When Usher reached his room, Mireya had just put Philip to sleep in the crib. She closed the door, and Mireya greeted him as usual-with a sweet smile, a gentle hug, and a cup of warm tea.
“You’re here at last, Usher.”
Usher took the tea from Mireya and drank it. Then he put the empty cup aside, making sure to praise its taste. Mireya smiled and they embraced again.
Usher rubbed Mireya’s back, then kissed her forehead. “Sorry, there are many things I have to deal with.”
“Is it about the pack?” Mireya asked, pulling away slightly. She created a little distance to look at Usher as she asked. “Have they filed another petition?”
Usher did not answer, but his expression had already given Mireya an answer. Her eyes widened and Usher could only sigh.
“Really?”
Usher’s eyes closed dramatically. He understood Mireya’s reaction, but he was extremely tired now. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before he said, “Don’t worry. The petition means nothing. I have ordered Cora to immediately reject all petitions concerning Vione’s retrial and the Honesty Tribunal for you.”
Mireya was shocked. “They are really outrageous. How dare they cause chaos when we are celebrating Philip’s presence. It’s heartless.”
“Ssst.” Usher tried to calm Mireya down. He hugged her again and said, “You don’t have to pay attention to them. Let them do what they want. The important thing is that it’s all useless. I will never grant that damn petition, no matter what.”
“It’s not like that, Usher. I know you will never grant this petition, but I never expected the pack to hate me so much.”
Mireya pushed Usher away. The embrace dissolved and she moved to the bed and sat down with an irritated expression on her face.
“Mireya.”
Usher followed Mireya. He also sat down and reached for Mireya’s fingers. He saw that Mireya’s irritation increased, but he noticed that she tried to free her hand from his grip. But he didn’t let go. Instead, he held on even tighter.
“Usher.”
Usher nodded in understanding. “I understand your feelings, Mireya. Frankly, I feel the same way. I never thought the pack would act this way.”
“It must have something to do with Ayla’s prophecy,” Mireya said with a snarl. Her expression showed immeasurable anger when she mentioned Ayla’s name. “Because of her and her cursed prophecy, the pack hates me so much. But come to think of it, what did I do wrong to make them hate me? Their hatred is completely unfounded.” She sighed. “Their hatred is completely unjustified.”
“You’re right, Mireya.” Usher squeezed Ayla’s fingers emotionally. He continued to try to reassure Mireya, glancing at the crib from time to time. “Their attitude towards you is indeed outrageous, but don’t worry. I will take care of it right away. So, calm down. I’m afraid Philip’s sleep might be disturbed.”
Mireya took a deep breath. Reflexively, she also looked at the crib. She nodded, though the irritation still showed on her face.
Usher cupped Mireya’s face and stroked it gently with his thumb. He smiled. “Don’t be angry anymore, Mireya. I promise I will take care of this mess. So, smile.”
“Usher.”
“You trust me, right?”
Mireya rolled her eyes lazily.
“Mireya.”
Finally, Mireya nodded. “Yes, Usher. I trust you,” she said, and Usher sighed with relief. “So, I hope you won’t betray my trust.”
Usher’s relief was short-lived. Mireya’s words made him furrow his brow, not understanding. “What do you mean, Mireya? Have I ever done anything to make you doubt me?”
Mireya nodded without hesitation.
“You-”
“In all this time, you have never stood firm with the pack, Usher. That’s what makes them so bold now.”
Usher shook his head. “I haven’t-”
“Yes, Usher. You are not firm. As an Alpha, you don’t show any firmness at all,” Mireya said, cutting off Usher’s words. She repeated her statement to convince Usher. “Now look at the consequences. The pack has no respect for you.”
“I’m sure they don’t mean it.”
Mireya sighed repeatedly and shook her head. “Usher, I never thought you could be so naive. Oh, dear. Can’t you see reality? The pack has made the same petition again. What does that mean? It means they don’t respect your decisions, right?”
Usher didn’t answer, but took a deep breath. This only made Mireya hold back her frustration.
Mireya stood up and walked over to Usher. Now she held Usher’s fingers.
“Usher, look at me.”
Usher did. He looked at Mireya.
