If he followed his heart’s desire, Usher would undoubtedly emerge from his hiding place and immediately comfort The Past Vione. He would wipe away the tears that stained The Past Vione’s cheeks, then kiss her eyes. He would do anything, even if he had to get down on his knees, as long as it would erase all the grief he had caused The Past Vione.
But a shred of reason held Usher back. His fingers clenched the door handle as tightly as his eyes were shut. He reproached himself as he realized how powerless he was in the current situation. Waves of regret washed over him, engulfing Usher once again in the unspeakable void of words. He was like a prisoner trapped in a labyrinth of complex emotions, caught between the desire to change the past immediately and the awareness of a reality that might be unavoidable. His soul rebelled, his heart ached, but he continued to try to resist the emotional urges that overcame him.
Usher knew he could not act rashly. While he desperately wanted to erase all the pain he had caused Vione in the past, impulsive actions would only make things worse. Moreover, his intentions and plans could become chaotic.
So, Usher tried to control himself as best he could. He took deep breaths, repeatedly. He tried to calm the turmoil of emotions raging within him. Then he calmed the pounding heartbeat that had been going on since earlier.
A moment later, Usher found himself calmer. At that moment, his emotions stabilized again and his mind became clearer. His focus returned to carefully choosing his next steps, considering the consequences of each action he would take.
The first thing Usher had to do was to leave immediately before an Omega found him there. He remembered well; the Omega had a specific schedule for checking every room in The Palace. So, he hurried before that time came.
Usher crept stealthily. As an Alpha, he knew the ins and outs of The Palace very well, so it was not difficult for him to fool the guards on duty.
Usher’s destination was the west side of The Palace, a part of The Palace that rarely interacted with the hustle and bustle of werewolves’ attention. This was because it was an area that housed various artifacts and ancient relics that were vital to the survival of the Frostholm Pack. Not many were allowed to set foot there; often only selected Omegas came to maintain its cleanliness and order, while other werewolves were strictly forbidden to enter.
Usher held his breath as he managed to reach the western corridor of The Palace just in time before two guards strolling about could notice his presence. He hid behind a wall for a moment, not moving until the footsteps of the two guards faded.
Soon after, silence fell over the area. There was no one there but Usher. The opportunity presented itself, and he took it.
Usher entered the Hall of Ancestors. He passed display cases containing various artifacts and ancient relics of the Frostholm Pack. He continued walking in the dim light until his footsteps brought him to a wall adorned with various ancient paintings. He stopped and looked carefully at the row of paintings.
Two large paintings hung majestically. One depicted the serenity of the Amerotha forest, the other the grandeur of the full moon. It was at these paintings that Usher’s gaze became transfixed.
To others, the paintings were ordinary works of art. But to Usher and the Alpha family, there was something special hidden there. Specifically, between the two large paintings, on a seemingly ordinary wall that would surely be overlooked by those captivated by the beauty of the paintings.
Usher’s right hand rose. It touched the wall and felt its smoothness, no different from any other part of it. In fact, there was no secret button or anything like that; instead, there was a sensor that read fingerprints, and that was how the secret door opened.
It all began with the war with the Nimbria Pack in the past. The bloody tragedy nearly took the life of one-year-old Usher. This was because he and Ayla, who were escaping, were trapped after leaving the secret passage.
Ayla did her best to protect baby Usher, but the warriors were too much for her. Fortunately, Ferdie Orzie, the Frostholm Pack’s deputy warrior, nicknamed Flash, arrived just in time. He quickly defeated all of the Nimbria Pack warriors in a remarkably short time.
The battle ended in victory for the Frostholm Pack. However, the joy they felt was not enough to ease the grief of the heavy losses they had suffered. Countless Guardians, Warriors, and Omegas perished in the battle. It left a deep sadness that prompted the Palace to improve its security and rescue systems.
One of the improvements to the rescue system was the use of Alpha family fingerprints as access keys. When the sensor captured the fingerprints of an Alpha family member, a small vibration would occur as a sign that the system had identified and verified them. Then the wall on the right side of the room would move to reveal a long corridor.
Usher immediately entered the long corridor without hesitation, and moments later, the wall quickly closed behind him. The outside world seemed to disappear, leaving him alone in the dimly lit environment.
The silence of the corridor was broken as Usher began to walk. His footsteps echoed in harmony with the increasing speed of his heartbeat.
Usher quickened his pace when he saw the end of the corridor, which appeared to be a solid wall resembling a dead end. There was nowhere to go but backwards, reminding him of another inspection he had to undergo.
Usher’s hand touched the wall again, and a moment later he felt a slight vibration. This was followed by the appearance of a retinal scanner.
Usher opened his eyes wide. He blinked once, then looked right, up, down, and left.
The retina scanner verified the authenticity of Usher’s retina and the code given. Only then did the wall on the left open, revealing Usher’s true destination, the path that would lead him to the safest hiding place.
Usher entered a room that contained a variety of equipment for unforeseen circumstances. At the very least, there was a considerable amount of cash, gold bars, diamonds, and precious stones. In addition, there were canned goods and food in quantities believed to be sufficient to meet the needs of the Alpha family for an entire year.
Usher’s focus, however, was not on these items, but rather on an array of electronic devices. He walked into a special room with cell phones, computers, and laptops. There, he immediately turned on the computer and accessed the palace’s security system.
Usher remembered well, thanks to the stories told to him since childhood, that the Palace had implemented a dual security system due to the war with the Nimbria Pack. One security system was under Berg’s control, the regular security system that maintained the Palace’s day-to-day security, and another system that could only be accessed through the Palace’s secret chambers.
The Palace implemented a dual security system so that the Frostholm pack could continue to monitor and control the situation in the worst-case scenario, such as The Palace being occupied by another pack. That was exactly what Usher was doing now. While the Palace was not occupied by another pack, he could not freely monitor Vione’s past situation. Therefore, he immediately accessed all the surveillance cameras and simultaneously sabotaged all the surveillance camera recordings that captured his presence.
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