“W-what?” Greisy instinctively took a step back when she saw Cora’s hands reaching out to take Phillip, who was sleeping in her arms. “What are you going to do with him?”
Cora rolled her eyes. “I’m not planning on doing anything to him. I’m just following orders from Alpha.”
“Or-orders from Alpha?”
“Yes.” Cora nodded and stepped closer, glancing at Phillip briefly before continuing. “Alpha told me to give Phillip to Mireya. You know, mother and child should stay together.”
Greisy shook her head unsurely. “You want to take Phillip to the underground prison? No. You can’t do that to Phillip. He’s the Alpha’s son.”
“Watch your words, Greisy!” Cora rebuked sharply. The pleased expression on her face vanished in an instant. “I’m sure you’re aware of the punishment for falsely accusing the Alpha.”
“Cora, you-”
“So be careful with your words. Even Mireya couldn’t convince Alpha that Phillip is his son.”
Greisy fell silent. She couldn’t refute Cora’s words, but that didn’t mean she was ready to hand Phillip over when Cora tried to forcibly take him from her arms.
“Give me Phillip, now.”
Greisy resisted. “No,” she said, tightening her grip on Phillip. As a result, Phillip woke up and began to cry. “I won’t let you take him to the underground prison. He’s just a baby. How can you be so heartless? You really have no compassion, Cora.”
“Exactly!”
As if to confirm Greisy’s words, Cora reached for Phillip. But Greisy didn’t let go of him easily. She held on to Phillip, determined to keep him.
“Greisy, I want to remind you of something. I may be small and short, but I’m not that weak. The only reason I’ve seemed weak all this time is because Alpha favored you, and we both know the reason why, don’t we?” Cora narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on Phillip. “So don’t even think about challenging me physically. Even Garth needed nearly an hour to defeat me.”
Greisy was completely paralyzed. She froze and could only surrender as Cora pulled Phillip from her arms. Cora’s violent tug caused Greisy to stumble and hit the wall.
Cora glanced at Phillip, who was now in her arms, then turned to Greisy before leaving. “If you really care about Phillip, I can give you an option. How about you join him and stay with Mireya in the underground prison?”
*
Nimbria Pack’s Palace.
Torin had sensed something was wrong when he realized that the call he received wasn’t from Mireya, and it turned out that he was right. The news he heard was not what he had hoped for.
The call ended when Torin pressed his phone with immense force. The phone shattered and he let out an angry roar.
“You’ve really let me down, Mireya!” Torin growled in anger, his emotions boiling over, his blood surging. His eyes blazed with a fierce, sharp glint and his breathing became heavy and labored. His fists clenched tightly, his veins bulging, and he slammed his hand down on the desk, splitting it in two. “Now you’ve not only ruined our plans and the hopes of the pack, but you’ve also endangered Phillip’s safety.”
Torin’s anger was mixed with overwhelming worry. He feared that Usher wouldn’t hesitate to do something that could endanger Phillip’s life.
Torin shook his head several times. “No, Usher. If you so much as lay a finger on Phillip, I swear I’ll kill you in the most painful way possible.”
His emotions and fears were momentarily interrupted by a knock at the door. He turned and said, “Come in.”
The door opened. James Forbes, the beta of the Nimbria Pack, entered. He briefly surveyed the chaos in Torin’s office and quickly concluded that something bad was going on. “Alpha.”
“What is it?” Torin asked indifferently, his hands on his hips as he speculated, “Any word from our spies?”
James nodded cautiously, aware that the news he was about to deliver was unlikely to please Torin. “Our spies report that the Frostholm Pack is making unusual moves.”
“Unusual moves?”
“Their border defenses have increased significantly, Alpha. In addition, they’ve begun to sweep the Amerotha Forest,” James continued, observing the change in Torin’s expression that followed a split second later. “It seems they’ve begun to suspect that someone has infiltrated their territory.”
Torin’s face hardened; his jaw clenched in growing anger. “Damn it!”
“So, what do we do now, Alpha? Should I recall our spies?”
“No!” Torin replied quickly, glaring at James. He pointed at James with undeniable seriousness. “They have to stay there.”
James dared to voice his opinion, even though he knew it was unlikely that Torin would change his decision. “Wouldn’t it be better if we restructured our plans more carefully, Alpha? Frostholm is on high alert, and even the slightest misstep on our part could have disastrous consequences.”
“When I say no, it means no, James!”
James nodded and bowed his head in obedience. “Understood, Alpha.”
“We will never retreat. On the contrary, this is the time for us to be more aggressive. We must show Frostholm that we’re not easily intimidated. I will not let them dictate the terms of this game.”
Torin realized that Usher had managed to control the situation with remarkable precision. Not only did Usher survive and recover from the brink of death, but he also captured Mireya and Phillip. Torin might be able to ignore Mireya, especially after her failure despite being given a second chance, but he couldn’t ignore Phillip. After all, Phillip was his biological son, his bloodline, the lineage of the Nimbria Pack. Therefore, he would do whatever it took to regain control as before.
A name crossed Torin’s mind at just the right moment. His eyes widened. “Vione.” He turned and this time looked at James with a burning intensity. “Order our spies to find and capture Vione immediately.”
Of course, James could easily guess what Torin was thinking. So when Torin gave the order, he nodded. “Understood, Alpha.”
“One more thing, James,” Torin stressed before James could leave. His words were firm and determined. “I will not tolerate failure.”
For Torin, this was his only chance to turn the tide. So, he would do whatever it took to make sure there would be no more failures. He had to save Phillip and destroy the Frostholm Pack.
*