“Are you serious, Mireya?”
Mireya took a deep breath. For a moment she held the phone to her ear. Then she answered without hesitation. “I’m serious, Torin. I don’t want to take any chances. We’ve come so far and I don’t want Vione to ruin our plans.”
“Wait, Mireya,” Torin said with a tone that implied concern. “I understand your concern, and I should be more concerned if this plan fails. My father was patient enough to see the downfall of the Frostholm Pack, but are you sure this plan will work?”
“I’m sure, Torin. I need to get rid of Vione as soon as possible, and this is the only way.” Mireya looked at the sonogram photo in her hand. Then, unconsciously, her lips curled into a smile of happiness. “I hope you don’t mind my plan, Torin. I’m going to tell Usher that I’m carrying his child, and I’m sure that will lead to Vione’s expulsion from the palace.”
“I don’t mind you telling Usher that it’s his child. It won’t change the fact that the baby you’re carrying is mine. But are you sure that will make Vione leave the palace?”
Mireya’s smile faltered. Torin’s thoughts actually made sense.
“I’m afraid it might not be enough to make Vione leave, Mireya.”
Mireya paused for a moment, then grinned again. “No, Torin. I’m confident. Vione will definitely decide to go. Because she loves Usher so much, and I know it clearly because I am a woman. No woman can bear to see the man she loves happy with another woman.”
“All right, Mireya. If you are so confident, I won’t stop you. I know you’re full of thoughts, and for that, I’ll increase the preparations here. So, I’ll wait for the next message from you.”
The call ended and Mireya quickly got ready. Then she went to the Frostholm Pack’s palace.
Mireya behaved remarkably well. She presented a perfect front, so no one suspected that she was faking. As a result, she saw the former Vione’s face turn pale, while the former Usher shouted with joy.
“Oh, Mireya! You can’t possibly be joking this early, can you?” The Past Usher took the sonogram photo. He looked at the photo with a joyful expression. “You are pregnant, Mireya. You’re carrying my child.”
Mireya laughed as The Past Usher rose from his seat and immediately hugged her. “Oh, Usher. Don’t hug me too hard. I can’t breathe.”
“I’m sorry,” The Past Usher said with a broad smile. He loosened their embrace without really letting go of Mireya. “I’m so happy, Mireya. You’re pregnant. Oh, God. You really are my goddess of luck.”
Mireya’s chuckle turned into a tight smile. “Goddess of luck or not, but it seems like we should stop, Usher.” She looked at The Past Vione, who was completely motionless at that moment. “Vione is here.”
“Ah,” The Past Usher whispered, snapping out of it. He nodded once with a sigh. “You are right.” Then he turned to The Past Vione. “Actually, I couldn’t care less about you, Vione, but if our happiness bothers you, you can leave anytime.”
The Past Vione, who had been feeling uneasy since Mireya’s arrival, felt her soul weaken when she heard the Past Usher’s words. Her frozen body suddenly felt a piercing cold down to her bones. She was overwhelmed by the tempestuous feelings and emotions.
“I can leave at any time?” The Past Vione repeated the words of the Past Usher in a low voice, almost floating between beautiful hope and painful reality. She swallowed the bitterness that rose in her throat, and all that bitterness spread everywhere. Her face lifted, then she looked at The Past Usher with a look of anguish. “What do you mean, Usher? Do you want me out of here or out of your life?”
Truly, The Past Vione had not intended to speak this way. She knew that her words had immense consequences. But this time she was truly at the limit of her strength.
The Past Vione smiled bitterly. The sweet words and promises from Usher the night before still echoed in her mind, but this was what was happening to her now.
“How could you do this to me, Usher? You really are heartless.”
The Past Usher dramatically closed his eyes. One of his hands reluctantly left Mireya and now pointed at The Past Vione. “Don’t overreact, Vione. On the contrary, shouldn’t you be congratulating Mireya? Look! She’s pregnant, unlike you, who can’t give me offspring even though we’ve been together for more than two years.”
The Past Vione stumbled, almost out of breath. “Y-You, Usher.”
