Replacement Bride for the Alpha of the North - Chapter 75

Chapter 75: YEARS OF PAIN
***** Zenith’s first life *****

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***Dawn’s POV***

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“The Luna?” Dawn looked around. She didn’t understand what they were talking about. If she was here as Zenith’s chosen mate, then why was there someone else that was called as the luna? “What are they talking about?” Dawn looked at Pyllo and Kynes for explanation.

“Dawn, the Alpha had a ceremony a month ago. He returned with his chosen mate, the Luna.” Kynes looked at her with pitiful eyes. “That’s why, we told you don’t need to come.”

Dawn felt so stupid when she heard that, but even more when the question just slipped her lips.

“But, aren’t I his chosen mate?” That was what Dawn believed, that was what Fern told her. She needed to be patient in the face of Alpha Zenith’s ignorance, as he was very busy, because at the end of the day, she was his chosen mate.

“You should listen to us.” Pyllo tugged her elbow. “Let’s go back.”

“You never said anything about this.”

Dawn watched how people greeted the alpha, welcoming their new luna. She was a beautiful girl with long black hair, wearing a white dress, which made her look fresh and innocent, but at the same time, it gave off a regal aura.

People were awed by her beauty and they were dumbstruck when that woman smiled. And with the way she wore her dress, people could see the mark on her neck, she had been marked.

People gushed and she blushed, it was a beautiful sight to see and everyone looked very excited for them. Despite the alpha’s coldness, they were too happy to be scared of their alpha like usual.

Behind the alpha and the luna, Aurel stepped out of one of the carriages, there was a smile on her lips, but it was a forced one. She was the girl with green eyes that Dawn saw the first time she woke up in this pack.

Dawn stared at the warm welcome that the pack members gave to their luna and she felt devastated. She hadn’t been introduced when she came here the first time.

And when Dawn stared at that beautiful woman they called luna, her eyes met with Zenith’s blue ones. He stared at her expressionlessly, until Kynes and Pyllo managed to pull her away from there.

From what Dawn learned, the ceremony between Zenith and Alia happened in the palace; this woman was a granddaughter of one of the king’s advisors. The ceremony itself was held in private. There was no royal ceremony for the brother of the king.

Dawn got this information with so much difficulty, since the only people around her were her two personal servants and Fern.

Ever since then, Dawn stopped talking. She didn’t go out of her room and days went by just like that, until two years later, when she heard of the unexpected death of the luna.

The luna died during one of the monster attacks and her body was buried the next day because of how bad her condition was.

During all this time, Aurel would stay by Zenith’s side. She would be seen whenever the alpha was around.

So many years had passed by now and when Zenith finally gave her the visit that had long been overdue, four years had already passed. People had gone through mourning for the loss of their beautiful luna.

“Dawn,” Zenith called her name.

Dawn just returned from a short walk in the greenhouse that she could access whenever she wanted. She found solace in taking care of the plants there, because no one cared about it and started to relearn what Lyra had taught her years ago.

She was surprised to see Zenith inside her bedroom, waiting for her.

However, she didn’t have any expectations of him. She was only curious about why he came to visit her now when he didn’t give a fuck about her usually.

He refused all of her requests to meet and the people around him seemed to hate her.

“As you know, you came here because you will be my chosen mate.” Zenith then proceeded to tell her about their upcoming ceremony, not even once did he mention his dead mate, even though he just lost her two months ago.

Shouldn’t he still be sad about her?

“Be ready for the ceremony, you can do whatever you please about the preparations.”

Dawn didn’t say anything, she let Zenith do the talking. She remained silent until he was done, but when he was about to leave, she finally spoke.

“That’s it? You only came here to tell me that you finally wanted to claim me?” Dawn stared at Zenith’s back, he turned around and faced her. “Don’t you think it’s four years too late for this?”

“You are my chosen mate in the first place, there is nothing too late about this.” Zenith talked as if Alia had never existed.

People said the alpha was quite unhappy because the luna failed to get pregnant, not giving him an heir that the people had been waiting for.

Did he want to be with her now, claim her as his mate because he was in a hurry to have an heir? Dawn couldn’t stop considering this reason.

“Why now?”

Zenith didn’t answer her right away. He seemed to choose his words carefully. “The right time is now.”

Dawn didn’t understand what he was talking about at all. She was tired of waiting and didn’t want to get her hopes up for no reason.

“Let’s have breakfast together in the dining hall. This time, don’t refuse again.”

And after saying that, Zenith walked away from her bedroom, leaving Dawn alone with her own thoughts after this weird and short conversation.

After four years, this was all she got.

But, Dawn failed to notice Zenith’s parting words…

Dawn indeed had never had her meal in the dining hall, it was because Fern always brought her food to her room. No one had invited her to come and join the meal in the dining hall, so how could she refuse it ‘again’?

The next day, true to his word, Zenith came to Dawn’s bedroom and fetched her to have breakfast together.

Dawn sat beside him, on the chair that was supposed to belong to the luna of this pack. On this platform, she sat with Zenith, his beta and his gamma.

There were around five hundred people there, eating together in the dining hall.

And after four years, finally Dawn was being introduced, but their response was lukewarm at best. There was one person that stood out among the warriors in this dinning hall. It was that woman with green eyes.

She didn’t take her eyes off Dawn and those green eyes were filled with hatred.

“Eat more,” Zenith said. He put meat on Dawn’s plate after he cut it into small pieces. This gesture only confused Dawn further. “Do you want to have a walk with me after your meal?”

“Okay,” Dawn said. She didn’t talk more and focused on her food instead, but she didn’t eat much either.

After that, they walked together near the forest for two hours, only the conversation between them did not exist.

They simply walked side by side, until Aurel came and informed the alpha he should leave.