Chapter 40
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Third person’s POV
Finished
Fabian said, “The other day, at the Silverglow Pack’s Melinda’s bonding ceremony, I heard that Adelaide had her Beta deliver a gift, but it was returned.”
Lycan Erasmus frowned and asked, ‘Why would that be?‘
Fabian’s Adam’s apple suddenly rolled, and his neck glands uncontrollably released a cypress scent–a instinctive reaction of lower–ranking wolves when reporting sensitive matters.
The wolf–head carving on the armrest of Lycan Erasmus’s bronze throne suddenly opened its vertical pupils, and the entire tent was instantly filled with icy pheromones akin to a tundra blizzard.
“I heard that they felt Adelaide, having returned to the Frostfang Pack after dissolving her mate bond, was not dignified enough,” Fabian explained. “After all, Alpha Howell of the Silverglow Pack is a descendant of a royal elder.”
The bronze goblet suddenly shattered into ice crystals. Lycan Erasmus’s bone tail swept the ground, kicking up hexagonal frost flowers.
The silver moon crest on his forehead emitted a cold light, and his elongated canines refracted the candlelight like cold ice. He said, “Is this true? Skye and Airella are sisters, and Melinda and Adelaide were close as children. What’s undignified about a cousin sending a gift to another cousin?”
“Moreover, it was I who declared their mate bond null and void. Are they questioning my decree?” Erasmus added.
Under the pressure, Fabian’s keratin layers peeled off. He had to kneel on one knee to steady his voice.
“Perhaps Luna Skye is being fastidious about noble appearances. Besides, with the Frostfang Pack now reduced to Miss Davidson alone and no hope of resurgence, even her own aunt treats her indifferently.”
Lycan Erasmus recalled Lycan Luna Clarissa’s friendship with Airella.
His vertical pupils abruptly narrowed into silver lines, and all the bronze candelabras in the tent melted simultaneously.
He darkened his expression. “Do not let Luna Clarissa know of this. She dotes on Adelaide. Should she learn that Adelaide has been slighted, she would surely be furious.”
Fabian responded, “Yes , I understand.”
Lycan Erasmus reflected that all the grievances Adelaide had suffered stemmed from his orders, particularly the command allowing Ulrik and Velda to form a bond.
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His irritation grew, and he commanded, “Go to the Silverglow Pack and inform Howell and Skye that they are to reflect on their conduct within their pack this month.”
“As you command!” Fabian said, retreating.
Outside, the sky was a dull gray.
Recalling a certain individual, Fabian felt an oppressive weight on his chest.
It was a similarly bleak and freezing day when Erasmus, not yet the Lycan King, had been poisoned with wolfsbane.
As the future Beta, Fabian had been held accountable for inadequate care.
At that time, still young, Fabian had been ordered to be whipped with a wolfsbane–soaked whip.
His wounds, unable to heal from the poison, had weakened him.
It was Luna Airella who had discovered the situation from the former Lycan King and brought Shaman Digby to cure him, saving his life.
Otherwise, Fabian would have perished in that year’s harsh winter.
Now, with Luna Airella’s daughter being despised, how could he stand idly by?
Thus, the usually reticent Fabian had lodged a complaint with Lycan Erasmus that day.
Alpha Howell, though the Alpha of the Silverglow Pack, wielded no real power within the royal
court.
Hence, reporting him wouldn’t be seen as interference in royal affairs.
Fabian summoned two royal wolf guards and headed for the Silverglow Pack.
Howell and Skye exchanged puzzled glances, unaware of their misdeeds, as Lycan Erasmus ordered them to reflect within their pack, even barring them from the palace during Christmas to accompany the old Lycan Luna.
Howell secretly pulled Fabian aside. “Please enlighten me, what exactly have we done wrong? ”
The lack of information was terrifying.
Fabian waved his hand and shook his head. “I’m not privy to the details. I’m merely carrying out orders.”
The words “carrying out orders” left Howell no choice but to desist.
Lycan Erasmus’s authority was absolute–his punishment and rewards were clear.
After Fabian’s departure, the two stared at each other in confusion.
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Finished
Lycan Erasmus had even allowed their mother to leave the palace and reunite with them at the Silverglow Pack.
As an Alpha without combat power or influence, Erasmus had always been supportive of the Silverglow Pack, maintaining a close relationship.
Why, then, had punishment suddenly befallen them?
They had done nothing, nor dared to do anything.
It was most perplexing.
In December’s harsh cold, heavy snow blocked the path for Ulrik and the reinforcements.
Despite their initial haste, two days of relentless snowfall blanketed the ground in white .
The cold was bearable, but their progress was severely hampered.
Each step was a struggle, and pulling their feet free was equally difficult.
The southern border had also seen snow, fortunately light.
Training for new wolf warriors was largely complete, with thirty thousand recruits. Weapons and armor were being rushed from Tower City and were expected to reach the front lines before the Western Tribes‘ army arrived.
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