The Alpha's Forsaken Feisty Mate-Chapter 82: A sloppy kiss

After having tea and a delicious breakfast, Radulf stopped Nina once Zenna left.

"Do you have some work for me?" Nina curled up her eyebrows in amusement.

"Why did you lie to Zenna last night that I hate roses?" Radulf questioned.

"Don’t you?" Nina confusedly gazed at him.

"Don’t play with me, Nina. Just answer why you did it," Radulf said, fixing his scrutinizing gaze at her.

"So that Zenna can get triggered and ask you about it. I was merely helping Zenna to bother her mate," Nina replied.

Radulf didn’t believe her words. "Then, you succeeded in it. However, don’t tell such lies in the future," he asserted.

"Hmm. Zenna must be waiting for me in the chamber. She has to give me the dress for the evening’s ball." Nina excused herself after bowing to him.

Radulf went to his office space and began the day’s work. However, before starting it, he opened the desk’s locked drawer. Taking out a random letter, Radulf opened it and began reading.

"Dear Radulf,

This is my 75th letter to you. It’s the rainy season here. How are you doing? How are you fighting with the enemies during such a time? I wonder if you are eating well. If you want, I can come to you. I am willing to take care of you.

Your Zenna."

He folded the letter and put it back inside an envelope. As he placed it back into the drawer and locked it, he leaned back. His hand flew to his forehead to rub his temple. "Leon must pay for not letting these messages reach me."

After a while, he picked up the pen and resumed the work that had been wanting his attention.

"These are the dresses in my wardrobe which have never been touched before. You can pick one for yourself," Zenna opined, turning to Nina.

She observed the dresses keenly, finding a dress of an off-yellow shade to be perfect for the annual ball. The beads work on it was something that caught Nina’s eyes.

"Then, you should take this dress," Zenna stated. Turning a glance to Pia, she instructed her to send it to Nina’s chamber.

"Thank you, Zenna, for being generous," Nina expressed her gratitude. Zenna simply smiled when she heard further, "In our pack, married women usually don’t share their wardrobes with unmarried ones."

"Why?" Zenna’s interest was piqued to know the reason behind it.

"Their luck and love may distribute. That’s why," Nina gave the response. "When Radulf first asked me to take a dress from you, I found it awkward. He shouldn’t share his wife’s wardrobe with someone else so easily."

"And we have a saying that the more you share, the more you receive. Belief systems vary from pack to pack," Zenna tackled her remark well. She didn’t want to bring up the incident from last night, but now she felt she should.

"Why did you lie to me, Miss Nina?" Zenna inquired.

"To help you," Nina replied.

"How could lying to someone help that person?" she frowned at Nina. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Zenna, I felt Radulf should be bothered more about you. He is good at pretending. Don’t you think it’s pure torture for him to have his mate before him, yet he has to resist?" Nina asserted, smiling.

"And how does Miss Nina know that Radulf was resisting?" Zenna arched her brow.

"It shows on his face," Nina replied. "Forgive Radulf and move on with him. He has hurt you immensely, but he is doing everything to make you feel important," she added.

Zenna studied Nina’s eyes for a moment. She couldn’t understand what was in Nina’s mind.

"I’ll leave now. I will check the dress’s fitting. Thank you again for such a sweet gesture." Nina passed a smile to her before leaving.

"What’s she up to?" Zenna murmured, knitting her brows close.

Returning to the chamber, Zenna sat on the sofa. "It is boring here when you’ve nothing to do. Now, I’ve recovered fully. I should ask Radulf to let me help him," she decided and headed to the office within the mansion.

Pushing the doors open, she walked in and saw Radulf moving between the documents spread on the desk. He sensed her presence immediately and lifted his head.

"I came to help you," Zenna replied. "I have recovered fully," she added.

"Take a seat," Radulf said, focusing his attention on the document in his hand. "I see, we have even started trading the rare pearls from the South in the capital. How did you manage to do it? As far as I remember, the pack which looks over the production of sea pearls wasn’t on good terms with us," he asserted, clearly impressed with how Zenna had managed to do that.

"Last year, Moon Stone Pack’s Alpha had come here to find a suitable partner for their business. Knowledge is important for any business you do. Unlike the others, I only have books as my friends, so I gained knowledge of the sea and the related stuff. Since I was the only woman present there, Alpha Argus was truly impressed. He chose our pack for the trade as I managed to convince him," she explained in brief.

"I underestimated you," Radulf said.

"You always do," Zenna murmured and picked up the file from the stack. She read the title outside and opened it.

Radulf noticed the subtle expression on her face as she began the work. ’She is smart,’ he thought.

"Should we start our own academy to train the kids? There shall be no comparison between their wolves. Of course, in terms of strength, alphas are superior," Zenna suggested.

"It’s not as easy as it seems. Not everyone will agree to this," Radulf proclaimed.

She couldn’t agree less with him. She focused her attention back on the work, and the two remained engrossed in it until the afternoon.

As Zenna tidied the table, Radulf watched her intently.

"You should’ve let Nina go to the palace," Zenna said suddenly.

"Why?"

"Nina hasn’t changed, I believe. She may create misunderstandings between us. Do you want that to happen? She is pretending to be friends with you. However, in her heart, you still exist. Why do you have to keep her here and burn my heart?" Zenna complained, placing the fountain pen on the stand.

Radulf left his seat and walked to her while she turned around to face him.

"It won’t happen," Radulf replied.

"How are you so sure? It’s not wise to keep a woman by your side who eyes you, knowing the fact that you have a wife, a mate. I still haven’t forgotten how she wanted to secure your mark and mate with you," Zenna pronounced, her eyes flickering the annoyance in them.

"I would not have mated with her that night," Radulf said, his hand moving to Zenna’s cheek.

"Why do you sound so sure? Alphas get weak in their ruts. They have to release the pain through mating," she opined.

"Only your scent had occupied my mind that night. And after finding the mate in you, it had to be you that night," Radulf stated, his nose nuzzled hers and his breath mingled with hers. His hand gently cradled her neck while his thumb was on her cheek.

"Radulf," she whispered, and she pressed her hand on his chest while the other one held the edge of the desk. Zenna’s head tilted when Radulf buried his face in the crook of her neck. Opening his mouth, he left a sloppy kiss there, leaving the skin red in its wake.