The Alpha's Regret: Return Of The Betrayed Luna-Chapter 489 Being Understanding

Time there felt uncertain. It didn’t seem long, yet it didn’t feel short either. It was as if her sense of time had simply been erased.

Recalling it now, Addison drifted into a daze. She couldn’t tell whether it had been a dream or something else entirely. What she’d experienced felt important, achingly so, yet she couldn’t remember what she’d heard or what had truly happened. Only the lingering strangeness remained, which felt heavy and inexplicable.

"Addie?" Zion called her name again.

Only then did Addison come back to her senses. When she opened her eyes, she was met with three pairs of worried eyes fixed firmly on her.

"I’m fine now... I just feel a little drained," Addison explained, forcing a weak smile.

Instead of relaxing, their frowns only deepened. They even looked angry, no, upset. And as the fog in her mind cleared, Addison realized why. Her sudden collapse, the coma, the uncertainty of whether she would wake up at all, must have terrified them. Fear had likely twisted into anger, fueled by concern they didn’t know how to express.

Seeing them like this, Addison felt a quiet guilt settle in her chest. She already knew what was coming: a long lecture, sharp words, warnings about being reckless. She braced herself, ready to accept whatever they threw at her.

But instead of scolding her, Zion stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Addie... please, don’t carry everything on your own, okay?" Zion said softly. "We’re here. All of us. We’ll do everything we can to help you, just use us."

His voice trembled, then broke. "But don’t ever, ever, put yourself in that kind of danger again. I... I don’t think I could take it if something like that happened. I feel like I’d go mad..."

A faint sob slipped past his lips as his arms tightened around her.

Addison froze for a heartbeat, stunned by the rawness in his voice. Then her arms moved on their own, wrapping around him as she gently patted his back, offering what comfort she could.

She knew he was right. She had pushed herself too far, driven her body beyond its limits. And yet... if she were given another chance, she knew she would still do the same. She hadn’t seen another option.

But she couldn’t say that now, not when Zion was holding her like this, not when his emotions were already so close to spilling over. So she stayed silent, returning his embrace, choosing this moment to comfort him rather than defend herself.

When Addison looked up, she found Levi and Maxwell watching her closely. They didn’t say a word, yet their expressions mirrored Zion’s, stern, controlled, and heavy with unspoken agreement. Though their faces remained composed, the corners of their eyes were already red, as if they were holding their emotions back by sheer will alone.

Just seeing them like this was enough for Addison to know the truth. These three had already broken down when they believed she would be trapped in a coma for a long time. And she didn’t even want to imagine what had happened when Alphas and a Beta like them had lost control because of her.

"I’m sorry..." Addison murmured, gently patting Zion’s back.

Zion pulled away after a moment, and seeing how guilty she looked, as if she were afraid they might snap at her, he shot Levi a smug glance and teased, "See? Told you. My gut feeling was right."

Levi let out a quiet chuckle, the tension in his shoulders finally easing.

"Sounds to me like you just got lucky," he replied, turning toward the small table to ladle some soup for Addison.

"Just admit it," Zion grinned.

The atmosphere inside the tent gradually lightened.

"Seems to me it was just a stroke of luck," Maxwell added, joining in to tease Zion.

With Levi and Maxwell clearly teaming up against him, Zion scoffed, but Addison couldn’t help finding the scene a little amusing. Even though she didn’t fully understand what they were teasing him about, she knew they were doing it for her, to keep the atmosphere light and spare her from any awkwardness.

The realization warmed her chest. They really did care.

’Thank you...’ she whispered silently, smiling as the three of them began preparing the meal, each making sure she had a proper serving.

After ladling the soup and before Levi could serve the fish soup and bread to Addison, Zion shot Levi a smug look before turning to her, clearly claiming credit.

"Addie, I knew you’d be waking up soon," he said, his tone light with confidence. "So I asked the old lady outside to teach me how to cook this. Go on, help me judge it."

His usual arrogance had returned, as if he were already certain the soup would satisfy Addison’s palate.

"I caught the fish and prepared the vegetables," Maxwell said flatly. "You only helped gut the fish, and you almost burned the soup." Not a trace of guilt showed on his face as he demolished Zion’s confident show off.

Zion’s proud expression collapsed instantly. He shot Maxwell a glare sharp enough to bite, though it was hard to argue because Maxwell wasn’t wrong.

"Let me out. I’ll bite his head off," Shura snarled inside Zion’s mind. "He’s doing this on purpose, to ruin our image in front of our mate."

Zion clenched his jaw, doing his best to hold Shura back.

Watching how lively they were, Addison understood immediately. They were deliberately lightening the mood because they knew she would feel guilty.

Even if they were upset about how things had ended, they refused to place the blame on her. She had only acted according to the situation, doing everything she could to achieve the best possible outcome.

After everything they had witnessed and after spending time with her and seeing how she handled each challenge along the way, they were almost certain of one thing, and that is, she will not do anything wrong; instead, if she’s done something, then it only means that it went through so much deliberation before she does it.

They weren’t in her position. They hadn’t been there to witness what happened, let alone help her through it. Because of that alone, they felt they had no right to criticize her.

And truthfully, even if they did, they wouldn’t. If anything, they would rather kiss the ground she walks on as her mates, fully giving her all their support and trust.

That was why they were acting silly now, so out of character for them, especially for the temperamental and arrogant Zion. But if it helped ease the weight on Addison’s heart, he would do it without hesitation.

"Figures. Alpha Zion has never cooked before," Levi said dryly. "Other than throwing meat on a fire, he probably wouldn’t even know how to peel a clove of garlic."

Attacked from both sides, Zion merely rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest and snorted.

"You’re just jealous I succeeded on my first try."

He then moved to sit beside Addison’s bed, watching as Levi fed her the soup. His gaze lingered a little too long, his expectation barely concealed on his face. The look was so obvious that both Maxwell and Levi couldn’t help snorting in unison, though they mercifully stopped teasing him after that.

Addison, on the other hand, found the scene oddly harmonious. She had never known the three of them to get along so well, at least, that was how it appeared to her. What she didn’t know was that just moments ago, Maxwell and Zion had nearly been at each other’s throats by the riverbank, while Levi had conveniently pretended not to notice and let them "resolve" things their own way.

Perhaps it was guilt that made them act as though nothing had happened now, masking the tension with light jabs that felt more like knives thrown sideways, careful enough not to let Addison notice, all while pretending to be perfectly chummy.

After all, with their territorial instincts and clashing personalities, it was almost impossible, especially for Maxwell and Zion, to truly get along whenever they stood in the same room.

Still, as long as it was for Addison, they were willing to sheathe their sharp claws and get along as best they could. And for now, that was enough.

She could tell something was off between the three of them, but since they were clearly trying their hardest to hide it, she chose not to dwell on it. Instead, she pretended not to notice, allowing the fragile peace to continue. She knew she couldn’t force them to truly accept one another so easily.

Even so, the knowledge that they were trying, and putting her feelings first despite everything, quietly warmed her heart.

After such a strenuous task and the amount of energy she had expended, Addison was so famished she felt she could eat an entire cow by herself. So the moment Levi began feeding her, she ate greedily, with obvious gusto.

The sight made Zion’s anxious heart finally bloom with relief and happiness. He didn’t need to hear her say she liked the food; her enthusiasm as she ate was more than enough.