Page 94 of The Alpha King’s Hidden Mute Mate

I stopped.

It was a painting.

Not my handwriting. Drawn on parchment in charcoal lines. The painting showed a woman standing in moonlight, head tilted back, lips slightly parted as if singing. Her hair blown by wind, her skirt billowing.

The woman's face was mine.

Below the painting, written in gold ink:

"The most beautiful sound I ever heard was your silence."

I felt my eyes burning, my throat blocked.

I stood in the doorway, motionless, feeling the whole world go quiet. Only those yellowed pages glowed faintly in the afternoon light, silently telling something.

Those lyrics, those poems, those things I thought lost to time—they were all here.

Treasured, framed, hung on walls.

Like a monument.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something—to mock him, to laugh at him, to say "what good does this do now"—but nothing came out.

Because those paintings, those manuscripts, those carefully preserved traces—

They were too real.

Real enough to make my chest ache.

I stood there, staring at that painting, feeling my heartbeat thundering in my ears. A voice in my head screamed: leave. Leave now. Don't look, don't think, don't soften.

But my feet wouldn't obey.

"It's all too late," I told myself, my voice eerily calm. "Zane, it's all too late."

I took a deep breath, forced myself to turn, and continued down the hallway.

Behind me in the study, those manuscripts hung quietly in the afternoon light, like a treasured memory.

And I walked away without looking back.

Chapter Nineteen

Zane

The Howling Ceremony was set for the full moon, and the entire Moonhowl Kingdom was electric.

I stood at the highest tower of the castle, looking down at the square packed with people—at least three times more than any previous year. Some had traveled three days from border towns, some brought their newly-of-age children, some even came all the way from neighboring kingdoms. They held torches, faces lit with that mix of anticipation and nervous excitement, like they were waiting for a miracle.

And me? I stood in the shadows, palms slick with sweat.

My wolf paced restlessly inside. It knew what tonight meant. For the first time in five years, we had a chance to become a true Alpha again. But at the same time, it was afraid—afraid of failing, afraid of humiliating ourselves in front of everyone again, afraid of seeing disappointment in her eyes.

Speaking of her—

Mia stood on the temporary stage in the center of the square, wearing a silvery-white gown. Moonlight bathed her, making her look like a goddess descended from the moon itself. Lily sat nearby with Aila, waving a bouquet of flowers in her little hands, her face flushed with excitement.

Ethan stood at the wing of the stage, arms crossed, his expression as complex as an abstract painting. He clearly didn't trust leaving Mia here alone, but couldn't find a reason to stop her.