Bab 458 - Lawan untuk sang penginanganmu!
Kata-kata tulus itu menenangkan sesuatu yang dalam di dalam dada Voren. Ia memelajari wajahnya dengan cermat, mencari sekutuanya sekecil apa pun tanda dusta atau manipulasi, namun tak ada. Yang ada hanyalah keikhlasan yang bersinar tulus.
'u2019Dia tak berbahaya,u2019 suara dalam Bloodfang bergemuruh di dalam kepala Voren. u2018Biarkan saja.’
Setelah sejenak, Voren akhirnya mengendurkan sedikit penjagaannya. Athaliah perlahan mengangkat tangannya lagi, dan kali ini ia tidak mencegahnya.
Telapknya bereposisi ringan di sisi kiri dada kerasnya, tepat di atas hatinya. Ia menutup mata, dan seluruh ruangan menjadi sunyi sehingga terdengar setiap napas yang mereka ambil.
Beberapa detik kemudian, mata Athaliah terbuka perlahan. Ia menarik tangannya kembali tanpa mengucapkan sepeserpun kata, lalu kembali ke sofa tempat duduk tadi.
Untuk pertama kalinya sejak memasuki ruangan, kepercayaan yang tak tergoyahkan yang selama ini mengelilingi tubuhnya lenyap. Di gantikannya adalah rasa kagum yang tenang dan tulus yang menghiasi ekspresinya.
'Mengapa...' Ia memandang Voren dengan keheranan yang benar-benar terpancar di matanya. 'Bagaimana kamu berhasil mempertahankan perasaan yang begitu kuat selama begitu banyak tahun? Hampir mustahil.'
Ia mengangguk pelan kepalanya, masih terkesiap. 'Aku belum pernah merasakan sesuatu seperti ini sebelumnya.' Matanya memekat dengan kehangatan. 'Aku sungguh ingin bertemu wanita yang berhasil mencuri hati seseorang yang sekuat dirimu.'
Tidak ada sedikit pun rasa iri di suaranya, hanya rasa hormat yang terasa tulus. 'Dia pasti benar-benar hebat.' Bahkan serigala cintanya pun tak bisa merebut hati Voren, namun seekor serigala yang misterius berhasil melakukannya dengan mudah.
Tegangan yang mengikat di bahu Voren perlahan melepas, dan kekesalannya yang sejak awal percakapan terasa meleleh sepenuhnya.
Bloodfang benar. Athaliah bukanlah ancaman. Tidak ada yang salah dengan mencintai seseorang dengan mendalam.
Perasaan seperti itu bukanlah sesuatu yang bisa dikendalikan.
Masalah sebenarnya akan timbul bila ia menolak untuk menerima dan tetap bertaruh lagi. Tetapi ia tidak melakukan itu.
Ia melihat batasnya dengan jelas, dan tidak ada niatnya untuk melintasinya.
Sebuah senyum kecil yang tulus akhirnya muncul di wajah Voren, bukan paksaan kali ini. Kata-kata Kael dari tadi siang tiba-tadi muncul di pikirannya. Athaliah menampar Daisy.
Saat itu ia tidak peduli cukup untuk menyelidiki, namun sekarang semua terang. Ia benar-benar tidak seperti Daisy.
'Suatu hari kamu akan bertemu dengannya,' katanya, suaranya mengandung kehangatan yang selama malam ini hilang.
Mata Athaliah langsung bersinar penuh harapan saat senyum Voren sedikit memperdalam. 'Itu... jika kamu cukup memperhatikan dengan dekat.'
Ia memandangnya sejenak sebelum kesadaran perlahan menyebar di wajahnya, diikuti oleh senyum kecil yang penuh makna. 'Jadi inilah petunjukmu.' Ia memberikan senyum hormat. 'Terima kasih, Alpha Voren.'
Tidak ada sedikit pun rasa pahit di ekspresinya. 'Dan... aku minta maaf sudah mengganggu waktumu.' Ia bangun dengan anggun dari tempat duduk dan berbalik menuju pintu.
Tatkah ia akan pergi, sang ayah yang bertenaga marah menghentikannya sepenuhnya. 'Apakah ini omong kosong?' Raungan keras Kekuatan Raja Jaron meledak seperti gurhanya di seluruh ruangan.
