Cora clutched her phone as she tried to calm herself. Occasionally, she paced back and forth, her eyes looking up, though she couldn’t see the floor where Usher’s room was.
“Oh, Garth. Where are you? What took you so long?”
Footsteps caught Cora’s attention as soon as she asked the question. She turned to see Garth entering.
“Cora.”
Cora’s eyes widened as she approached Garth. “Oh, Garth. You’re here at last.”
“Sorry. The roads were a bit congested,” Garth said. Then he asked, “So, what happened?”
“Mireya has a foreign guest.”
Garth furrowed his brow. “A foreign guest?”
“Yes, a man, and I’ve never seen him before.” Cora narrowed her eyes, her expression changed. “The man went upstairs and Greisy escorted him to the Alpha’s room.”
“What?” Garth was sure he had misheard, or at least Cora had misspoken. “You said the man was escorted to the Alpha’s room?”
Cora nodded. “As I suspected. Mireya received the guest in the Alpha’s room. Doesn’t she have any sense?”
Garth tried his best not to agree with Cora’s question. Instead, he asked something else. “Why didn’t you stop her, Cora? You’re here, in The Palace. You should have done something.”
“I wanted to, Garth. I also wanted to run upstairs and stop the man from entering the Alpha’s room. If necessary, I would have given them a basic lesson that the Alpha’s private area is a forbidden zone that no one is allowed to enter, but I couldn’t,” Cora said, distraught. She seemed helpless and angry at the same time. “Don’t you know? Women are very sensitive about infidelity. I’m afraid I couldn’t speak with words, but I would have attacked Mireya directly.”
Cora’s words made sense. In Garth’s eyes, Cora was indeed a fiery young she-wolf, despite her below-average height. “Alright then. I’ll go to the Alpha’s room right away.”
“Yes.”
It did not take Garth long to reach Usher’s room. He took a deep breath and reminded himself not to act rashly. He had to stay calm.
Garth reached out his hand and opened Usher’s door without warning. His eyes quickly scanned the room and he found a sight that made him forget his promise not to act rashly. He yelled, “What are you doing in the Alpha’s room?”
Instantly, Mireya and Torin jumped out of their seats. They stood up immediately, looking at Garth with startled expressions.
“Garth.”
Garth stepped inside. His face was red, showing his anger. His breathing became heavy. “What are you doing in the Alpha’s room? Are you stupid enough to set foot in the Alpha’s private area?”
“Garth!” Mireya snapped. Her eyes widened. “Watch your words.”
“Watch your actions.” Garth’s jaw clenched. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone and called someone. “Hello, Berg Jenkins. I’m sure you need to come to the Alpha’s room right away.”
Mireya was stunned. Garth called to the head guard. “What are you doing, Garth? Are you trying to chase away my guest? You’re really-”
“Enough, Mireya,” Torin interrupted and turned to Mireya. “There’s no need to make a fuss. Besides, I shouldn’t be here in the first place. So, I think I should leave now.”
Mireya couldn’t say anything when Torin handed Phillip back to her. She greeted Phillip and gave Garth a sharp look.
“I’m leaving, Mireya. I hope you and Phillip stay healthy.”
Torin walked away. Garth watched him and offered only a small smile.
“Wait.” Garth grabbed Torin’s shoulder. Ignoring Mireya’s glare, he asked, “What’s your name? What pack are you from?”
Torin smiled. “I don’t think it matters to you. I’m just an old friend of Mireya’s. I came here because I heard the news of her birth. Now I’m going back to continue my adventure.”
Of course, Garth didn’t believe him, but he didn’t argue. He said nothing more and let go of Torin’s shoulder.
“Thank you.”
Torin continued walking and something caught Garth’s eye. The necklace around Torin’s neck made him look at Mireya immediately.
“You crossed the line, Garth. I’ll be sure to report this incident to Usher when he wakes up.”
Garth didn’t see Mireya approaching him. His focus was on the necklace Mireya was wearing. They wore the same necklace.
“I also hope you will report this incident to the Alpha. I’d like to know if the Alpha would mind finding out that another werewolf, who knows where he came from, has entered his room,” Garth said, exhaling deeply and this time looking at Mireya. “If the Alpha doesn’t mind, then there seems to be something wrong with him.”
Mireya pressed her lips together. Her frustration was obvious and she left without saying a word.
As Mireya left, Berg entered. “Garth, why did you call me?”
“Why did you let a strange werewolf into the Alpha’s room?”
Berg lowered his head. “Forgive me, Garth. Mireya gave the order, and frankly, I was confused too. Alpha has always instructed us to obey Mireya, especially since Alpha fell ill; everything has become Mireya’s authority.”
Garth dramatically closed his eyes. He knew that, and referring to the authority Usher had given Mireya, his recent actions were one of the fatal mistakes.
“I know,” Garth growled, clenching his fists. He tried to calm his anger, but he couldn’t accept that a strange werewolf had set foot in Usher’s private area. “Still, I hope you will keep to the basic rules of the pack. If Mireya has a brain, she should know the prohibitions in The Palace.”
Berg nodded. “Understood, Garth.”
Garth told Berg to leave and return to his sentry post. Meanwhile, he approached Usher. He saw Usher lying there, looking weak and helpless.
Garth’s heart ached. His eyes welled up. Never in his life had he imagined that Usher would be in such a state.
Garth couldn’t wait any longer. Time was ticking and the situation in the pack was getting out of control. His uneasy feeling about Mireya wearing the same necklace as their guest added to the urgency. So, the only way was to try everything to bring Usher back to consciousness.
“Hello, Scott. Do you think it’s possible to do another thorough examination of Alpha?”
*