“I’ve been patient long enough. I’ve put up with this long enough. I thought my patience would pay off, but it didn’t. I’ve lived in The Palace for almost a year. I’ve been at your side in The Palace for almost a year. Even now, I have given birth to your son. But what do I get? Not only am I not recognized as Luna, but our son is being accused of bringing disaster. Does that make sense?”
Usher shook his head. “No, Mireya. They made a big mistake.”
“Of course,” Mireya said firmly. She met Usher’s gaze with determination, without blinking. “They made a big mistake and I can’t be patient anymore.”
At this point, Mireya deliberately fell silent for a moment. She continued to stare at Usher, so that there was nothing else in Usher’s eyes.
Only Mireya. The only one in the world, only Mireya. Usher didn’t see anything else. Only Mireya.
“You understand what I mean, right?”
Usher nodded. “I understand, Mireya. You’ve waited patiently for a long time. From now on I will act decisively.”
“What are you going to do, Usher?” Mireya asked with narrowed eyes, curious. “I want to know.”
“I will punish those who presented this petition. I will punish everyone who signed that petition.”
Mireya smiled. “Good, but I’m sure there’s more you should be doing. Right?”
“Of course, Mireya. I will also ask Ayla to perform the blessing ceremony for you. Whether she wants to or not, she has to do it. I will make you my Luna.”
Mireya’s face turned into a bright smile. Her eyes sparkled and her smile widened. “I can’t wait for this day, Usher. I really want to be your Luna.”
“Sure, Mireya. I will make you my Luna and nothing can stop me.”
But that wasn’t enough for Mireya. She continued with another possibility that could happen. “What if someone disagrees? What will you do if someone disagrees with your decision?”
“I will give them a severe punishment.”
“How severe?”
“How severe?” Usher blinked once and Mireya covered her face with both hands. Their eyes met again. “They will be thrown into the underground prison.”
Mireya was pleased. “Good, Usher.” Then something occurred to her and she asked again. “Does that include Ayla? What will you do if she doesn’t want to perform the blessing ceremony for me?”
“I will…” Usher closed his eyes and made a grimace. Then he felt Mireya nudge him lightly. He opened his eyes and tried to speak. “I will also punish her severely.”
Mireya smiled. “I am glad to hear that, Usher. Ayla must perform the blessing ceremony for me, and if she refuses, then punish her severely. If necessary, just kill her.”
Usher was stunned. “Kill Ayla?”
“Yes,” Mireya replied with a meaningful smile. “After all, what good is Ayla? She only deceived us and the pack with her false prophecies. Do you remember? It was because of her lousy prophecy that you had to make Vione your Luna in the first place.”
“You’re right. Ayla has been deceiving us all along. She tricked me into making Vione my Luna…” Usher frowned. Suddenly he had a headache. His body ached, but his tongue continued to speak. “Vione?”
Mireya sensed that something was wrong. “Usher? What’s happening to you?”
Usher blinked repeatedly and unexpectedly pushed Mireya’s hand away from his face. Mireya was startled as he tried to stand up when his head suddenly became heavy.
“Vione?”
Mireya’s eyes widened. She stood up and reached for Usher’s body. “Usher.”
“I-”
Usher ignored Mireya. He walked on, and the pain in his head turned into unbearable agony. Helpless, he fell to the ground and groaned.
The pain hit his head so hard that Usher’s moaning turned into a roar. His fists clenched and he pounded the floor. The ceramic shattered and Mireya stared in shock.
“U-Usher.”
Usher closed his eyes tightly in the agonizing pain. His head felt as if it had been hit by thousands of stones, and it seemed as if it would shatter.
“Isn’t this puppy cute, huh?”
“Are you okay, Vione? Oh, God. You scared me.”
“Usher? Don’t you hear what I’m saying?”
“I love you, Vione.”
“Thank you, Usher. Thank you for always being with me.”
“You don’t need claws, Vione. I will always protect you.”
Voices echoed in Usher’s mind. They fought like the buzzing of bees, deafening his ears.
Usher was tormented. He suffered from excruciating pain and sudden heartache. He felt his wolf spirit howling with grief. He tried to find the cause, but suddenly his vision went dark.
“I love you, Usher.”
*