Chapter 61: Chapter 61 Levi’s Investigation

Since Zion couldn’t send Claire away no matter what he tried, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept that she had no intention of returning, let alone facing the royal convoy. She had left him to handle everything on his own. Still, this arrangement had its advantages. By dealing with the convoy himself, Zion could control the flow of information and buy more time to gather evidence and clear Addison’s name.

To keep up appearances, Zion put on the act of a man caught in a difficult dilemma. If he showed even a hint of enthusiasm or eagerness to manage the royal convoy, Claire would grow suspicious. She might assume he was secretly pleased she wasn’t returning, mistaking it as a sign that he wanted her to stay by his side.

The mere thought made his skin crawl. Still, he knew he had to tread carefully. Acting too eager could easily send the wrong message, giving Claire the impression that he harbored feelings for her or was happy about her continued presence.

“Why not just send her away?!” Shura growled inside Zion’s mind, his frustration bubbling beneath Zion’s carefully crafted expression of concern.

“Do you think I don’t want to?” Zion snapped, his brow arching as frustration simmered beneath his voice. “She’s not just any outsider—she’s of royal blood. And now she’s been in a major accident within our territory. That alone could spell our downfall, painting it as negligence on our part. Worse, every bit of blame will fall on Addison. And she’s not even here to defend herself. So, who else is left to protect her name if not us? Do you want it dragged through the mud?”

Shura gave a soft, guilty whine before retreating into the back of Zion’s mind, unwilling to continue the argument. Ever since Addison disappeared, his wolf had become more temperamental—quick to anger, quick to lash out.

But Zion couldn’t blame him. He felt the same. Their emotions fed off one another, their mutual frustration rising like a volcano ready to explode. Maybe it was the growing fear that Addison would end up taking the fall for all of this, or the growing emptiness in his heart, especially knowing that Addison rejected them.

“Alright. You should rest for now. I’ll try to speak with the Royal Convoy,” Zion said curtly before turning and striding out of the room.

Claire blinked in surprise. She had expected him to look shaken, guilt-ridden even, and to harbor some resentment toward Addison for bringing such trouble to his doorstep. Instead, Zion’s voice had remained calm and professional from start to finish, devoid of sympathy or anger. Not a single word of comfort had passed his lips.

For the first time, Claire felt the situation slipping from her grasp. She couldn’t understand why things weren’t going the way she had planned.

Acting on instinct, she reached out and grabbed Zion’s wrist.

He froze mid-step, glancing down at the hand clutching him—and then at Claire, who had sunk to her knees on the floor. Her white night gown was now stained with a faint, growing patch of red.

The metallic scent hit the air.

Gasps echoed from the healer and the doctor in the room as they rushed forward, their faces paling in alarm.

“Miss Claire!” the doctor exclaimed, immediately rushing to her side to help her up. But Claire wouldn’t budge—her wide, red-rimmed eyes remained fixed on Zion.

“Miss Claire, please, you need to rest. You just had a miscarriage—your body is still weak, and now your wounds have reopened,” the doctor urged, his voice tinged with concern. He glanced up at Zion, clearly unsure what to do, knowing that this situation could put Zion in a difficult position.

Zion felt his jaw tighten. He was already irritated, but if Claire continued this scene, it would spiral out of control and cause even more trouble. He sighed and finally looked at her, really looked at her, trying to decipher what she was doing or thinking. Her grip on his wrist was firm, almost desperate, as if letting go meant losing something important to her.

In the end, he relented.

Silently, he helped her back into bed, gently easing her down against the pillows. But Claire still wouldn’t release his hand. Every time he shifted or tried to pull away, her eyes would flutter open, locking onto his like she was afraid he’d vanish the moment she closed them.

And deep down, she was.

Because Claire couldn’t shake the feeling that if Zion walked out that door… she might never see him again.

After being held captive by vampires, Claire had developed a heightened sensitivity to people’s emotions and subtle cues. So she wasn’t blind to Zion’s coldness—she felt it in every glance, every word left unsaid. And she knew the reason: Addison.

That realization gnawed at her. Claire feared that the moment Zion left her sight, he might go straight to Addison. She didn’t even want to imagine what they might be doing behind closed doors—tangled together like that time he disappeared into his Alpha suite and didn’t come out for hours and days.

The memory—and the rumor that Zion had mated with Addison—filled her with a burning mix of rage and humiliation. The thought alone stirred a dark, simmering hatred toward the woman who had taken what Claire believed should’ve been hers.

This fear clung to her, irrational but persistent: if she let him walk away now, she might lose him forever.

She’d hoped this accident-this moment of weakness—would be enough to drive a wedge between them. But little did she know, it had done the opposite. Instead of pulling Zion away from Addison, it only pushed him closer.

His protectiveness, his possessiveness—it was all for Addison now. Every move he made, every choice, was no longer for the sake of the so-called ’princess’ who was staying in his pack… but for the woman who had truly captured his heart.

Since Zion couldn’t leave, he had no choice but to stay by Claire’s bedside, reluctantly taking a seat. He quietly dismissed the healer and the doctor, noticing how pale and exhausted they looked—they needed rest. Still, he didn’t forget to send Levi a mindlink.

“Levi, keep an eye on the doctor and healer. Let them speak freely—I get the feeling they’re holding something back, probably afraid to say anything in front of the princess. But be discreet. I don’t want Claire catching wind of this.”

There was no response, but Zion knew Levi had heard him loud and clear.

He leaned back in the chair, exhaling slowly as his free hand moved to massage the bridge of his nose. The tension was building, pressing in from all sides. He felt overwhelmed… and more than anything, trapped, as though his hands were tied and every move had consequences.

Levi, on the other hand, was on the verge of cursing out his own Alpha.

Why? Because his investigation had led him straight to the dungeon, only to find a dead omega. The very omega who was supposed to be his key witness. And who killed her? Their damn Alpha. Now, who was he supposed to question about what really happened on the stairs?

The reason Levi had sought out this particular omega was because, according to the other omegas, she was the only one who had seen everything, from start to finish. She had been closest to the princess during the incident.

And they weren’t lying.

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