After taking Camila to the safety of the Lotus packhouse that morning, Miranda received some good news; the silver alpha had sent a ton of wolf soldiers to the terrain to aid them in the battle just as promised.
Miranda was surprised seeing them, wondering why he sent this many men, but also thankful to him for keeping his promise. The Lotus pack wouldn’t have much to fear with this plenty protection, but still she wasn’t going to take any chances by leaving the helpless ones here.
She called on one of the guards who had accompanied her to the mountain, asking for the results of the survey she’d left behind.
“My partner and I finished the assignment. The coast is clear for them to travel, though I still think we should send some guards to go along with them.”
“Of course, I’ll certainly do that. There’s more than enough to aid us in battle here, and we can still spare a few to accompany the wolves to the silver terrain.”
The guard bowed, “I will arrange for that and begin the evacuation ma’am.”
So, the plans went according to how they were set out. Majority of the soldiers that Damian sent, along with the Lotus guards were placed in different positions, some at the border, at the packhouse and in various locations across the wide Lotus terrain.
Then the evacuation started, as the defenseless wolves went to safety along with the soldiers that would be protecting them. Among these would be Camila, the poor young cub that Miranda had found on the Lotus border that day.
Miranda thought of whether to go along with the evacuees, as it would be a chance for her to see Damian, but then she thought against it, as she wanted to remain here to fight and defend the honor of her people. Along the line, something, or rather, someone made her change her mind.
“Good morning, alpha queen,” elder Rory greeted as he caught up with her during supervision.
“Good morning, elder Rory,” Miranda responded.
“I see that there is a lot going on now, the soldiers have been positioned and the evacuees are already on their way. This is all thanks to your wise leadership, and I’m not sure that we would have had a better fit.”
“Thank you, Rory. This isn’t just me working, I should also have you all to thank for your support in seeing me through my duties. There was just so much for me to do… so much that I didn’t know about, but you, along with the other elders gave me the strength I needed. I don’t think words can even describe how grateful I am to you all.”
“We were simply carrying out what was expected of us, nothing more.”
“You did much more than that, Rory, but let’s just leave it there.”
Elder Rory then changed the topic.
“My queen, there is something I noticed….”
“What?”
“Why aren’t you moving along with the evacuees? I mean… don’t you see it as a chance to meet again with your beloved… the aftermath of these wars is very unpredictable, you know… you never know if you’ll have such a chance again.”
Miranda sighed, “I know, Rory, but what kind of alpha would you all call me if you saw me marching away with a bunch of helpless wolves, instead of staying here to fight?”
“My queen, everyone has seen you in action, everyone has seen your support. We know you love us, and we want nothing more than for that to continue, even after the war, and that’s why we think you should be as safe as possible.”
“That’s not how an alpha should act. An alpha should never hide away for fear of his life being taken away. It’s better to die in bravery than to live as a coward.”
“You are not a coward, my queen, and trust me, when I say that I of all people wish for nothing more than for you to stay here with us, but asides that, we also wish for your happiness and well-being, we wish for you not just to lead, but to also have some happiness of your own. We also do not want the same mistake we made with your father happen to you…”
Miranda shot him a glance, “what do you mean?”
Sighs, “my queen, I am hoping that you will find it in your heart to forgive me and the other circle leaders…”
He could hear slight mix of anger and desperation in her voice, “What is it, Rory?”
“I think it’s time for you to know the truth. Honestly, it was never my intention for you to just find out, but your father made us swear to keep it hidden as long as he was alive…”
“What? What was it that my father didn’t want me to know about?”
“I never mean to speak ill of the dead, but your father… he… sacrificed so much… to much… he was obsessed with getting the approval, the highest honors from the cardinal committee. He’d expected that after the war, the lotus leader would be seen as the greatest, because we played a huge part in seeing the battle end, your father did, and he’d expected a much bigger reward that just a funeral service… if only he’d known”
“What other sacrifice did he give other than risking his life?”
“He didn’t just risk his life, my queen. It turned out he didn’t mind risking his own family too.”
Miranda knew that these were words she wouldn’t like to hear, but still, she couldn’t help it.
“Are you… are you talking about my mother? Is there something about her death I should have known?”
“Your mother was Deena, the strongest female warrior soldier we’d ever had. We were all proud of her as she was fearsome in battle, and would have done a fine job alongside your father, but then the wars came at the wrong time.”
“How do you mean? What… what was wrong then?”
“You were so young… there’s no way you could have remembered.”
Miranda knew that she had a faint memory of her mother… they might have had many memories in the short time she was alive, but Miranda had forgotten most of them.
“During the time of the war, your mother was pregnant with your sibling. She was even on the verge of delivery. It was very evident that she was in no condition for a battle, but then your father was running out of men, and just to get the approval and victory when the battle ended, didn’t mind sacrificing everything…”
From Rory’s words, she could already put two and two together, she never thought that she would hear anything that would make her hate her father after his death, but then here it came.