Mireya made sure the coast was clear. The Past Usher had left, and the Omegas who had been assigned to take care of her morning needs had also left the room. She was alone in the Alpha’s chamber.
Mireya was not going to waste this opportunity. She was determined to put an end to the fear that had plagued her heart for the past few days. She needed concrete evidence to confirm her suspicions. At the very least, she wanted to find clues that could either strengthen or weaken her suspicions about The Past Usher.
Mireya turned on the computer and accessed the prison’s surveillance system. Her goal was the surveillance footage of the dungeon area. She reviewed all the recordings from the past week, but none of the footage gave her any clues.
Mireya’s expression became more serious. Her forehead furrowed slightly. If the golden wolf really was Usher, it seemed impossible that he wouldn’t visit Vione in the dungeon. At the very least, Garth would have visited Vione. Does this mean that the golden wolf isn’t Usher?
Mireya was still plagued by uncertainty, so she checked the surveillance footage a second time with a different focus. This time she didn’t focus on Usher or Garth, but on anyone who showed unusual behavior. It was possible that Usher had anticipated my suspicions and sent someone else to check on Vione.
But Mireya’s assumption turned out to be wrong. She saw no one acting suspiciously around Vione’s prison. Everyone was just following their assigned schedules without any irregularities.
Mireya pondered for a moment until she was reminded of something she had almost missed. Her fingers moved again, clicking to open the surveillance footage from the night of the incident. She wanted to trace the whereabouts of the Past Usher, and she found him.
Mireya’s fingers froze over the mouse. She was stunned when the surveillance footage showed The Past Usher and Garth discussing something in the study. Usher was in the palace. So, it was impossible that he had rescued Vione that night.
The visible evidence was more than enough to dispel Mireya’s suspicions about The Past Usher. But it did not erase her uneasiness. Now she began to wonder about the identity of the Golden Wolf. Who was the Golden Wolf?
Her fear turned into worry. Mireya decided to contact Torin right away. She asked about the investigation of Torin’s spies, and the answer she received was completely unexpected.
“My spies have never found the mysterious man, not since that night,” Torin said.
Mireya was shocked. “W-what did you say?”
“Not a single trace. They searched the Amerotha Forest, but there’s no sign of him at all. It’s as if he vanished into thin air.”
“Th-That’s impossible, Torin,” Mireya stammered, her voice betraying her disbelief. Her face changed to reflect her disbelief. “It’s not possible that your spies couldn’t find a single trace.”
Torin’s sigh was heavy. “That’s exactly what has puzzled me for days. It’s almost impossible that my spies could be fooled so easily, but that’s exactly what happened. Now I’m even more curious, who is this mysterious man? Could he be the golden wolf that saved Vione?”
Mireya didn’t answer Torin’s question, her mind filled with numerous questions that demanded answers. Worse, her once dismissed suspicions came back. Her doubts about The Past Usher resurfaced, and she realized that something was nagging at her, something she couldn’t shake despite the obvious facts before her.
*
Usher’s eyes watched the surveillance footage in The Past Usher’s room without blinking. He watched every move Mireya made while The Past Usher was gone without a care in the world. He wasn’t even the slightest bit worried when Mireya reviewed all the surveillance footage. That’s because he had anticipated Mireya’s cunning and had taken preventive measures. He had sabotaged all the surveillance footage and made sure that Mireya wouldn’t find any clues. This way he had time to devise a plan to save The Past Vione.
Usher tried to keep his hope alive. He knew that so far no fate had been successfully changed. But that didn’t mean that all his actions had been in vain. In fact, some things had changed, even if they didn’t mean much. At least the stigma of being a traitorous Luna was no longer attached to the past Vione. In the present, Vione wasn’t accused of being a Luna who betrayed her Alpha, and that gave him a glimmer of hope. There’s still a chance. Maybe I can still save Vione, Garth and also Mama.
A plan was formulated. Usher’s first priority was to get The Past Vione out of the dungeon and bring her to Rowena’s house. However, he didn’t expect The Past Vione to refuse his offer to escape.
“No,” The Past Vione said in a flat tone. Her sharp gaze pierced the darkness of the pitch-black dungeon. “I will never escape from here.”
Usher closed his eyes dramatically. “Vione, please, trust me. This is all for your own good.”
“For my own good?” The Past Vione scoffed; her expression cynical. “Do you think I would believe the words of the person who caused the death of my parents?”
The Usher froze. “Vione.”
“No.” The past Vione shook her head once. She gripped the bars of the cell as she continued to speak. “I will never escape from here for two reasons. First, I don’t trust you. I don’t know your true intentions.”
Usher couldn’t argue. He realized that The Past Vione had every right to doubt him after everything that had happened to her family.
“Secondly, I’ve done nothing wrong, and running away from here would only be an admission of guilt for all the accusations.”
Usher couldn’t hold back a desperate sigh. He raised both hands and clasped The Past Vione’s fingers. “I know you’re innocent, Vione. I know you’re trying to preserve your dignity, but please, this is for your own good, for your own safety. You have to leave before it’s too late.”
At least before Mireya gave birth, that was Usher’s hope. The Past Vione had to leave before that time, or fate would indeed repeat itself. Mireya gave birth, The Past Usher fell into a coma, and The Past Vione lost her mind and escaped from prison at the worst possible time.
Usher tightened his grip on The Past Vione’s fingers. “Please, you must leave here soon.”
“I will say it again,” The Past Vione replied undaunted. Each word she spoke was full of emphasis. “I will never escape from here. Even if I have to die in this prison, I will do it.”
“No, Vione. You must not die.”
The past Vione narrowed her eyes. There was another emotion in his words, but she pushed it aside. She took a deep breath and finished her statement. “One thing you should know. Escaping from here is not difficult for me, and I could have easily done it on the first day of my imprisonment, but I will never do it. So, I hope you won’t have to come to see me again.”
When The Past Vione finished speaking, she pulled her hands from Usher’s grip and walked away, leaving Usher clutching the prison bars in frustration.
Usher understood the truth of The Past Vione’s words. Escaping from prison was an easy task for her. After all, she was a former Luna. There was nothing The Past Vione didn’t know, including the secret plans of the palace and the dungeon.
It wasn’t about the chance, but about The Past Vione’s loyalty. Usher knew how loyal The Past Vione was to him, even to the point of obeying orders that would cause her pain.
Usher wouldn’t allow The Past Vione to be hurt again by The Past Usher’s actions. Even though she had told him to stop visiting her, he continued to come to the dungeon. He tried again and again to persuade The Past Vione to leave, but it was all in vain. And then Mireya gave birth to Phillip.
*