“Tch!” The Past Usher shuddered at a thought that popped into his head. “It seems I should actually be grateful that you didn’t give me offspring, Vione. I can’t imagine what kind of offspring you would give me, being such a pathetic Omega.” He snorted, then shook his head. “I can’t imagine my son being born without claws like you. It would shame me as an Alpha. Worse, it would tarnish the precious Alpha lineage.”
“Y-You,” The Past Vione shook her head with a wounded look. “You can’t speak to me like that, Usher. It’s impossible.”
The Past Usher sighed. “Why impossible? On the contrary, it’s what I’ve wanted to tell you all along.”
Well, The Past Vione’s world didn’t just collapse. Her world was completely shattered and then scattered into worthless fragments. Her fragile heart resembled shattered glass, breaking into painful shards. Usher’s words echoed in her mind, flooding every corner with unbearable sadness.
Tears began to well up in her eyelids, blurring Vione’s vision of the past, but she didn’t try to wipe them away. She thought, let the tears flow, let the grief flow, because she couldn’t hold it back anymore.
Still, The Past Vione was determined that this would be the last time she cried over Usher. She would not falter again. She wouldn’t be swayed by any more persuasion. She was at the end of her patience and she didn’t want to go mad because of Usher’s past.
“So, tell me as clearly as you can, Usher. Tell me so that I don’t drown in false illusions,” The Past Vione said, gathering her strength. She seemed fearless, and even her once trembling voice was now firm. “What do you mean, I can leave at any time?”
When The Past Vione asked that for the second time, she was really prepared for the worst-case scenario and she didn’t care. She didn’t care anymore. She simply couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Do you want me to leave here? From your life?”
The Past Usher narrowed his eyes. “Do you understand the meaning of your question, Vione? Because I don’t want you to regret it.”
The Past Vione smiled bitterly. “You don’t want me to regret it?”
“That’s right,” The Past Usher said, embracing Mireya and kissing her forehead. “You can continue to be my mate while I’m happy with Mireya and our future child. After all, I still respect Alya’s prophecy and the pack.”
The bitter smile on The Past Vione’s face turned into an ironic laugh. “Don’t make me laugh, Usher. If you still respected Alya’s prophecy and the pack, you wouldn’t have cheated with this cheap woman!”
“Vione!” The Past Usher snapped with a hardened expression. Beside him, Mireya looked surprised. “Watch your words, or I won’t be friendly anymore.”
The Past Vione raised her face bravely. “I don’t need your kindness, Usher. On the contrary, I’m tired of your sweet words and promises. You’re a liar, you’re truly heartless.”
The Past Usher growled. His chest rumbled. “Vione, don’t challenge me or I won’t hesitate to throw you out. Besides, you should realize that you’re not worth that much to me.”
“Let me go.” The Past Vione stared defiantly at the Past Usher. She took a deep breath, then repeated her words. “Let me go, Usher, and then you two can live without being disturbed by my presence.”
The Past Usher growled. “Are you serious, Vione?” he asked, and was met with a nod from The Past Vione. Suddenly he felt a stab of pain in his chest. He tried to ignore it, but the pain turned into an unbearable tightness. “Fine, if that’s what you want, I have no intention of stopping you. Besides, your departure from the palace is a good thing. I don’t want your presence to negatively affect the growth of our future child.”
The Past Vione didn’t react to the words of the Past Usher. Instead, she silently hoped in her heart that The Past Usher would end their relationship as soon as possible. She really couldn’t stand it anymore.
“I, Alpha Usher Thorne, reject you, Vione Celestia Munest. As of today, you are no longer my Luna and mate.”
Pain, agony and torment collided within her, creating a suffering The Past Vione had never experienced before. Yet it felt strangely familiar, as if it wasn’t the first time she had felt it.
Still, in the midst of it all, The Past Vione felt a sense of relief in a corner of her heart. So, she took a long breath, looked at The Past Usher and said,
“I, Vione Celestia Munest, accept your rejection as your Luna and mate, Alpha Usher Thorne.”
*