To begin the day, Garth approached a shewolf named Cora Webb. Cora had served as the Gamma of the Frostholm Pack for almost a year. She had been chosen after successfully beating out at least fifty other candidates. She was responsive, efficient, and most importantly, a woman.
Cora’s main task was to manage the needs of The Palace, since there was no real Luna in The Palace. Mireya could not fulfill the duties of Usher’s mate, and the only solution was to create a position that hadn’t been filled for several generations.
“What is it, Garth?”
Garth approached Cora, who had just arrived at The Palace. He glanced at Cora’s appearance, which seemed unusual. Hmm, a knee-length dress?
“Why?” Cora asked, lowering her eyes. She could sense that Garth was more interested in her appearance than in her previous question. “Do I look strange?”
Garth cleared his throat and shook his head with a furrowed brow. “You don’t look strange, but I’m just curious. Do you have to wear a knee-length dress to work?”
“Is there something wrong with a knee-length dress?” Cora asked back, lifting her face. The considerable difference in height between them forced her to look up whenever she spoke. “Isn’t this beautiful?”
“Uh, maybe. It’s just that I’m not used to seeing she-wolves working in The Palace in knee-length dresses. Most of them wear jeans and boots. They’re more comfortable moving around that way.”
Cora nodded with a sigh. “You’re right, but actually, a knee-length dress makes me a lot more comfortable to move around in.”
The furrow in Garth’s brow deepened as Cora’s smile widened.
“Look at that.”
Cora proved her words by lifting a leg. She surprised Garth with the wind blowing directly into his face as her leg passed the side of his head. Cora smiled as her foot landed smoothly behind her own ear and grinned.
“See, right?”
Garth’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected Cora to prove her words in such an extreme way.
“Lower your leg.”
Cora grinned but obeyed. “So…”
“Here!” Garth quickly cut Cora off and handed her a folder. “Announce it to the packs. Alpha has denied the petitions.”
Cora took the folder with a confused look. Then she sighed in exasperation. “Ah! I’m sure they’ll curse me again.”
Garth knew that. Cora would surely become the outlet for the packs’ frustration. Cora’s position as Gamma required her to handle everything related to The Palace, including dealing with the packs that came and expressing their emotions.
“Maybe your knee-length dress will help.”
Cora was stunned. “What do you mean, Garth?”
But Garth didn’t answer. Instead, he stood up, ignoring Cora’s protests. There were many other things he had to take care of that day. Not only pack matters, but also business matters.
Five minutes before seven in the morning, Garth was driving a car with Usher in the passenger seat.
“How’s it going? Did you take care of that damn petition?” Usher asked.
Garth nodded slightly. “Yes, Alpha. Cora will announce it to the pack this morning.”
“Good,” Usher said as he sat down. He enjoyed the view of the trees outside with a feeling of relief. “The main thing is, if it’s related to Vione or Mireya, you can reject it immediately.”
Difficult, but Garth complied. “Alright, Alpha.”
*
Usher’s rejection of the Frostholm Pack’s petition spread quickly. Now it wasn’t the content of the petition that became the topic of conversation, but Usher’s behavior, which was perceived as no longer respecting the pack.
“I’m sure this is all Mireya’s doing. Usher wasn’t like this before.”
“Usher no longer listens to the opinions of the pack. That means he does not appreciate any of us anymore.”
“Besides, after thinking about it, it seems strange. I don’t want to belittle Vione, but no werewolf has approached her. Sometimes I think she might still be single if it weren’t for Ayla’s prophecy. So, accusing her of having an affair sounds unreasonable.”
“You’re right. She may be liked by humans because of her kind nature and her willingness to help, but making her a mate seems impossible. No werewolf would want a mate without claws.”
“Usher made Vione his mate and Luna because of the prophecy, and he should stick to the prophecy. After all, it is the fate of The Moon Goddess.”
“So, what should we do now? We can’t just sit around and wait for the Moon Goddess to turn her wrath on us. Usher is indeed to blame for removing Vione, but we also failed to protect our Luna.”
Speculation continued, and some of them were still plagued by fear of the impending disaster. While there was still time, they continued to try and do everything they could to prevent the mistakes of the past from escalating. This included a visit to Jemma.
Unfortunately, they had to swallow disappointment for the second time. There was nothing Jemma could do, given her difficult situation.
“You all know that my relationship with Usher is not what it used to be. I’m afraid he won’t listen to me.”
