“Garth!”
The light, cheerful voice stopped Garth in his tracks. He, who had been heading for the elevator, turned abruptly. He saw Cora approaching with small, skipping steps.
“Good evening.”
Garth muttered, “Good evening.”
“Are you here to see Alpha?” Cora asked and Garth nodded. She brightened. “Me too. Me too.”
Garth said nothing more. He pushed the elevator button and they entered. As the elevator moved, Cora looked at him.
“So, you rarely spend time at The Palace?”
Instinctively, Garth blinked. Then he answered with a short nod.
Cora hummed as she nodded. Her eyes rolled and she played with the ends of her curly, bobbed hair. “I thought you spent more time at The Palace.”
Garth didn’t answer. He was sure that Cora’s statement wasn’t curious.
The elevator stopped. The doors opened and they stepped out, heading for Usher’s workspace.
Garth knocked. Usher’s voice gave permission and he opened the door. He gestured for Cora to enter first.
Garth and Cora stood in front of Usher. The desk, piled high with papers, separated them. Usher seemed agitated.
“Good evening, Alpha.”
In unison, Garth and Cora greeted Usher politely. But Usher didn’t respond in kind. Instead, he immediately confronted Garth with a question, pointing at the papers.
“Can you explain this, Garth? What happened to the vineyard?”
For a moment, Garth took a deep breath and prepared his answer with various considerations. “I have examined the vineyard performance report, Alpha. It seems we have some serious problems there.”
“Some serious problems,” Usher repeated before pursing his lips tightly. His concern seemed increasingly evident. “Can you elaborate?”
Garth stepped forward. Armed with the open report on Usher’s desk, he detailed the decline in grape production and revealed problems with one of their major suppliers.
Usher furrowed his brow. He understood the potential impact on the bottom line. “How much of an impact is this having on the company?”
“Grape production is down about 30 percent from target,” Garth replied, taking a step back to his original position. “The quality of the grapes is also affected, and besides-”
“What solutions has the company prepared?” Usher interrupted Garth’s explanation impatiently, deciding not to listen to all the details, convinced that it would only make him more agitated. “Have steps been taken to address this problem?”
Garth nodded. “Yes, Alpha. The company has prepared several contingency measures.” He briefly reported on the steps the company had taken to address supplier issues and to mitigate the effects of bad weather. “I’ve also arranged for Austin to provide regular progress reports.”
“The research and development team should focus on more sustainable solutions,” Usher said, emphasizing every word. “I want them to find ways to make plants more resilient to weather changes. So, arrange a meeting with them immediately.”
“Understood, Alpha.”
Garth’s compliance did not calm Usher. He rubbed his face with his hands, realizing that the problems in the vineyard were not as simple as he had hoped. Worst of all was the decline in production at his wine company, Frostholm Winery.
Usher closed his eyes. His mind raced to assess other possible scenarios that could unfold. The drop in grape production could also affect his tourism and resort business. Simply put, the vineyard-based vacation packages that had been a highlight were now in jeopardy. No one would want to vacation in a vineyard plagued by pests and disease.
“What about Frostholm hospitality?”
Garth wasn’t surprised when Usher asked about that company. “It’s safe and under control so far, Alpha. The company has prepared contingency plans to reroute vacation packages with a focus on the vineyard.”
At least Usher could breathe a little easier. It seemed things weren’t as bad as he’d feared.
“Still, I want this matter resolved as soon as possible.”
“Of course, Alpha,” Garth replied, nodding. “I will monitor every development closely and report back regularly.”
Now Usher turned to Cora. He squinted at her. “What about the pack?”
“I announced the decision on the petition the other day, Alpha, and as expected, the pack is not happy. They have resubmitted the same petition.”
Usher’s face hardened. His jaw became rigid. “So, what did you tell them?”
“I told them that no matter how many petitions they submit, The Palace will reject them.”
Garth frowned slightly. The increasingly drawn-out tone of Cora’s voice made him look at her. He saw her look puzzled and understood why.
Usher nodded. “Good. You did your job well, Cora.”
“Thank you, Alpha, but…” Cora took a breath and dared to speak. “… does The Palace really intend to reject the petition?”
“So, you think I should have a retrial for Vione, the traitor?” Usher snapped, glaring. He made Cora gulp. “Are you also suggesting that I’m a foolish Alpha who doesn’t know right from wrong?”
Cora shook her head quickly. “Forgive me, Alpha. I didn’t-”
“You became a Gamma to run The Palace, Cora. You work for me. Remember that well.” Usher not only cut Cora off, he raised his hand and pointed with his index finger. “Your priority now is to calm the pack.”
Cora nodded, gathering the courage that had dissipated under Usher’s piercing gaze. “Yes, Alpha. Of course. I know exactly what my duties are. One of them is not to neglect to report that the rejection of the petition is making the pack more restless.”
Garth closed his eyes. He had not expected Cora to speak so boldly to Usher. Couldn’t she see that Usher was in a bad mood?
“W-what did you say? The pack is getting restless?”
Cora nodded again. “Yes, Alpha. Besides, Ayla’s prophecy is making them afraid. They are afraid that disaster is coming.”
“Damn!”
Usher not only shouted; he slammed the table. Cora was startled, her face paling.
“Al-Alpha.”
“Disaster, disaster. They just want to be fooled by that damn Ayla.”
Cora opened her mouth, but not a word came out. She stared in disbelief. How could an Alpha curse the Sacred Elder of the pack?
“If you hear them talking about Ayla’s prophecy again, tell them, Cora,” Usher said, breathing heavily. Sweat began to soak his face, and he looked angry. “Look at Ayla’s prophecy about Vione. What happened? It turns out that Vione is not the Luna that was meant for me. She’s a traitor, and Ayla’s prophecy has trapped me with this traitor.”
Cora froze. Beside her, Garth wasn’t at all surprised to see her turn into a statue.
“Do you understand, Cora?”
Cora blinked, then nodded stiffly. “I-I understand, Alpha.”
“Good.” Usher nodded repeatedly, then stood. He pointed to the mess on the table. “Now clean this up, Cora. I want to rest. It’s been an exhausting day.”
Garth and Cora both assumed polite postures. They said in unison, “Good night, Alpha.”
After Usher left, Cora immediately tidied up Usher’s desk. She gathered up all the scattered papers, examined them carefully, and sorted them.
“You shouldn’t have said that to Alpha.”
Cora blinked and turned around. She saw Garth helping her separate the jumbled documents.
“What do you mean?”
Garth sighed. “About the petition and the unrest in the pack. You know about that, don’t you? No matter how many petitions the pack submits, and no matter how often you report the situation of the pack to Alpha, it won’t change anything.”
“Garth.”
” Alpha will not grant this petition.”
Cora stayed still. “Does that mean Alpha no longer cares about the pack?”
Garth didn’t answer, but organized the last document before handing it to Cora. “I’ll go first. Good night.”
*