In the corridor, Aldrich and Alisa stood face to face, and the servants who witnessed this scene chose to quickly walk away.
“Now that I think about it, in the Moonlight Forest, it seems like you were deliberately waiting for me,” Aldrich asked bluntly.
Alisa remained unfazed, “Your speculation is baseless. I was captured and brought there by rogue who attacked me. I was a victim.”
“But I happened to come across you at that time.”
“Some things are destined, and nobody can explain them, right?”
“But you didn’t cry out for help at the time. Were you really being coerced?”
“Why do you have such a great hostility towards me? Is it because I accidentally ruined the engagement dress you carefully prepared for Maggie?”
Mentioning the ruined dress, Aldrich’s face showed a trace of frustration. This woman had obviously deliberately destroyed it and was now pretending to be innocent and asking him questions.
He approached Alisa step by step, and his oppressive aura was overwhelming. Her back was against the wall, leaving her with no retreat. Aldrich’s warning loomed above her, “You’ve witnessed the ferocity of werewolves. Do you need me to remind you?”
Alisa finally couldn’t hold back, and her straight posture slumped. She lifted her head to look at Aldrich, her eyes glistening with teardrops, which made her appear very pitiable.
“I’m sorry, Aldrich. I lied to you.”
“You have no genuine remorse.”
“That morning, it was you who brought me out of the ruins. I was seriously injured by the rogue, almost on the brink of death, but I saw a handsome face, a tall figure, and I was embraced in a comforting hug. You gently called my name…”
Aldrich interrupted her, “That was just routine rescue. If it were anyone else, I would have done the same.”
“No, you are special to me. You personally carried me into the car, took me to the hospital, and let me stay in a luxurious private villa. I’ve never felt such warmth before. You’re the first man who has been so kind to me, and I can’t help but fall in love with you…”
“Shut up!” Aldrich pinched Alisa’s chin. “Don’t let me hear such disgusting words from your mouth. You better understand that my care for you is only because of Maggie.”
“Is it just because Maggie is carrying your child? That’s not love, it’s just a responsibility. Aldrich, look at me, I also have an amazing figure, and I grew up with Maggie. I have everything she has. Why can’t you love me?”
The frantic Alisa tightly held Aldrich’s hand, and she even wanted to hug him. Aldrich exerted force and pushed her away in panic. “You’re insane!”
Alisa was pushed against the wall, and she looked up in surprise behind Aldrich, saying, “Maggie!”
In an instant, Aldrich’s entire body felt like it was freezing, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind, eventually forming into one sentence, “Maggie, Alisa is a lunatic!”
However, behind Aldrich, there was nothing!
Alisa had been toying with him!
Aldrich’s disgust for Alisa reached its peak. “Alisa, don’t try to make an enemy out of a werewolf.”
“Can you bear it? It is said that werewolf revenge can extend to this person’s blood relatives.”
“I am Maggie’s good sister,” Alisa stood upright.
Aldrich sarcastically smiled, “Do you still think of her as your sister?”
“I will be her sister forever,” Alisa said solemnly.
She extended an olive branch to Aldrich again, “What do you like about Maggie? I can learn and understand you better than Maggie. It’s just a matter of time.”
Aldrich firmly rejected, “Even without Maggie, it wouldn’t be you.”
“You will leave her.”
Alisa showed a determined smile, “I’m going to see the room that the butler Thomas arranged for me. I hope it’s identical to Maggie’s. Thank you for your hospitality. We’ll meet at dinner, my dear Aldrich.”
After taking a deep breath for a long time, Aldrich finally regained some composure. He opened the door and saw Maggie sleeping in the room. His troubled heart found a bit of comfort.
He came to the bedside, using his fingers to trace Maggie’s peaceful sleeping face and softly expressed his feelings, “The Silver Wolf once said, never fall in love with anyone, or you’ll have a vulnerability. I didn’t believe it before, but now I have no choice but to believe it. Maggie, you’ve made the invincible Aldrich become unsure of himself, and what’s even more frustrating is that Aldrich willingly accepts it.”
