Chapter 12: Reunion on the Battlefield

As the chaos of battle continued to rage around them, Samantha's eyes remained locked with those of her true mate, standing resolute at the edge of the battlefield. Every fiber of her being yearned to reach out to him, to run into his arms and seek solace in his embrace. Yet, duty bound her to the side of Adrian, the Alpha King, who fought bravely beside her.

With a heavy heart, Samantha tore her gaze away from her true mate and refocused on the task at hand. The battle still raged on, and she could not afford to be distracted by thoughts of what could have been.

Adrian sensed the tension in Samantha and followed her gaze, his expression hardening as he too spotted the lone figure standing amidst the chaos.

"Who is that?" Adrian growled, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the scene.

Samantha hesitated, torn between her loyalty to Adrian and the pull of her heart towards her true mate. "He's... someone I used to know," she replied evasively, unwilling to reveal the full extent of her co