leave it there. Also, I don’t wish to have dinner tonight. I don’t want to be disturbed," Zenna stated.

Pia nodded in understanding and just left the envelope on the table before leaving.