“Wh-what? A coup?”
Vione was shocked, as were Addy and Hilary. All the werewolves who had gathered at the Munest house were also surprised. They asked each other, but no one had an answer.
“I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding here,” Vione said, trying to stop the werewolves from taking Addy and Hilary. “They couldn’t possibly be involved in a coup.”
But they all remained unmoved by her plea. Vione could not stop them from taking Addy and Hilary. Even when Addy and Hilary tried to defend themselves, no one believed them. They were truly treated as if they were in the midst of a coup.
Vione didn’t give up. She found Garth. She knew that Garth still respected her in some way. Even though she wasn’t a Luna anymore, Garth had a certain respect for her.
Unfortunately, what happened wasn’t what she had hoped for. Garth stared at Vione with a regretful expression.
“Sorry, Vione. If this has to do with a coup against the Alpha, then I’m the one who stands in the forefront to protect him. I won’t let anyone overthrow the Alpha.”
Vione froze, then shook her head stiffly. “I know that, Garth, but my parents wouldn’t. They wouldn’t stage a coup. They have no reason to stage a coup.”
Garth started to answer Vione, but another voice joined their conversation. Mireya spoke up.
“Of course, there is a reason. You have a very good reason to stage a coup.”
Vione turned to face Mireya. Despite her natural reluctance to have anything to do with Mireya again, she couldn’t resist the urge to ask.
“What do you mean, Mireya?”
Mireya approached with a typical smile on her face and happily answered, “Of course there is. They are hurt because their adopted daughter was dethroned as Luna. Not only that, they seem to be embarrassed when people talk about the reasons for your dethronement.”
Vione’s face reddened. Her jaw clenched. But Mireya continued to speak.
“So, they couldn’t accept it. In the end, they staged a coup.”
Vione tried not to growl when her parents were talked about like that. “Watch your words, Mireya. They wouldn’t stoop so low. You’re just making things up.”
“Oh, are you going to say I’m accusing you now? Like that time?”
Vione did not answer, and Mireya’s smile widened.
“I never accused anyone, Vione. In fact, fate was kind enough to show me everything.”
“What do you mean, Mireya?”
Mireya took something out of her pocket. She handed some photos to Vione. “This is what I mean.”
Without immediately accepting the photos, Vione gave Mireya a brief but intense look. After that, she stared at the photos with her eyes wide open. She saw them one by one, and Mireya enjoyed watching Vione’s face turn pale.
“How is it? Can you admit now that I didn’t slander your parents?”
Vione continued to look at the photos in disbelief. “Th-that can’t be.”
“Of course, it can. Now, can you explain it to us, Vione? Who is this man? What Alpha pack does he belong to?”
Vione couldn’t answer. She could only defend herself. She didn’t understand at all, but the photos led to the opposite conclusion.
“I-I don’t know, Mireya. Something must be wrong here.”
“Of course, there is, and you know the answer,” Mireya said, took a deep breath and then sighed. She looked at the photographs in Vione’s hands. “The man who approached Addy and Hilary is clearly your lover, the man who used to come to you at The Palace. So don’t pretend to be ignorant, Vione.”
Vione’s tongue was tied. She could not say anything when her own logic ironically confirmed Mireya’s words. The reason was that the photos showed undeniable facts.
Not once, but several times. Judging by Addy and Hilary’s clothes and the man’s outfit, it could be confirmed that they had met repeatedly.
The backgrounds of the photos showed that they often met in the forest, especially in the mornings when Addy and Hilary, who had become part of the Forest Rangers, made their routine patrols. They usually checked the condition of the forest to make sure no mischievous humans were disturbing the natural ecosystem. Also, to document the current state of the forest.
Everything looked just as Mireya had said. It made sense for her whole family to be accused. The photos seemed to speak, telling everything that had happened.
But there was one thing that bothered Vione. In one photo, the man’s hoodie was slightly uncovered, perhaps due to the wind. Her eyes narrowed in confusion.
The tattoo?
There was a small strand of an emblem visible. Positioned on the neck, and although only a small part was captured in the photo, Vione was one hundred percent sure that it was the Alpha Marking tattoo. A tiny golden glimmer was clearly visible.
“Are you still not willing to be honest, Vione? Who is this Alpha? Which pack does he belong to?”
Vione slowly lifted her face. She looked at Mireya with a blank stare. She was confused and really did not know what was going on. “Mi-Mireya, I’m not lying, but I don’t understand what’s happening either. I swear that the man who comes to me every night is indeed Usher. So, it seems he is the one who approached Addy and Hilary.”
Mireya chuckled mockingly. Her eyes rolled, teasing Vione. “Do you really think you can defend yourself with lies like that?” she asked with a slight laugh, then shook her head. “First of all, Usher couldn’t possibly come to you, let alone have sex with you, as you claimed before. Second, Usher couldn’t possibly meet Addy and Hilary either. What would be the point?”
Right. What would be the point?
“Also, you should know that Usher has absolutely no time to start courting you and your family again.”
Again, Mireya’s words were true.
“So, it seems that our conversation is finished for now, Vione. It looks like you have to go to The Palace as well.”
Vione blinked. “To The Palace?”
“Of course. It seems that this coup is more complex than it seems. It all started with your affair, and it’s possible that your lover planned to exploit the Frostholm Pack’s weaknesses. In other words, your affair has been targeting you from the beginning to achieve its goals.”
Mireya’s words made Vione’s head spin. She felt dizzy, almost disoriented by this conclusion.
“N-no, Mireya.”
Mireya turned away, ignoring Garth, and immediately gave orders to the warriors.
“Take Vione as well.”
Vione widened her eyes and could do nothing.
*