Chapter 388
388
Third Person’s POV
When news of his death in battle arrived, she laughed wildly, then wept just as intensely.
Good riddance, she thought–but why hadn’t it been Airella instead?
Still, she took grim satisfaction in the idea that Airella’s sons had all perished in the same war. Surely, that would break Airella’s heart.
And indeed, Airella eventually went blind from her ceaseless tears.
Later, when Airella’s entire family was slaughtered, she felt nothing but schadenfreude.
The wicked always got their comeuppance.
Yet, the man who had tormented her dreams had probably never spared her a single thought in all his
years.
But in the dead of night, her dreams always returned to that first moment she had laid eyes on him–her heart pounding, her face flushed with shy admiration.
It was the things you couldn’t have that stayed with you forever, searing into your soul.
With a violent thrust, she sent a cup crashing to the floor.
As the porcelain shattered, she glared at the debris, her eyes brimming with venom. If only her father had permitted her to wed Alpha Bentley back in the day, she would never have harbored such deep–seated resentment toward the old Lycan King and the current one.
“Father, do you realize you’ve doomed me to a lifetime of misery?”
On Begonia Street, a side door swung open.
A maid ushered Hunt in, reassuring him, “Mr. Shuman, Dwight has returned to the Soulrend Pack today and won’t be back until tonight at the earliest.”
Hunt grunted. “Take me to her.”
This residence on Begonia Street was part of the Soulrend Pack’s holdings, arranged by Old Luna for Dwight and Willow to live in.
Today, Old Luna had summoned Dwight back.
Now that he’d lost his status as heir, Dwight was in a panic.
In his fright, he’d naturally turned to the pack, seeking his grandmother’s intervention.
In the parlor, Willow… Wilorina rose to greet him. “Mr. Shuman,” she said.
Hunt looked at his daughter’s downcast head and sighed softly. “I’m your father. There’s no one else here. Just call me Father.”
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388
Wilorina lifted her head . “ Yes , Father!”
Hunt settled into his seat, his robe swishing around him. “How was your identity compromised? Madison is furious. I’m here to find out if you’ve been secretly communicating with Adelaide.”
A chilliness emanated from Wilorina’s eyes and the faintly visible wolf cars peeking through her hair. Her presence was always shrouded in a frosty cedar scent, laced with mockery.
Even toward her father, she maintained this facade.
“I came to the Soulrend Pack to be a breeder. How could I possibly have private contact with Luna Adelaide? If Madison doesn’t trust me, she can simply have me eliminated,” she said, her vertical pupils narrowing with undisguised hostility.
Hunt frowned, his aged cedar pheromones rippling. “What are you talking about? If we killed you, all the resources invested in you would be wasted. Don’t forget your mission–your mother is still in her clutches.”
His wolf claws curled involuntarily in his palm.
The mockery in Wilorina’s eyes deepened, and her pheromones sharpened like icicles piercing Hunt. “If you truly cared about my mother, why don’t you stand up to her instead of letting me be treated like dirt, just to keep my mother by your side?”
Her nails glinted faintly silver, as if she were on the verge of a partial shift.
Hunt’s expression darkened, his pheromones chaotic like a flickering candle in the wind. “You’ve caused quite the stir in the Soulrend Pack. Madison is actually delighted, but she’s upset that your cover’s been
blown.”
“Your sister has already set off. She’ll cross paths with Alpha Lance on the road. With her stunning beauty and combat skills that Alpha Lance admires, he’s bound to favor her.”
“Once she infiltrates the Blackthorn Pack, our plan is halfway to success.”
The faint shadow of his wolf tail swished restlessly behind him.
“May she successfully kill Adelaide,” Wilorina said, a flash of ruthlessness crossing her eyes. A tinge of bloodiness mixed into her pheromones, and her vertical pupils swirled with suppressed murderous intent.
Alpha Bentley was the root of her tragedy and that of all her sisters.
Though Alpha Bentley was dead, Adelaide still lived.
Hunt fell silent, a whirl of complicated emotions flickering in his eyes, his pheromones murky like stagnant swamp water.
Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, his breath laden with defeat. “Your sister’s combat skills are no match for Adelaide’s. She can only try to poison her. But if she’s caught , her life will be over.”
“As long as she gains favor, she won’t die,” Wilorina said with a scornful laugh, her wolf ears flicking back in disdain.
“Alpha Lance and Adelaide have no real affection for each other. As Madison said, it’s a political marriage.
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The Frostfang Pack needs Alpha Lance , but since he’s lost command of his legion , he relies on Adelaider . Ssupport
A hint of jealousy tinged her pheromones.
Hunt frowned , instinctively shrinking from the topic, his pheromones retreating like a wounded animal. This isn’t our concern. Actually, I’m against your sister approaching Alpha Lance–it’s too dangerous.”
“Does your opposition even matter?” Wilorina almost blurted out “coward,” but held back.
Her disdain and contempt were plain to see, her pheromones like a cold wave that stifled Hunt’s presence.
Hunt’s temples were already flecked with gray.
Looking at his daughter, his wolf eyes brimming with guilt, he knew it was no wonder they resented him.
He had brought them into this world only for them to become pawns of the princess, just as he himself was nothing more than a pawn.
“I did try to resist,” he said, his voice barely audible, filled with timid weakness.
His pheromones were as faint as a candle in the wind. “But I was powerless.”
Wilorina’s face was expressionless, her cedar pheromones freezing the air around her. “Enough of this useless talk. What are Madison’s next moves, and what do I need to do?”
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