The large bed slightly sank, and he lay down next to Maggie, cradling the sleeping Maggie in his arms. “I only hope that on the day of the showdown with Alisa, you will believe me.”
His love for Maggie was like a sword hanging over Aldrich’s heart, and even before Maggie wielded it, he was already feeling the pain of sharpening it. Aldrich couldn’t imagine what it would be like if, one day, Maggie drove that sword into his chest. He would be in excruciating pain.
“No, we will never have such a day; otherwise…” Aldrich bit Maggie’s lip, “I will personally shatter the beautiful Maggie and mold her into a Maggie who belongs only to me.”
But at that time, Maggie’s love would turn into hatred, wouldn’t it?
The sunset painted the horizon in shades of red and orange, and large swathes of orange light dyed the point where heaven and earth met. Against the backdrop resembling an ink painting, pairs of wolves or wolf-shifters in their human forms occasionally emerged from the Moonlight Forest. This spring, many wolf pups would be born, realizing the significance of the Spring Hunt Festival.
Of course, there were those wolves who failed to mate within the Moonlight Forest, and Aldrich was one of them, along with Marvin, who had spent a day and night caring for Grace. Once inseparable lovers who would discuss anything and betray the gods for love, they now walked in silence, each going in a different direction, even breaking their bond.
Marvin couldn’t let go; he caught up with Grace. “I want to follow you. Wherever you go, I will go. I’ll be your shadow.”
Grace furrowed her brow. “We’ve already discussed everything between us in the Moonlight Forest.”
“It’s about revenge; we can do it together.”
“This is my own matter, and I don’t want anyone to interfere.”
“Grace, you can’t go on without help from others forever. Don’t be so stubborn, and don’t push people away, including me, okay?”
Grace’s steps were almost turning back, and the rustling of the wind in the forest filled the air. She restrained her pace. “You and others are no different.”
This statement was tantamount to declaring her past feelings with Marvin null and void. Marvin couldn’t accept such a brutal judgment.
He rushed in front of Grace, tightly gripping her arms. “Don’t you love me anymore, Grace? I’m seriously asking you, just this once. Are you abandoning me, Grace?”
The air was filled with a sense of heartache, and Grace couldn’t bring herself to say that one word “yes.” She wouldn’t have made this difficult decision if she wasn’t forced to.
The rustling of the wind in the forest grew louder, and Marvin was insistent on Grace’s answer. “Tell me! I’ll accept anything…”
“Can’t you stop acting like a child?” Grace shook off Marvin’s hands. “I’m fed up with you. You always act so calm and composed, but when it comes to dealing with things, you’re useless! How can I trust you to take care of me?”
“I’m useless?” Marvin asked in anguish. “My father thinks I’m not as good as Aldrich, the elders consider me mediocre, and now, you don’t acknowledge me either?”
“What have you done that’s worth acknowledging? Marvin, tell me, can you name one great achievement of yours? None!”
“Is that your reason for rejecting me?”
“Yes, I’m asking you to learn from Aldrich. Stick by his side, accomplish something, and let the wolf pack hear the praises of Marvin.”
“Will you come back then?”
Grace nodded wearily. “First, achieve that, and then we’ll talk.”
Marvin transformed into a wolf and howled, then ran off into the distance, quickly disappearing from sight.
Alone in the forest, Grace, Ethan slowly emerged from the woods. “Quite touching,” he remarked.
Grace snorted. “Even beasts understand emotions. How rare.”
“Just a tough façade, Grace. Even if Maggie heals you, do you think you can escape my control?”
“I’m well aware. I’m waiting for you, aren’t I?”
“You’d better genuinely obey me, follow me. Otherwise, I don’t mind using the same methods to trap you.”
Grace quickly transformed into a wolf and followed Ethan, disappearing in the opposite direction to where Marvin had left.
The unchanging Moonlight Forest silently watched over it all. When the moonlight bathed the earth, its pure radiance was like the love between Grace and Marvin, beautiful yet fragile.