The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna

Chapter 324: Chapter 324 Believe Me, Just This Once

That was why he restrained himself, holding back his nature and his feelings, refusing to drown her beneath the weight of his guilt. This burden was his alone to carry, never hers.

Then Zion pressed a reverent kiss to Addison’s forehead.

”Addie, please... believe me, just this once. I would never want you to be harmed like that. Even when I mistook Claire for the Missing Princess, I sent the healer straight to you, leaving only the doctor to tend to her, because in my heart, though I never admitted it, I knew you were far more important.”

”I may have been rough that day, but it was only because I could already picture the consequences if things spiraled out of control. I just... I didn’t want you to be hurt. My actions may have been questionable, but my intentions never were.”

It was the first time he truly explained himself. Zion had always prided himself as one of the strongest Alphas, one who had clawed his way up even when others mocked and doubted him as a young Alpha.

He silenced them all with sheer force and strength, and so he had always believed his actions spoke for themselves, that he never needed to explain. Yet here he was, baring himself in a way he never thought he would.

But now, standing before Addison, he felt that if he didn’t explain himself, all the progress they had made, the fragile warmth slowly returning between them, might collapse back to nothing. The very thought of it made his heart clench with a sharp, agonizing spasm.

But while Zion was pouring his heart out, Addison momentarily blacked out. The sudden spike of her emotions, fueled by old trauma, overwhelmed her nerves until her body simply couldn’t take it anymore.

She barely registered his words after he said he never meant to hurt her and had never permitted Greg to do so. That single assurance was enough to strip away the strength from her body, leaving her muscles limp as though the weight of her suffering had been lifted for a brief moment, and her mind slipped into darkness.

Zion, caught up in the storm of his own emotions and desperate to explain himself, didn’t even notice. He was too focused on driving away their misunderstandings to realize that Addison’s tense, rigid frame had suddenly gone still.

Zion pulled Addison into his arms, holding her as if he could fuse their bodies together. He didn’t even realize he was trembling, shaken by the fear that she might slip away from him again, just as she had three years ago.

The very thought of losing her a second time terrified him, making it impossible to let go. Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he breathed her in like a lifeline. ”Please, Addison... believe me, just this once,” he whispered, his voice carrying the weight of a desperate plea.

Addison, who had just regained consciousness, barely registered what Zion had been saying. Her mind felt as though it was rebooting after crashing, sluggish and disoriented.

Still, she forced herself to steady her emotions. She knew she couldn’t keep breaking down like this; she couldn’t keep letting Greg’s name or the thought of facing him reduce her to such a miserable state.

One way or another, their paths would cross again, and when that day came, she had to be stronger. Closing her eyes, Addison drew in a deep breath, reminding herself firmly, ’Addison, you’re no longer that same person as before.’ Slowly, her breathing began to even out, and a fragile calm returned.

”Tell me... what happened? How did you see Greg?” Addison’s sudden question cut through the air, pulling Zion out of his emotions. He froze, blinking a few times like a lost child, a faint sense nagging at him that something was off, as if they weren’t on the same page.

Still, he pushed that thought aside. Whatever Addison wanted to know, whatever she needed, that would always be his priority.

”Alright,” he murmured, his voice softer now. ”But first... are you alright?” Zion’s arms slipped around her waist from behind, enveloping her in his embrace. He rested his chin lightly on her shoulder, holding her as though afraid she might vanish if he let go.

From afar, anyone who happened to glance their way would only see a picture of closeness and intimacy to envy, never realizing the fragile tension and storm of emotions that bound them together in that moment.

Addison lowered her eyes, staring at her hands as her lashes fluttered. ”Yes,” she whispered, the word barely audible.

But was she truly alright?

Deep down, she doubted it. She only knew how to appear alright, because over the years she had learned the hard way that no one would always be there to help or support her. Independence had become her shield, a skill she sharpened through pain and necessity.

So whenever others asked if she was fine, she would nod, smile, and hide her scars behind a façade of strength. Even she had convinced herself she was okay, burying her wounds so deeply she failed to see the trauma festering inside her.

But now, with the dam broken, she could no longer ignore it. For the first time, Addison realized just how much she had neglected her own heart, pretending to be strong while quietly bleeding within.

”If I say I’m not alright... what then?” Addison whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them. Even she was startled by the sound of her own voice, so raw, so vulnerable. It wasn’t like her at all. She had always buried her misery, always forced herself to stand tall no matter the weight she carried.

But now?

Something had shifted. Maybe, for once, she wanted to admit the truth, to let her pain out instead of letting it rot inside her.

Or maybe, deep down, she was beginning to trust Zion again. She didn’t know. All she knew was that the exhaustion was crashing over her at once, every hidden scar and unspoken ache pressing down until she felt unbearably tired of carrying it all alone.

She hadn’t even expected an answer from Zion. In her mind, he was clever in many ways, but when it came to emotions, he often seemed lacking, or perhaps it was only when it came to her. She remembered Levi once saying that Zion hadn’t always been like this, which only made her wonder all the more.

Then his hoarse voice broke the silence, his breath warm against her neck. ”If you’re not alright, then I’ll do my best to ease your burden... to help you find your footing again. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll follow. Just say the word, Addie. Would that be enough?”

There was a faint tremor in his tone, a thread of hesitation, as though he feared his words might fall short, that nothing he offered could truly soothe her or make her feel whole again.

”Um... okay, I believe you,” Addison replied softly. Deep down, she wasn’t sure if she truly believed him, but seeing him make the effort brought her a strange sense of comfort.