Athaliah terhenti di tempat. Perlahan, ia membelokkan bahu untuk melihat ke arkannya. Sang ayahnya sudah berdiri, wajahnya gelap penuh amarah. 'Kamu benar-benah memberi upaya hanya seperti ini?' Rasa tidak percaya diapit oleh setiap katanya. 'Lawan untuk sang penginanganmu!'
Kekecewaan menyelimuti wajah Athaliah saat ia mengintip ke arah pemuka yang telah menyuburkan dirinya.
'Kamu mengajarku untuk lebih baik dari ini,' katanya dengan tenang, namun tajam. Tak perlu keras untuk membuatnya terdengar. Kekuatan tenangnya berbicara banyak.
'Kujauhi diriku dengan baik,' u2013
'Kukasih,' u2018 u2018 u2018 u2019
',
'Saya cerdas. Saya cantik. Saya pintar.'
Ia mengambil satu langkah lagi ke arah pintu, matanya tak pernah teralihkan darinya. 'Aku tidak perlu dukungan siapa pun untuk membangun kehidupanku sendiri.'
Matanya yang lembut penuh kesedihan. 'Tapi seperti setiap serigala betina lainnya... aku ingin dicintai dengan tulus.' Suaranya makin tegas. '
Aku tidak akan merendahkan diri dengan menguntungkan pria yang hati hatinya sudah dimiliki oleh orang lain. Aku menolak untuk menjadi anjing cinta yang memohon kasih sayang yang bukan milikku.'
Tanpa menunggu kata lain darinya, ia berjalan keluar dengan kepalanya tegak.
Hampir pada sa yang sama, langkah cepat menggema di lantai pack house. Para penjudi-pengawal bergegas melewati pintu sembari berteriak teriak. 'Buru hilang!' seseorang teriak dari luar. 'Badai akan datang! Semua menuju tempat pengungsaan segera!'
Voren dan Jaron berdiri dengan cepat pada sa yang bersamaan.
u2018Di mana kamu? Apakah kamu baik-baik saja?u2019 Voren mengirimkan pertanyaannya dengan panik melalui mind-link, dada penuh rasa cekap menyebabkan jantungnya berdebar kencang.
Suara Seraphine yang hangat dan menenangkan langsung menjawabnya di dalam kepala. u2018u2019
',":
","glossary":[{"en":"Athaliah","id":"Athaliah","category":"nama karakter"},{"en":"Alpha Voren","id":"Alpha Voren","category":"gelar"},{"en":"Bloodfang","id":"Bloodfang","category":"nama karakter"},{"en":"King Jaron","id":"King Jaron","category":"gelar"},{"en":"Kael","id":"Kael","category":"nama karakter"},{"en":"Daisy","id":"Daisy","category":"nama karakter"},{"en":"Seraphine","id":"Seraphine","category":"nama karakter"}]}
Chapter 458 - Fight for your man!
Those honest words settled something deep inside Voren. He searched her face hard, hunting for even the tiniest hint of deceit or manipulation, but there was none, just pure sincerity shining through.
’She’s harmless,’ Bloodfang’s deep voice rumbled inside his mind. ’Let her.’
After a brief moment, Voren finally loosened up his guard a little. Athaliah slowly raised her hand again, and this time he didn’t stop her.
Her palm rested lightly against the left side of his hard chest, right over his heart. She closed her eyes, and the whole room got so quiet you could hear every single breath they took.
A few seconds later, her eyes opened slowly. She pulled her hand back without saying a word and returned to the sofa she’d been sitting on earlier.
For the first time since she’d walked into the room, that unbreakable confidence she always carried had vanished. In its place was this quiet, genuine admiration that lit up her expression.
"How..." She stared at Voren with real amazement sparkling in her eyes. "How have you held onto feelings that strong for so many years? It’s almost impossible."
She shook her head slowly, still blown away. "I’ve never sensed anything like it before." Her eyes softened with warmth. "I honestly want to meet the woman who managed to capture the heart of someone as powerful as you."
There wasn’t even a drop of jealousy in her voice, just pure respect that felt real. "She must be truly extraordinary." Not even her love wolf could capture Voren’s heart and yet, some mysterious she-wolf did it so easily.
The tension that had been knotted up in Voren’s shoulders gradually eased off, and that irritation he’d been carrying since the conversation started quietly melted away.
Bloodfang had been right. Athaliah wasn’t some kind of threat. There was nothing wrong with loving someone deeply.
Feelings like that weren’t something anyone could just control.
