“Mireya! What happened to you?”
The Past Usher’s voice thundered. The hall of the palace was filled with the undeniable concern that echoed in his voice. He had received reports about the incident involving the capture of the Munest family. According to the information he had, Mireya had been injured after being bitten by a golden wolf, and now he saw the truth of the report with his own eyes.
“Usher.”
The Past Usher quickly walked over to Mireya. They met in the middle of the hall. “Are you hurt?” he asked again, looking at Mireya’s bandaged arm. He lifted Mireya’s hand and his eyes widened. “What happened? How did you get hurt like that?”
Mireya didn’t answer, the words of The Past Usher ringing in her ears like the buzzing of bees. She remained silent; her gaze fixed on The Past Usher’s eyes. In her heart she asked. Is that you, Usher? Did you save Vione? Are you playing with me now?
“Mireya?” The Past Usher released Mireya’s injured hand and held both of her upper arms instead. His fingers squeezed, causing Mireya to flinch. “What’s wrong? Why are you silent?”
Mireya blinked and breathed deeply. Then she shook her head. “Nothing, Usher. I just feel a little dizzy.”
The Past Usher’s eyes widened and he called out, “Garth!”
Garth approached alertly. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Call Scott.”
Garth nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Tell him to come immediately,” The Past Usher ordered before Garth left to contact Scott. Afterwards he led Mireya to her room. “Be patient. Scott will be here soon.”
Scott arrived shortly after. He wanted to greet the Alpha as usual, but The Past Usher immediately ordered him to examine Mireya’s wound.
Scott immediately followed the Past Usher’s orders. He unwrapped the bandage covering Mireya’s wound. Then he examined the wound carefully, handling it with great care.
“How is it, Scott?” The Past Usher couldn’t contain himself. His concern for Mireya’s condition made him ask urgently. “Everything is okay, right? Nothing fatal happened, right?”
Scott nodded, just as he finished treating Mireya’s wound. He turned to The Past Usher and replied, “Yes, Alpha. You don’t need to worry. The wound is deep, but it’s not dangerous. It will only take a few days for it to heal completely.”
Relief caused The Past Usher to exhale deeply. “Oh, thank goodness.”
“Mireya just needs to rest, Alpha.”
The Past Usher ignored Scott. No longer paying attention to Scott’s words, he approached Mireya. “It is fortunate that nothing serious has happened to you, Mireya. But I hope you really rest. I don’t want to see you doing anything for the next few days. Cora will take care of everything. So, you don’t have to think about anything but your recovery. You know that, right? I don’t want anything to happen to you. Especially with you being pregnant.”
“Of course, Usher,” Mireya said and nodded. A smile appeared on her face. “I will definitely rest. You don’t need to worry. I will feel better in a few days.”
“Good. I will instruct the Omegas to prepare everything you need.”
Mireya nodded again. “Thank you, Usher.”
“You don’t have to thank me. On the contrary, that is what I should do. Besides…” The Past Usher took a deep breath. His expression changed. His face hardened, as if to indicate unbridled anger. “… I will see to it that Garth is ordered to find the golden wolf that hurt you. He must be held accountable, as well as Vione.”
Mireya was stunned. “Usher.”
“After all, this all started with the Munest family. The golden wolf hurt you to protect Vione. Therefore, Vione must receive the same punishment as the golden wolf.”
Mireya couldn’t say a word. The words of the Past Usher made her even more confused. On the one hand, she suspected that the golden wolf was The Past Usher. However, The Past Usher’s attitude made her unsure. The Past Usher was genuinely angry, and it seemed so natural.
On the other hand, Scott, who had stayed there out of concern that he might still be needed, could only hold his breath. He lowered his eyes and kept his mouth tightly shut to prevent any unwanted words from escaping. Instead, a multitude of unaccepted feelings echoed in his mind. You shouldn’t treat the Luna like that, Alpha.
Finally, Scott decided to leave. It felt strange, almost unbearable, to see The Past Usher treating another woman with such care. It was even more painful to hear The Past Usher speak so callously about The Past Vione.
Scott left The Past Usher’s room. He exhaled deeply, hoping it would free him from his heartache. He walked down the hallway with his head down and almost ran into Garth.
“Scott, are you okay?”
Scott gave a grim smile. “I’m fine, but I just didn’t expect Alpha to really forget Luna.”
Garth was silent. He could guess the reason for Scott’s words. Instinctively he glanced towards the room of the Past Usher.
“I still can’t understand everything that happened. I am one of the many who knew how deeply Alpha loves Luna, but what’s happening now…” Scott didn’t finish his sentence. He blinked once, then realized something. “How is Luna? Is it true that she’s in the dungeon now?”
Garth nodded weakly. “Yes, she’s in the dungeon now, and I don’t think any werewolf would be okay down there.”
Scott dramatically closed his eyes. “How could Alpha go that far with her? Besides, it’s completely absurd to think that the Munest family is planning a coup. It’s a baseless, malicious slander.”
“Whether it’s absurd or not, baseless slander or not, the truth can only be known by capturing the Golden Wolf. He is our only hope to clear the name of the Munest family and Vione as well”.
Scott had no further comment on the matter, except to pray that the golden wolf would be captured soon. “I hope this whole mess ends quickly. Luna doesn’t deserve to be in the dungeon.”
“I hope so too, but, Scott,” Garth took a deep breath before continuing in a low voice, “I hope you watch your words. Hierarchically, Vione is no longer the Luna of the Frostholm Pack. I fear that if Alpha hears you, he will see it as defiance.”
Scott was stunned. This time he really couldn’t speak.
“I know you can’t accept what happened to Vione,” Garth said bitterly. “You and I and the whole pack feel the same way, but there’s nothing we can do. The Alpha’s orders are above all.”
*