Usher had momentarily thought that the time portal would take him back to the present, but his assumption was wrong. Instead, the portal took him to a different past, as he realized when he landed, not at the waterfall, but on the familiar rocky ground.
It was the Sacred Land, where the Frostholm pack performed all its rituals and ceremonies, including the rites of passage for young werewolves and the blessings for new Alpha and Luna. The area was often deserted, visited only when necessary, except for Ayla, who came once a month to pray for the preservation of the magic.
Now that he had confirmed his landing place, Usher wondered what time period he was in. Which past had he arrived at?
Fortunately, the answer came to Usher shortly thereafter. Just as he was about to stand up, he heard the laughter of teenagers.
“We’ll prove it later, Vione. Because from what I’ve seen of your weakness all this time, it seems that my suspicion is not wrong. You are an Omega.”
Usher’s brow furrowed as he clenched his chest, feeling crushed. He struggled to his feet, standing slightly bent over, still fighting the pain that engulfed him. The indirect response he received led him to speculate that this was the time when Vione would undergo the rite of passage.
“I’m sure it’s none of your business, Ned. So, you better mind your own business.”
Usher’s eyes widened. His mind managed to find the fragment of the past that was happening at that moment. Ned! Ned Stewart. He had been bullying Vione forever.
Usher wouldn’t forget that the near-drowning incident they had experienced was due to Ned’s bullying of Vione. They wouldn’t have gone to the lake if Ned hadn’t bullied Vione.
His mouth tightened and Usher’s emotions began to boil. The two incidents had happened over a long period of time, almost eleven years, but to him it all seemed like a short distance.
“You’re right, Vione. This has nothing to do with me, but what can I say? Bullying you seems to be fun.”
Usher couldn’t contain himself. His anger was stirred. He wasn’t sure if he had heard this taunt in the past, but now he heard it all.
The anger made Usher move involuntarily. He forgot that in the past he had tried to hide his presence as much as possible. Nothing was more important to him now than helping young Vione and driving them all away.
“I’m sure I could say the same thing to you, Ned.”
Usher’s footsteps stopped instantly. He was stunned by the accurate guess. It was his own voice.
Usher snapped out of the impulse he was about to act on. He quickly hid when he realized that he didn’t have to intervene at that moment. His past self would protect the young Vione, while he now served as a mere observer of the unfolding events.
“Usher.”
The attention that had been focused on young Vione suddenly shifted. Now they were all looking at the young Usher, whose unexpected presence had taken them by surprise. The arrogant and conceited expressions vanished instantly, replaced by expressions of sour panic.
Ned looked flustered and embarrassed. He glanced at a young werewolf standing right next to him and whispered, “Didn’t you say earlier that Usher was studying in the Palace library? Then how did he know we were here to harass Vione?”
“I don’t know, Ned, but I swear. I really did see Usher studying in the Palace library. I don’t know why he suddenly showed up here either.”
Ned dramatically closed his eyes. The reason was that it was impossible for young Usher to suddenly be there if he didn’t know what was happening. In fact, the distance between the forest and the palace library required a journey of at least two hours.
Ned took a deep breath. He tried to calm down. He had to come up with an explanation quickly so that the incident wouldn’t get him into trouble. After all, everyone knew how close young Vione was to the palace, especially young Usher.
“Usher,” Ned said a moment later. He rubbed his hands together as he approached young Usher, stealing a quick glance at young Vione. “I’m sure you misunderstood what happened. Actually, we were just-”
“You think I misunderstood?”
Ned froze. Young Usher had cut him off so decisively that his mouth tightened. There was nothing he could do to defend himself. “Usher.”
“I’m sure this is the last time I’ll be warning you all,” Young Usher said, sweeping his eyes around. He looked at all the young werewolves there without blinking. “We’re adults now. So, let’s do something useful for the pack. Especially since the Palace will soon be selecting young warriors and guards. It’s better for you to train than to waste time on useless things.”
No one dared to disagree with the young usher’s words. Without exception, they all bowed their heads and began to disperse.
Young Usher approached young Vione after they had all gone. Now that they were alone, he asked, “How are you, Vione? Did they hurt you?”
Young Vione shook his head. “No, Usher, and thank you for helping me.”
“It’s no big deal,” young Usher said, his eyes scrutinizing young Vione as best he could. Obviously, he didn’t fully believe Vione’s answer and felt it necessary to judge for himself if she was injured or not. “So, can you tell me what they did to you?”
The young Vione shook her head with a thin smile. “They didn’t do anything to me,” she replied, immediately met by the narrowed eyes of the young Usher. She quickly continued, “As you saw earlier, they only threatened me. You know that, right? That’s all they can do. They bullied me, but they didn’t physically hurt me.”
“So, you think it’s okay if your feelings are hurt?”
Young Vione couldn’t answer, she just let out a long sigh. Her face looked somber for a moment, and it made young Usher curse inwardly; it seemed he was the one who had hurt young Vione’s feelings.
*