The real problem would’ve been if she refused to accept it and kept pushing anyway. But she wasn’t doing that.
She saw the line clearly and had zero intention of crossing it.
A small, real smile finally broke across Voren’s face, not forced this time. Kael’s words from earlier suddenly popped back into his head. Athaliah slapping Daisy.
Back then he hadn’t cared enough to dig into it, but now it all made sense. She truly wasn’t anything like Daisy.
"You’ll meet her someday," he said, his voice carrying a warmth that had been missing the entire evening.
Athaliah’s eyes brightened up instantly with hope as Voren’s smile deepened just a touch. "That is... if you pay close enough attention."
She stared at him for a second before realization slowly spread across her face, followed by a knowing little smile. "So that’s your clue." She gave him a respectful nod. "Thank you, Alpha Voren."
There wasn’t even a trace of bitterness left in her expression. "And... I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time." She rose gracefully from her seat and turned toward the door.
Just as she started to leave, her father’s furious roar stopped her cold. "What kind of nonsense is this?" King Jaron’s deep exploded through the room like thunder.
Athaliah stopped in her tracks. Slowly, she glanced over her shoulder. Her father was already on his feet, his face twisted dark with anger. "You’re giving up just like that?" Disbelief dripped from every word. "Fight for your man!"
Disappointment settled heavy across Athaliah’s face as she looked at the man who had raised her.
"You taught me better than this," she said, her words quiet but cutting deep. They didn’t need to be loud. Her calm strength spoke volumes. "I know my worth."
She stood tall, confidence radiating off her stronger than any anger ever could. "I’m smart. I’m beautiful. I’m intelligent."
She took another step toward the door, eyes locked on her father. "I don’t need anyone’s support to build my own life."
Her eyes softened with a quiet sadness. "But just like every other she-wolf... I want to be loved for real." Her voice grew firmer.
"I’m not going to lower myself by chasing after a man whose heart already belongs to someone else. I refuse to become some lovesick puppy begging for affection that isn’t mine to have."
Without waiting for another word from him, she walked out of the room with her head held high.
Almost at the same time, hurried footsteps pounded through the pack house. Warriors rushed past the doorway yelling. "Move!" someone shouted from outside. "A snow storm is coming! Everyone get to shelter right now!"
Voren and Jaron shot to their feet at the exact same moment. Voren’s first thought wasn’t the storm. It was Seraphine. He immediately headed for the door, heart already racing with worry.
’Where are you? Are you okay?’ Voren sent the frantic question shooting through their mind link, his chest squeezing tight with a heavy wave of worry that made his heart pound harder than usual.
Seraphine’s warm, reassuring voice flowed right back into his mind almost instantly. ’We’re on our way to the gym. Relax, everything’s totally fine.’
That tight knot of anxiety deep in his gut finally started to unwind, and he let out a long, shaky breath of relief.
Still, he couldn’t shake this overwhelming urge to stay right by her side every single second.
She was carrying their pup now, and the thought of anything happening to either of them sent his protective instincts into total overdrive, every tiny thing set off fresh waves of concern that he just couldn’t ignore.
’I’m coming over,’ he mind linked back without even a moment’s hesitation, the words filled with fierce determination. "I’ve gotta keep an eye on you myself. And seriously, babe, you need to eat more. That soup isn’t nearly enough. Our little one deserves way more nutrients than that, and so do you."
A soft, affectionate laugh rippled through the mind link, wrapping around his thoughts like a gentle hug before Seraphine’s tender voice returned.
’You’re right,’ she said, sounding both amused and understanding. "I don’t think we should stick around here much longer anyway. We really should get back to the hotel before this storm decides to trap us all over again. I’ll make sure to have a proper, filling meal once we’re safe and sound there.’
Voren couldn’t stop the memories from flooding back of that last brutal storm, the one that had locked them down at the pack house for what felt like forever.
’Sounds like a solid plan,’ he agreed. We’ll try to lock in a few good business partnerships while we’re still out here. If things don’t pan out, we’ll bail straight back to the hotel before the weather turns even nastier and causes more trouble.’
’Okay, but I gotta go,’ Seraphine mind linked back. ’Your dad is here.’
As soon as he ended the mind link, King Jaron quickly stepped right in front of him, blocking the way.
"Alpha Voren," he said, his tone turning dead serious again. "My daughter isn’t thinking clearly right now." His jaw tightened hard. "I’ll speak with your father about this."
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