They were disappointed, but they recognized the truth in Jemma’s words. At least they remembered the incident when Usher refused Jemma’s visit the other day.
So, they left Jemma’s residence with a heavy heart. Maybe there was nothing more they could do. After all, they might be destined to break up because of this disaster.
Fortunately, Jemma wouldn’t let that happen. She might not be able to meet Usher and discuss the concerns of the pack. But that didn’t mean she would stand by and do nothing. She would find out what was going on and she decided to meet Ayla.
Jemma left in a hurry, ignoring the unexpected raindrops. She drove to Ayla’s residence, and her arrival had been anticipated.
“Ayla.”
Ayla invited Jemma inside. She prepared warm tea and made sure the room was heated enough to dispel the growing chill.
Jemma took the tea. “Thank you.”
There was silence for a moment. Ayla and Jemma hadn’t spoken in a long time. Still, they understood that there was only one thing on their minds at the moment.
“I really can’t find peace, Ayla. The current situation makes me restless and honestly, I feel guilty.”
Ayla took a deep breath. “It’s not just you, Jemma. We all feel guilty about the same things. We should have been able to defend Vione. We should have been able to protect her and maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”
“You’re right,” Jemma said with a sad expression on her face. Her mind flashed back to the days when all these unfortunate events had taken place. “We failed to defend Vione, and the worst part is that the Munest family has to bear accusations that may be unfounded.”
Jemma’s words brought Ayla back to memories of the past. Her face, now showing signs of aging, looked melancholy. Her eyes hinted at an unfathomable sadness.
“I never thought that Usher would be so ruthless with Vione and her family, and what’s even more heartbreaking is that I was the one who inflicted this punishment on them.”
“Ayla.” Jemma stood and approached Ayla. She hugged Ayla’s slumped shoulders, as if to indicate weariness, to try to strengthen her. “You were only following Usher’s orders. I and everyone else knows it’s not your wish to inflict this punishment on them.”
That was true, but Ayla still couldn’t shake the guilt that had haunted her all this time. She was never at peace after that incident. Her heart was restless, and she finally realized that she had done something wrong.
Ayla wanted to make amends, but it wasn’t that easy. The prophecy that flashed in her eyes when she looked at Philip made her realize something: it was too late. The Moon Goddess had determined the future as a result of actions in the past.
“Don’t blame yourself, Ayla. Besides, it’s clearly not your fault. It’s Usher’s fault. He was blinded by his love for Mireya.”
Ayla grimaced. “I really didn’t think that Usher really loved Mireya. Besides, I knew that he and Vione were close from the beginning. I don’t know if they loved each other, but they were good friends since childhood.”
“You’re right,” Jemma nodded, remembering the past, especially when she was still the Luna and Usher was a child. Back then, Usher spent most of his time playing with Vione. “They’ve always been close, and that’s one of the reasons why I didn’t think twice about fulfilling your prophecy back then. I thought they were good friends, and as we know, marrying a good friend is one of the beautiful scenarios of marriage.”
Not all past events seemed to bring guilt. Ayla realized this thanks to Jemma’s words. She smiled faintly. At least she knew she had done something good.
“Wait.”
The change in Jemma’s tone caught Ayla’s attention and she turned to see Jemma’s changed expression.
“What’s wrong?” Ayla asked.
Jemma seemed confused as she looked at Ayla with a questioning expression. “Usher is hardly close to anyone. He has spent most of his life studying, exploring the forest and accompanying the previous Alpha. So, when did he meet Mireya? How did they meet?”
“Jemma, what do you mean?”
“Do you remember, Ayla? Usher accepted your prophecy. He accepted Vione as his mate and Luna without objection. Besides, I swear, Usher loved Vione. I knew it by the way he looked at her.” Jemma was silent for a moment, her mind drifting back to the past. She remembered the day Usher and Vione went through the Sacred Ceremony and the pack prayed for them. “There was love in Usher’s eyes for Vione.”
Indeed, there was no point in Usher trying to deny Ayla’s prophecy then. Yet Jemma could sense Usher’s affection and happiness. It was not a hallucination or her imagination; it was the way someone looked at their lover. There was a sparkle, and their eyes twinkled as if there were thousands of stars in them. She knew this because she had experienced a similar look when Kendrick was still alive.
But there was something different. It had almost escaped Jemma’s notice, and it was only now that she realized it.
“There is no love in Usher’s eyes for Mireya. His gaze is empty.”
*