Chapter 96
96
Third Person’s POV
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At the camp on the southern border, Adelaide was anxious as she strode toward Alpha Lance’s tent.
Lance was intently sculpting something, his focus so intense it was as if he and that creation were the only things in the world.
Upon hearing Adelaide’s arrival, he paused briefly before covering his work with a silk cloth and instructing his adjutant, Tommy, “Let her in.”
Tommy hesitated, his ears twitching.
“I just saw Ulrik head to Adelaide’s tent. She’s likely here to plead for Velda,” he said.
Lance’s gaze sharpened. “Do you think Adelaide would plead for Velda?”
Tommy scratched his head, confusion etched on his face. “Maybe she wants to win Ulrik back?”
Lance chuckled, a hint of amusement in his voice, and beckoned Tommy closer. “Come here.”
Tommy stepped forward, then squatted as Lance instructed.
Lance’s smile deepened. “Come closer and squat down. I think there’s something on your face,” he said.
Tommy instinctively touched his face but found nothing. However, obeying Lance’s command, he squatted down.
Suddenly, Lance’s expression changed drastically. He slapped Tommy across the face and roared, “Filthy!”
Tommy clutched his face, wide–eyed and bewildered. “What did I do?”
Lance tapped Tommy’s head with his carving knife, his tone icy. “Adelaide seek Ulrik’s favor? Ridiculous! Fetch her now.”
Tommy stood up in frustration, and Lance narrowed his eyes.
“Should a word of this reach others, I’ll flay you alive.”
Tommy shuddered, nodding hastily.
He knew Lance hadn’t forgotten his pre–expedition words.
But now Adelaide’s bond with Ulrik was broken. She was exiled.
If Ulrik still harbored feelings for her, and his mother found out–chaos would ensue.
Tommy had seen Adelaide and Ulrik talk at length; she must be here to plead. Why wouldn’t Lance believe
it?
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12:58 am
96
Adelaide entered, noticing Tommy’s odd glance and feeling a sense of unease.
Lance’s gaze swept over Tommy’s face coldly. Tommy, embarrassed, forced a laugh and said, “I’ll
He stepped outside, but stayed close , eavesdropping intently,
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then.”
“Take a seat,” Lance said to Adelaide , casting a faint glance at the door. He thought to himself how obvious Tommy’s eavesdropping was–anyone could smell the tension.
Adelaide noticed Tommy’s presence outside the door.
After sitting down, she used her eyes to ask Lance about it and pointed at the door to show him that she knew Tommy was listening.
Lance waved it off. “Ignore him. What can I do for you?”
Adelaide straightened, her expression grave. “Alpha Lance, as we prepare to return to the capital, may I visit the place where my father and brothers fell? I want to call upon their spirits to join us . ”
Though their bodies had been returned to the capital, Adelaide believed their souls lingered here, awaiting the southern border’s reclamation.
Lance nodded understandingly. “You should. But there’s no need. I’ve already paid my respects and retrieved a large tree from the site to carve memorial plaques for them. We’ll bring these back.
Lance reached out and lifted the cloth to reveal several unfinished memorial plaques.
the completed plaque of her father, Alpha Bentley.
nbled, and tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of it.
nilar plaques existed in the Frostfang Pack’s shrine, but she dared not look, as if avoiding pt her father and brothers alive.
Tears streamed down her face as she fumbled for the handkerchief Lance had given her earlier. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
Lance, his gaze lingering on the handkerchief, finally took it back after a moment of silence.
With a hint of nostalgia in his voice, he said, “It was the least I could do. Your father took me to my first battle,”
Adelaide nodded silently, then said after a pause, “If you’ve arranged it, Alpha Lance, I won’t go.”
She wanted to go, but fear held her back.
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