Divorce The Duke, Marry The King!
Chapter 112: Chase

Chapter 112: Chase

"Except I am not yours," she countered, and the room fell into silence. For a moment, she wondered if she had been too harsh, but Quinn had been doing as he pleased since he resurfaced in her life, acting as though they were still married. She should have put an end to it sooner instead of allowing things to get personal before stopping him.

"I have something to attend to. Don’t leave the tent until we are ready to move," he said suddenly, his tone unusually serious, making her pause.

"Did something happen?" She asked, turning to face him now that his grip on her had loosened, curiosity flickering in her gaze.

"You should be more concerned about your cleavage, I would kill any man for staring at it," he replied, his eyes dropping to her exposed chest.

Startled, she let out a small gasp and quickly clutched the fabric of her shirt, holding it in place. It was all thanks to him barging in without knocking.

"I..." She started to speak but stopped mid-sentence when she realized he was already gone. What a way to leave. He sure knew how to appear and disappear at will, she had to give him credit for that.

Still, a nagging feeling told her something was wrong. Quinn never backed down unless he had the upper hand, an aspect of him she had secretly envied. Unlike Mia, she had been raised mentally weak, never once standing up for herself. Even when her father had nearly defiled her, all she could do was plead, too afraid of angering him and putting her mother in danger. If not for her mother saving her that night, she would have been scarred for life.

But this time, she would not let anyone dictate her path. She had not spent a year healing just to fall back into the habit of pleasing people who were no longer worth it...including Quinn. It was time to make a choice: live or love.

Hezekiah was her best option now, especially after coming this far. Choosing the wrong man after marching into war would be foolish. It was either Quinn or Hezekiah, and she already knew what the right decision was.

Taking a deep breath, she walked to her bed and lay down fully clothed, unwilling to risk being caught undressed by that cunning man again. Unfortunately, the tent had no door, only a simple cover, denying her the privacy she so desperately needed.

...

"Has he been caught?" Quinn asked as he walked toward their destination with Kay.

"Yes. Unexpectedly," Kay replied, earning a curious glance from Quinn. Unexpectedly? What was so remarkable about catching a mere spy?

Noticing his Alpha’s reaction, Kay cleared his throat and elaborated, "It was the king’s sister who caught him. She claimed to have spotted him in the woods."

Quinn chuckled.

It was strange, he never truly knew Mia or Belle, only what he had chosen to know, not what he should have known. Even back at his estate, he had never believed the testimonies about Mia’s agility, but it seemed they were true. He was grateful that Belle had someone like her by her side; if he wasn’t there to protect her, at least he wouldn’t have to worry as much.

"Really unexpected," he muttered, earning a surprised look from Kay. It was rare for Quinn to make remarks unless it was something official. Teasing, playing games, and acting cunning, those were his specialties. But giving out compliments? That was never in his nature.

Upon reaching the scene, they found Mia sitting atop the unconscious spy, casually chewing on a piece of fruit, not the least bit concerned about being attacked.

"The king will be taking more than my head," Quinn commented, earning a scoff from Mia, who stood up and walked toward him.

"I don’t like being underestimated. And I will prove you wrong about not being attractive," she declared, smirking with confidence.

"I never said you weren’t attractive. I only meant that you might not be attractive enough for a very moody person," he clarified.

Mia’s smirk vanished, her expression souring at the mention of Ray. Quickly glancing around to ensure he wasn’t nearby, she scoffed, "I don’t care whether he finds me attractive or not. He’s too ugly for me. Besides, who would want to be with a man like him? So I will back out of that challenge."

Unaware of the presence just a few steps behind her, Mia suddenly caught a familiar scent. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but then Quinn spoke, confirming her fears.

"Wow, you should tell him that directly." He gestured behind her, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Mia’s body tensed, her eyes squeezing shut. She didn’t need to turn around, his scent was already affecting her. At this point, she was convinced he was a stalker. He always managed to appear wherever she was.

"I just remembered...Belle called for me!" Mia blurted, making up the excuse on the spot before taking off in a sprint.

This time, Ray didn’t chase after her. Instead, he walked up to the unconscious spy and asked, "How long has he been knocked out?" His tone was indifferent, and though his gaze wasn’t directed at anyone in particular, Kay knew the question was meant for him.

"Ah! She found him a few minutes ago, so that must have been when she knocked him out," Kay responded, though his attention drifted to where Mia had just disappeared. Something was definitely going on between the king’s sister and Ray. However, something told him it wasn’t serious...yet. But the way she had just fled at the mere sight of him? She must have done something she shouldn’t have.

"You are not going after your mate?" Quinn asked, folding his arms, deliberately ignoring Ray’s attempt to avoid the subject.

"M-Mate?!" Kay stammered, his eyes widening in shock.

Ray had a mate? Since when? How? Of all people, he would never have imagined Ray finding a mate, not in a million years. How had Ray managed to find one before him? A serious, indifferent man like Ray, sometimes even worse than Quinn in his nonchalance, was the last person anyone would have expected to find love.

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