Chapter 225: Chapter 225 Departure

After the attendant finished preparing everything for Addison, she handed the magic bag filled with supplies to Maxwell, who accepted it with a curt nod. Once everything was ready, he gently scooped Addison into his arms.

Then, reluctantly, he called over two Royal Guards and ordered them to carry Zion and Levi. The two were still fast asleep, and truth be told, Maxwell would have preferred to leave them behind.

It was the perfect opportunity to have Addison all to himself, just the two of them, with no love rivals in the way. If Zion and Levi missed out, it would be their fault for oversleeping. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. But as much as the idea tempted him, Maxwell knew better.

The mission ahead was bound to be dangerous and exhausting. Bringing the other two might actually prove useful, and barring them from joining Addison would only make him seem petty and insecure. That wasn’t who he wanted to be, not as an alpha, not as a leader, and not as her mate.

Even as his wolf growled in protest, Maxwell made his choice. He had to do what was best for Addison, not just what served his pride.

And so, with two Royal Guards following close behind, Maxwell made his way to the clearing where Elric and the caravan were already waiting. Lance was there as well, standing at the front of the group.

As the acting captain and bodyguard of the caravan, he was responsible for leading and guiding the team. Alongside him were members of his father’s security detail, veteran guards employed by their merchant family.

Earlier, they had already discussed the route they would take, and now Elric was busy preparing to open a portal to the checkpoint, a location situated at the border between the Western territories and the Royal Capital. For now, that area was deemed safe from the advancing locust swarm.

If their operation to contain the swarm succeeded, the pack stationed at the checkpoint wouldn’t need to evacuate. Instead, they could convert that area into a temporary granary. Meanwhile, other groups were setting up a new storage facility for grains and crops, and yet another pack was preparing to accommodate farm animals near the same checkpoint zone.

After Maxwell arrived, he immediately located the cart designated for Addison and signaled for the Royal Guards to follow. “Just toss the two inside and you may leave,” he instructed, his tone calm but dismissive.

The two guards exchanged a knowing glance before carefully laying the still-sleeping Levi and Zion down on the wooden floor of the cart.

Meanwhile, Lance, having just finished a briefing with the caravan’s guards, made his way over. He had seen Maxwell carrying Addison earlier, but couldn’t step away from the meeting at that moment.

Now that it was over, he hurried toward the cart, only to find Maxwell still cradling Addison in his arms. The sight stopped him cold. His chest tightened with a surge of irritation, especially when he noticed Levi and Zion peacefully sleeping nearby.

“Why are you even here? This mission was assigned to me and the Royal Princess; she doesn’t have time for romance, let alone to waste it with you three,” Lance said, his voice sharp with barely restrained irritation as his possessiveness over Addison flared.

He knew that Maxwell and the others were her fated mates, and he wasn’t. But that didn’t stop his feelings. He couldn’t simply let Addison go, not after everything they’d been through.

Just yesterday, she had been cornered into becoming the Tigren Chieftain’s mate. Lance could see through her forced smile and polite composure; it was clear she was only humoring the Tigren Chieftain to keep him from causing chaos in their kingdom.

That didn’t bother him as much. He didn’t feel truly threatened by Leon. But Maxwell and the others? They were different. Real rivals for Addison’s heart. And seeing Maxwell with her now, so close, so natural—it rattled him.

This was supposed to be his moment. His chance to draw closer to Addison again, to remind her of the bond they shared, of the days when they were childhood sweethearts, before fate—or anyone else—got in the way.

He had put so much thought and effort into this, into this mission, this opportunity, and the possibility of rekindling his bond with Addison. But now, here came Maxwell, Zion, and Levi, barging into the picture and threatening to derail everything.

Their presence alone was enough to sour his mood, but what truly grated on Lance’s pride was Maxwell’s indifference; he didn’t even spare Lance a proper glance, as if he wasn’t worth acknowledging.

That single, dismissive side-glance spoke louder than any words could. It told Lance exactly where he stood: not a rival, not even a threat. And the worst part? He couldn’t deny it.

As much as he wanted to fight it, he knew very well, he was just the childhood sweetheart. A familiar comfort from Addison’s past. But Maxwell, Zion, and Levi were her fated mates, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. And that divine connection was something he could never hope to compete with. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn’t measure up.

And knowing that—truly accepting it—hurt more than he cared to admit.

Fuming and unable to come up with a better retort, Lance forced himself to let it go. He didn’t want to cause a scene, especially not now. The last thing he wanted was to make Addison resent him, and she was currently fast asleep.

Waking her just to argue would only make things worse. So, with clenched fists and a face flushed bright red with frustration, he turned away and walked off.

But to Maxwell, the sight of Lance retreating looked more like a wolf skulking away with his tail between his legs. He snorted, clearly amused, and the sound carried just enough edge to feel like a taunt.

Of course, Lance heard it. Every wordless jab. But he knew better than to take the bait. A fight would only sabotage his chances. So, he swallowed the humiliation, gritted his teeth, and began reevaluating his approach—he needed another way to get close to Addison.

Soon after, the atmosphere shifted as final preparations got underway. Elric was nearly finished opening the portal, and several mages from the Mage Tower had arrived to assist.

Elric had brought in additional mages to reinforce those who had long been stationed in the West, who were tirelessly maintaining the barrier that kept the locust swarm contained.

The caravan consisted of twenty horse-drawn carts: five carriages carried the mages and Addison, one was designated for transporting the biochemical agent, and the rest were prepared for transporting the grains and crops, while alert werewolf guards maintained high vigilance at all times around the caravan.

“The portal is opening! Everyone, prepare to cross, we only have twenty minutes before it closes!” Elric shouted as the bluish light of the portal shimmered into existence. He stepped aside, rubbing the small of his back, sore from the prolonged crouching it took to carefully draw the arcane circle and chant the activation incantations.

At the call, Lance immediately perked up and strode to the front. “Everyone, ready to depart!” he barked, his voice sharp and commanding. With a firm wave, he signaled the guards to enter first, followed by the rest of the caravan.

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