The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 318: Chapter 318 Flirting Along The Way

’This man is just too much!’ Addison huffed, snapping the reins to urge her horse forward. She wanted nothing more than to leave Zion in the dust, yet her cheeks still burned hotter with every stride.

Realizing what he was doing, Zion quickened his pace to walk closer beside Addison. A thin sheen of sweat formed on his forehead as he glanced up at her. Addison kept her gaze stubbornly fixed ahead, her face even redder than before. That alone told him everything that she had seen what he was doing.

Instead of feeling embarrassed at being caught red-handed by his mate, Zion’s lips curled into a devilish smirk. He leaned closer, his voice low and teasing.

”Baby, I was just... adjusting. It’s stiflingly hard.” His words dragged deliberately, his gaze lingering on Addison’s trembling lips. ”Of course, it’d be better if you helped me.”

His hand slipped to her knee, giving it a light squeeze, just enough to rattle her senses while grounding himself. He knew he shouldn’t be playing dirty in the middle of a mission. If Addison hadn’t caught him, instinct might’ve taken over, and he would have shamelessly pleasured himself while thinking of her.

But watching her flush and squirm under his touch? That alone was enough to make him secretly, dangerously happy.

”Wanna touch it?” Zion teased, his voice low and deliberate. Addison’s pupils trembled, her body quivering as though a spark of electricity had raced from her toes straight to her mind. Her eyes fluttered, heat pooling at her core at the sheer indecency of his words.

Was Zion openly flirting with her? Of course, he was, and shamelessly so. But what was he trying to achieve, stirring her up like this while they were traveling, when both knew they couldn’t possibly sneak away to indulge in each other?

Was this some kind of punishment? Addison couldn’t make sense of it; all she knew was that her body was betraying her, responding to him with dangerous intensity.

As for Zion, he wasn’t thinking much at all. Normally, his mind was full of strategies and plans, but right now, all he wanted was Addison; he wanted her closer, warm him, and be entirely his. If that meant seducing her outright, then so be it.

Yes, Zion was seducing Addison. The irony wasn’t lost on him. He used to hate this kind of thing, as being an Alpha meant plenty of she-wolves tried to crawl into his bed, eager to taste the pleasure he could give.

But he had never touched anyone but Addison, because he despised women who used seduction as a tool to get what they wanted. To him, it was cheap. Lowly.

And wasn’t it one of the very reasons he used to hate Addison? He had believed she was trying to use her body to secure a place in his pack and become his Luna. That was why he never once considered touching her; he refused to give her what he thought she wanted.

In his eyes, she was no different from the countless she-wolves who had tried to crawl into an Alpha’s bed for power, hoping fate would favor them and elevate them to Luna by offering themselves.

And yet here he was, doing the very thing he once disdained, using seduction to draw his mate closer. He knew it, but he didn’t care anymore. All that mattered was closing the distance between them.

Addison was undeniably attracted to him, and if he had to use that attraction as leverage to make her fall in love with him again, then so be it. Love couldn’t be built on lust alone, he knew that too, but he was willing to gamble everything on the chance.

”Zion, you...” Addison grit her teeth, wanting to demand what was going on in his head, but the words refused to come. With his heated gaze fixed on her, her own composure faltered, and she squirmed under the weight of it. ”Never mind...”

”I do mind, baby. Just tell me... hmm?” His voice softened into a low purr as his hand squeezed her knee gently. The mix of tenderness and heat sent Addison’s stomach flipping, her body betraying her as her inner walls clenched in response.

She bit her lip hard to keep a moan from escaping.

Yes, she was enjoying this, this charged tension thick with desire, which Zion wasn’t even bothering to hide.

Deep down, Addison savored the feeling of being wanted by her mate, especially when this was the very man who once refused to touch her or even acknowledge her. Now, the way he vied for her attention felt almost like repayment for the past.

And the vindictive part of her relished the reversal, the sight of Zion in the position she once endured. In a way, this was her quiet revenge.

Damn, who would’ve thought resisting a mate bond was this hard?

The more she fought it, the stronger its pull became, until her body ached for him too. Heat pooled inside her, and the wetter she grew, the darker Zion’s eyes burned as he greedily inhaled the air around her, drawing in her intoxicating scent like a starving man.

”You smell so fucking good, Addie,” Zion growled low, his voice rough with hunger. He didn’t even need to say it; she already knew he could smell her arousal, but hearing it aloud made her flush with equal parts embarrassment and desire.

She wanted nothing more than to bury her face like an ostrich hiding in the sand, yet Zion clung to her as if determined never to let her go.

Caught up in their tension, neither of them noticed they had already ridden more than fifteen kilometers from the Golden Hue Pack. The sun blazed high overhead; it was already midday.

”Just a little farther,” Addison shouted when she realized where they were. ”We’ll stop soon for lunch and let the horses rest before continuing.”

”Understood,” the nearest warrior nodded, then relayed the message to those at the back.

Zion wore his usual nonchalant smile, but his eyes betrayed him; there was still that lingering, flirty, heated gaze, and constantly drifting toward Addison.

She, on the other hand, stubbornly kept her gaze fixed on the path ahead, refusing to meet his stare. She knew the moment their eyes locked, her body would betray her, reacting so strongly it might throw her off balance.

’This man is one hell of a delicious distraction,’ Addison thought, biting back the urge to glance his way.

Not long after, they reached a large tree, its wide canopy offering welcome relief from the scorching sunlight. Addison tugged on her reins, bringing her horse to a halt before signaling for the rest of the caravan to settle in the shade.

The warriors quickly moved to help the children and elderly down from the mule carts, allowing them to stretch their stiffened limbs.

Twenty kilometers wasn’t a daunting distance for werewolves; had they been in their wolf forms, they could have covered it with ease. But with a caravan in tow, animals to herd, and safety to maintain, the journey had been far more demanding.

Even so, Addison felt relieved. They had made it this far without danger, and she couldn’t deny a small flicker of amusement at the thought that she and Zion had even managed to flirt along the way.