“What? You want me to get along with that fraud, Alisa?”
Thomas tried to keep a little distance so that Marvin’s loud voice wouldn’t pierce his eardrums. Aldrich was also quite speechless about his younger brother’s excessive reaction.
“Why can’t you be more level-headed? Always acting too exaggerated isn’t conducive to your future as a qualified leader.”
“What leader?” Marvin mumbled softly. “With you around, who needs me?”
Aldrich sometimes found Marvin, his stubborn little brother, quite difficult to handle. Perhaps watching the interactions between the two sisters, Alisa and Maggie, could provide him with a model for family interactions. He didn’t have a mother, and he had almost never experienced his father’s care. He still wanted a brother, though.
“This is Alpha’s order, so you don’t need to take care of them. There will be others in the castle to look after them. You just need to try to get along with her. Let go of your werewolf arrogance and bias and try to understand her actions. If you can get along with her well, then we can effectively demonstrate the concept of overcoming prejudice between humans and werewolves and achieving a win-win situation that we presented at the press conference. It will also lay a strong foundation for our Blue Moon Pack’s future rule in the North.”
This was another layer of political ideology that Marvin hadn’t realized. He admired it, but at the same time, he felt a little despondent about Aldrich’s far-sightedness.
After all, talents couldn’t be changed. The same genes couldn’t guarantee identical talents. Just as ordinary people could strive for ten lifetimes and never become an Einstein, in the human world, gravity had chosen Newton. In the world of werewolves, the Moon Goddess had chosen Aldrich. He envied him but couldn’t become him.
But he also loved him.
“I’ll seriously follow what you said and get along with her,” he promised to his older brother.
Aldrich gave him a faint smile from behind, a smile that Thomas also noticed.
“Young Master Marvin is growing into a better commander. In the future, the burden on your shoulders will be lighter,” Thomas said.
Aldrich didn’t confirm or deny Thomas’s hopeful vision; he simply said, “I hope it turns out that way.”
“There’s another matter,” Thomas continued.
Aldrich glanced at him. “What?”
“Mrs. Jenkins. You had suspicions about her and Luna’s morning sickness. We sent someone to investigate.”
“Have they reached a conclusion?”
“She indeed has some suspicious aspects, and we think she might not be just a flower shop owner. But there’s no evidence to suggest that she’s connected to vampires or witches. Of course, there’s no evidence to support her clandestine dealings with the Bourne family either.”
This sounded a bit convoluted, and Aldrich wasn’t sure if Thomas meant what he thought he did. “So, do you think she’s trustworthy?”
“At the very least, we can confirm that she’s not on the side opposed to us.”
“But Maggie’s morning sickness started after meeting her twice. How do you explain that?”
“Perhaps it truly is just a coincidence.”
When Thomas said that, Aldrich could only temporarily dispel any doubts from his mind. “Then let’s put her matter aside for now. The most important things for us right now are Marvin and Alisa’s interaction and the upcoming Elder Council meeting for Maggie.”
“Understood,” Thomas replied. “We’ve strengthened the guards around the tribe, extended their shifts, and increased the number of guards around Luna. We won’t allow her to face any potential harm.”
Aldrich looked at him with appreciation. “Well done.”
Marvin hasn’t had much else to do lately. Aldrich had instructed him not only to be responsible for Alisa and Maggie’s safety but also to oversee the security patrol around the tribe. However, due to the additional manpower Aldrich had deployed for patrolling, Marvin’s workload had sharply reduced. Typically, he only needed to occasionally check on things in the morning and evening. Other times, when he wasn’t watching Maggie study or reading Alisa’s papers, he was transforming into a wolf and chasing sparrows.
Alisa was quite dissatisfied with his seemingly idle stance. “Can’t you be a useful person instead of lazing around in the garden soaking up the sun all day?”
Marvin, equally frustrated with the woman who deliberately provoked and lured him into a serious mistake, snapped, “You’re the most useless one in this estate! It’s because of you that I’ve lost face in front of the entire werewolf community!”
“Oh?” Alisa retorted. “Did I drug you and make you lose control, or did I make you unable to control your instincts and attack humans? Face it, Marvin, the beast is in your bones, and that’s a gene you can’t change!”
Just as things were about to ignite, Maggie finally emerged from her room in a leisurely manner to put out the fire.
“Okay, sis,” she reproached Alisa with a hint of disapproval. “Stop blaming Marvin. He didn’t mean it. And Marvin, because Alisa has been bedridden for so long, don’t keep verbally attacking her. Can’t you be good friends?”
Alisa was extremely puzzled. “Who wants to be friends with that kind of beast? I only promised Aldrich to try to change my view of werewolves, not to change my view of Marvin.”
Hearing Alisa calmly mentioning Aldrich while still harboring deep dislike towards him, Marvin inexplicably grew even angrier. Even Alisa seemed to lean towards Aldrich! He revealed his sharp, glaring fangs at Alisa. “One day, I’ll kick you out of this estate!”
To her, this only deepened her impression of Marvin as an immature, unrefined child.
She shook her head lightly. “Gods really wasted his long lifespan on him.”
“Alright, let’s not worry about Marvin,” Maggie shook Alisa’s arm. “If you’re willing to put aside your prejudices and look at him, he’s actually a nice guy. A bit impulsive, but he’s emotionally rich, just, and compassionate. He’s awkwardly cute at times. You might even like him a little.”
Awkwardly cute? Alisa felt her sister might have been affected by the air here. Who could find Marvin, of all people, cute?
“You,” she held Maggie’s face, very earnestly. “You need to put yourself first. Don’t sacrifice yourself for the future and the political plans of so-called politicians. And don’t force yourself to like someone you don’t actually like to adapt to the environment. Hate is hate, understood?”
Maggie blinked. She wanted to say she didn’t actually hate Marvin. On the contrary, she appreciated his honesty. But seeing her sister’s worried face, she nodded, “I understand.”
“Maggie,” Alisa sighed. “I’ve always wanted to protect you, but I forgot that you’d grow up and have your favorite person, that you’d want to escape from those who used to control you. My ideal is to see you safe and getting what you want. Tell me, have you found your favorite person?”
“I have,” Maggie’s eyes were still bright, just like when she was a child, looking directly into Alisa’s heart. “I have, sis. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll take care of myself.”