The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 280: Chapter 280 The Third Possibility

It seemed Zion had no intention of leaving until she praised him, leaving Addison no choice but to indulge the big child standing before her. Hoarsely, she said, ”You did great. Please go back to your room and get some rest—it’s already dawn...”

Zion, clearly exhausted, nodded with a bright, satisfied smile. His eyes crinkled with joy as he finally turned and headed to his own room. The moment the door shut behind him, Addison felt her knees go weak.

His intoxicating scent lingered in the air, making her feel as though her legs would give out beneath her. She quickly closed the door and stumbled back to her bed, but no matter how hard she tried, sleep refused to return; her mind was plagued with thoughts of Zion, who was in the room next to hers.

Meanwhile, as soon as Zion entered his room, he immediately stepped straight into the shower, humming lightly as he washed away the night. The grin on his face never once faded.

He was delighted to see Addison, but what truly pleased him was realizing the effect he had on his mate. He would have to be blind not to notice the deepening flush on her cheeks as she pretended not to be affected by the sight of him standing naked before her.

To Zion, that reaction felt like an affirmation. He knew her body’s response was likely intensified by the mate bond, but that didn’t matter to him; it only made him happier and lifted his mood even more.

After finishing his shower, he slipped on a pair of pants, quickly toweled off his hair, and collapsed onto his bed. Sleep claimed him almost instantly, making up for the rest he had lost.

Meanwhile, once Addison managed to calm herself, she changed into her training clothes and left her room for the warriors’ training ground. She felt an urgent need to move and to distract her mind, to remind her muscles what it was like to fight.

After all, ever since her mates had insisted on protecting her so fiercely, she hadn’t been given the chance to throw a single punch. She refused to let her skills dull, no matter how sheltered she was kept.

After changing into fresh clothes and tying her hair into a ponytail, Addison was ready to leave her room. But the moment she shut the door behind her, she was met with an unexpected sight: Maxwell and Levi already leaning casually against their own doors, as though they had been waiting for her all along.

”Good morning,” Addison greeted politely.

Both men returned the greeting, then moved almost in unison to fall into step behind her, their presence natural and effortless—like shadows acting as her bodyguards.

”Good morning, Addie. Heading out to stretch your limbs?” Levi asked with a knowing smile, his tone making it clear he had already guessed her intentions. The accuracy of his words caught Addison off guard, leaving her momentarily astonished.

”Hmmm,” Addison replied thoughtfully, then suddenly brightened with an idea. ”How about we spar a little?”

She couldn’t let her mates always treat her like some fragile doll in need of constant protection. If they kept seeing her that way, they might either get too used to thinking she was weak and useless or worse, refuse to let her do anything dangerous at all, convinced her body wouldn’t be able to handle it.

”Alright...” Levi and Maxwell followed Addison to the training ground. As soon as they arrived, the warriors of the pack they were staying with, along with Lance and the caravan guards, glanced their way before returning to their drills.

They assumed Addison had simply come to observe their training and didn’t think much of it, at least, not until she began stretching on her own.

Levi crouched beside her, assisting with her warm-up. When she sat on the ground reaching for her toes, he pressed gently on her back, helping her hold the position longer to loosen her leg muscles and prevent strain during sudden bursts of strength. Afterward, she stretched her arms, rotating her shoulders with practiced ease.

Every movement was closely watched by Levi and Maxwell, though it was Maxwell’s gaze that grew especially intense. When Addison rolled her hips in slow circles, loosening her waist, Maxwell’s throat went dry.

His heated stare clung to her, and though no one else noticed, Addison could feel it, like he was stripping her bare in his imagination, fingers already tracing the curve of her body. The thought alone made her stomach tighten.

Without even realizing it, Addison began to lose her breath, not from exhaustion, but because she had been holding it in. Her heart raced so wildly it felt like it might burst from her chest. Worse, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was somehow seducing Maxwell, even though she wasn’t doing anything intentional.

The longer she rolled her hips, the hotter Maxwell’s stare burned into her back, so intense it felt as though it could sear straight through her. The heat of it made her skin prickle, and she had no choice but to abruptly clear her throat and put an end to it.

”Ehem! I’m done. Let’s go, Levi...” she announced, forcing a lightness into her voice as she headed toward the arena.

As if snapped out of a trance, Maxwell blinked, lifting his gaze from her with a start, watching her stride away.

Maxwell, too, was momentarily stunned when he realized where his thoughts had wandered. His mind was overflowing with lewd images of Addison, every movement of hers fueling his hunger as though he could trace each curve of her body with his eyes alone.

The longer he stared, the more irresistible she became, until his self-control frayed dangerously thin.

Fortunately, he had chosen a spot at the very back of the training ground, leaning against the wall where no one could see the effect she had on him. His cock was already rock hard, twitching with anticipation, and shame prickled through him for acting like such a starved, horny dog.

Was this simply the aftermath of tasting the forbidden fruit, and has it now become an insatiable craving after knowing her sweetness? Or was it the mate bond, demanding he be constantly connected to her?

He didn’t stop to consider the third possibility: that his rut might already be returning. Though the suppressant had dulled it temporarily, it couldn’t suppress him for long.

For a normal werewolf, it might hold off weeks or even until the next rut cycle, but for an Alpha like Maxwell, with his body’s higher tolerance, the suppressant barely bought him a few days. And when his rut returned, it would come back fiercer than before.

No one had anticipated that one—or even two—of them would slip into rut so soon. They hadn’t prepared for it at all. After all, once one of the three was pulled under, the others would inevitably follow, like dominoes toppling in sequence. And when all three of them sank into rut, Addison’s heat would be triggered in turn.

None of them had expected to be blindsided by such a storm, yet it loomed over them, ready to strike without warning.

As for Addison, her body was becoming irresistible, like a flower in full bloom, drawing bees with an allure neither instinct nor will could deny.