Chapter 173 The Transportation
But right now, it was Lance who looked like he was about to fall apart. The weight of realization hit him hard, and it showed in every part of his trembling expression.
"A-Addison... how did it happen?"
Lance struggled to get the words out, his voice barely above a whisper. Just the thought of Addison belonging to someone else made his heart crack. He had believed that learning she’d met her fated mates would be the hardest truth to bear, but this?
Hearing that she had become another man’s Luna, Zion’s Luna, no less, of the Midnight River Pack, felt like a dagger twisting in his chest. The same pack. The same man. It was as if fate had chosen the cruelest way to break him.
The pain in his heart was unbearable, spreading through him like fire in his veins. His mind couldn’t process it. He didn’t want to. He couldn’t accept that the woman he loved had once stood by another Alpha’s side, not just as a partner, but as his Luna.
Although Addison couldn’t fully remember her past with Lance, there was a deep, undeniable familiarity she felt whenever she looked at him. Seeing the pain etched across his face now—so raw and overwhelming—struck a chord deep inside her.
She wasn’t the naive, foolish girl she might have once been. And she certainly wasn’t blind. It was clear that Lance had feelings for her. Between the way he acted around her, the warmth and ease her parents showed him, and the scattered fragments of her lost memories slowly returning, Addison could only assume one thing: Lance had been someone important to her. Perhaps her childhood sweetheart? A former lover? Or maybe just a crush from long ago?
Whatever he was, it was clear this was going to be a complicated relationship.
When Lance finally looked up at her, his eyes were filled with something that nearly took her breath away: hurt, betrayal, and confusion all mixed into one. Addison found herself speechless. She hadn’t even known she had someone waiting for her in the Royal Capital, how could she betray someone she didn’t even remember?
It seemed Lance came to the same realization, because the fire in his gaze flickered, replaced by something quieter and more fragile. He let out a small, broken whimper, clutching his chest as if the pain had become physical. Even the Alpha King and Queen looked alarmed by the sudden shift.