Page 90 of The Alpha King’s Hidden Mute Mate

My gaze drifted past Lily's shoulder to Zane. He'd stood up and was brushing sand off his pants. His movements were awkward, like a little boy caught doing something he shouldn't. He looked at me, those gray-blue eyes holding a careful, tentative expression, like he was waiting for my judgment.

"Lily," I said, crouching to meet her eyes, "go upstairs to Aunt Emma, okay? Mommy needs to talk to Zane."

"Okay!" She agreed cheerfully, then ran to Zane and tugged at his pant leg.

Zane looked down at her.

"Zane, don't leave, okay?" she said, her tone as serious as if issuing a royal decree. "I'll be right back. We promised to paint the volcano."

Zane froze for a moment, then his lips curved into a gentle arc. "I won't leave. I'll wait for you."

Lily nodded, satisfied, then bounced into the apartment building.

The playground held just the two of us.

Morning sunlight slanted down, casting long shadows on the ground. The air smelled of grass and earth mixed together, with the scent of baking bread drifting from somewhere distant. Everything was so peaceful, so normal, except—I stood here facing the man who'd once broken my heart, with nothing between us but a ruined sandcastle and five years of silence.

"She's a great kid," Zane spoke first, his voice hoarse.

"I know."

He was quiet for a few seconds. "You've raised her well."

"That's none of your business."

My words hit like a wall, shutting him out. He looked at me, his lips moving, but ultimately said nothing.

I looked at him, a strange sourness rising in my chest. If we were just an ordinary family—if we were a normal couple, living in a normal house, living normal lives—would we have avoided all that hardship? Could we have had this simple happiness? Could Lily build sandcastles with her dad on weekends instead of following her touring mother around the world?

Too bad there were no ifs.

Those wounds were real. They were still there. Even healed over, they hurt when pressed.

I was silent for a moment. "The tour's on hold. I've told all the crew. We can leave tomorrow."

Zane's expression turned serious immediately. "Good. I'll prepare now."

We left early the next morning.

The convoy was more impressive than I'd imagined—six black carriages decorated with Moonhowl Kingdom's silver wolf crest, with two mounted guard units front and back. Zane had clearly treated this "bringing Vela home" as a national-level important mission.

I sat in the most spacious carriage in the middle, Lily sprawled across my lap, curiously watching everything outside the window. Ethan sat across from me, holding a document but clearly not reading a single word—his gaze kept drifting to the mounted guards outside, a half-smile playing at his lips.

"Nice show," he said, his tone teasing. "Looks like our king is determined to announce to the whole world that he's brought you back."

"He's not 'our' king," I corrected him, my tone colder than expected. "He's the king of Moonhowl Kingdom. I'm Vela. We're just business partners."

"Of course," Ethan raised both hands in surrender. "Business partners. I get it."

His tone made me want to throw the cushion in my hands at his face.

Lily was completely oblivious to the tension between us. She was busy pressing her face against the window, watching the scenery flash by. "Mommy! Those trees are so tall! Those flowers are so pretty! Mommy, will the place we're going have an amusement park?"

"Probably," I said, running my hand through her hair. "We can check when we get there."

"Yay!" She cheered, then turned back to the window. "Will Zane come with us?"

My hand paused.