Chapter 436

That, perhaps, was what Levi had seen in her eyes just now, the faint but genuine budding of love, nurtured through companionship, deep understanding, and the quiet protection he had always given her.

“I… okay,” Levi answered, pressing his lips together, yet he still stood there hesitantly in front of Addison.

Seeing this, Addison stepped forward without another word. She slipped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his sturdy chest, drawing in a deep breath of his calming scent, the familiar scent she had unknowingly grown to love over time. It was the scent that had accompanied her through the coldest nights in the Midnight River Pack, the scent that had quietly become her anchor without her ever realizing it.

In that moment, she truly believed that the Moon Goddess’s design was never a coincidence. Her journey through life was bound to be rough and unforgiving, and perhaps that was why the Moon Goddess had sent her these men to walk beside her through the storm.

So, little by little, although shadows still lingered deep within her mind, she was no longer as resistant to accepting her fated mates, not only Levi, but also Maxwell and Zion. Each of them had their own quirks, and none of them were perfect.

They all carried flaws, just as she did.

But she was not blind. She could see that they were trying. Even the once-arrogant Zion had changed so much that she could barely recognize the man he used to be.

“Alright, let’s continue with our work,” Addison said after she felt Levi’s taut muscles finally relax, his arm instinctively looping around her in a protective hold. She allowed herself to enjoy the warmth for just a brief moment before pulling away. There was still far too much to do.

Fortunately, while she had been speaking with Lance, the guards she had briefed earlier had already begun their preparations. When they departed from the Royal Capital for the west, they had transported the dismantled hot-air balloon components on the caravan carriages. The parts were far too large to fit inside their magic bags. Upon arrival, when they cleared out the granary, they then stored all the balloon components inside.

Now, the guards were already heading toward the granary to retrieve the equipment and begin assembling everything.

Seeing everyone busy at work, with some guards searching for the best open area to assemble the hot-air balloons, Addison stepped away from Levi so he could continue organizing the list of personnel. She, on the other hand, oversaw the construction of the balloons herself; there were too many details to consider, and even the preparations alone were already proving difficult.

With their tasks already assigned, Addison and Levi threw themselves into their work, forcing their minds to clear of everything else, their doubts, their worries, even the turmoil in their hearts.

Elsewhere, Lance fled like a wounded animal, too afraid to hear the rest of what Addison had been about to say. He already sensed the meaning of her unfinished words, and he could not bear to hear them spoken aloud.

He went straight to his room in the packhouse, not caring that the halls were empty. In fact, the quietness suited him; no one to see him unravel, no one to interrupt the chaos in his head. The moment he reached his floor, he shoved his door open and slammed it behind him. The frame rattled violently, dust falling from the impact, but Lance paid it no mind.

He stood there, heaving for breath, agitation tearing through him as the weight of everything that had happened crashed down all at once.

“Why did she have to be so ruthless?” Lance growled. “Couldn’t she at least give me a chance… even a small one? For the sake of our childhood friendship? Why can she let go so easily? Is it because she doesn’t remember anything anymore p>

The urge to destroy everything in his room surged violently through him, to flip tables, smash glass, tear the place apart just to vent the fury clawing at his chest. But reason barely managed to rein him in. This wasn’t his territory. This wasn’t his property. And more than that, if he truly lost control over this, it would feel like he had already accepted his defeat.

Grinding his teeth, he raked his fingers roughly through his hair and paced the room in agitated circles. His breaths came hard and uneven at first, then slowly, painfully, steadied as he forced himself to calm down.

At last, he dropped heavily onto the edge of the bed. The storm inside him quieted into a suffocating stillness.

And in that silence… he began to think.

“No… I can’t just leave it like this.” Lance’s voice was low and trembling with suppressed obsession. “I’ve dreamed of making her my mate for too long. I already failed once, I’m not going to let it slip away again so easily p>

Inside him, his wolf remained unnervingly silent.

It wasn’t indifference. It was familiarity.

This wasn’t the first time Lance had spiraled like this since Addison’s disappearance. His moods always swung between two extremes, either hollow and lifeless or burning with this kind of desperate fixation. Over time, even his wolf had grown accustomed to the pattern.

At one point, it had even wondered if Lance carried more than one self within him.

Now, it simply chose to retreat and let its master drown in his own thoughts.

「On Maxwell and Zion’s Side p>

“Everyone, spread out! Stay alert at all times!” Zion barked the moment he shifted back into his human form.

He, Maxwell, and the Golden Hue Pack had just reached the rendezvous point. The other packs hadn’t arrived yet, so Zion immediately took charge, securing the area first while giving their people a brief chance to recover.

As soon as he shifted, he pulled a large towel from his magic bag and wrapped it around his torso. He knew he would need to shift again soon; changing into full clothes would only waste precious time. Maxwell did the same, and the two moved with tacit understanding, each taking on their role without needing to speak.

Zion moved to check and secure the perimeter.

Maxwell, meanwhile, went to inspect their people and the animals they had brought along, carefully assessing whether the beasts were still fit to continue the journey.

Although some of the larger animals, like the cattle, were clearly exhausted, the pack members had taken good care of them throughout the journey. Perhaps it was because they had prepared so thoroughly this time, but the trip hadn’t been as difficult as when Zion and Addison had traveled with the first batch.

Or maybe it was simply because the rendezvous point was much closer to the Golden Hue Pack. Either way, everything seemed to be progressing smoothly for now.

Because their entourage was far larger than when Zion had first traveled with Addison, securing the massive clearing took considerably more time. While they waited for the other packs to arrive, the omegas took out the food they had prepared and began distributing it to everyone.

As soon as the tables were set and the dishes were placed on top, the pack members naturally formed a line.