37. Away Forever
ALPHA RAIDENBelongs to © n0velDrama.Org.
My efforts to keep Aurelia in my pack were proving to be futile. Despite shifting the final rounds of the games so I could have more days with her and also figure out how to make sure she never returned to the Black Fur pack with Tristan, I have failed. In three days, the final round of this year's pack games will come to an end and the next day, Tristan will take Aurelia away forever. Fuck!
"You're giving up? So soon?" Lex snorted within me.
I retorted sharply, "What else would you have me do? It's not like I can tie her down when it's time for her to leave."
"I don't expect that but you could at least try to find out who tried to kill her after she escaped the pack. You know she isn't lying and finding the culprit might help to lessen the hatred she bore for you." Lex said, forgetting that I had just three days left. There was no way I could trace down the assassins from six years ago in three days. Especially not when I had to oversee my warriors and other representatives' training in preparation for the finals.
"If you have a better idea than this, share it with me, Lex because this one is highly impossible." I sighed in defeat.
But Lex snarled, "Why don't you ask Larisa if she was the one behind the assassins? I remember that she wasn't pleased with the way you were obsessed with the search for Aurelia. What if she did this?" Lex brought up a theory that I had considered in my head many times in the past few days.
"Larisa isn't a killer, Lex. All she wants is to be my woman." I defended Larisa even though I had accepted that I no longer loved her like I used to.
My love for her might have faded but I still saw the good in her.
Lex hissed into my mind before blocking me off, his anger pumping into my veins, "You're more stupid than I thought if you believe that woman doesn't have the gut to kill someone for the Luna position. She has secrets, dammit!"
Secrets? Everyone has secrets yet I was curious to know what Lex meant by that but my wolf had put up a mind barrier, cutting off communication between our minds. I inhaled audibly, taking a minute to scan my surroundings.
I was standing under the shake of a magnanimous tree very close to the outdoor training field. Warriors, sprinters, and other athletes were training in various sections of the field and Jake was shouting out commands to every one of them. "Tara, you can do better. We don't want you to be defeated by warrior Lia in the finals." Jake shouted while Tara struggled to get back on her feet after being knocked off her feet by her training partner.
To my utmost surprise, Tara replied, oblivious to my presence on the field, "You mean Aurelia, right, Gamma Jake? You can tell us the truth. Everyone in the pack already knows she is back." Tara's training partner whose name I didn't know scoffed, "I'm certain she came back to kick Princess Larisa out. I heard some of the servants jubilating because of Luna Aurelia's return." Tara asked, throwing a punch at her partner, "Why would they be jubilating? I thought everyone in the pack hated her or are we pretending to adore her now because she returned stronger?" "She did kick your ass, Tara but most of them are happy because they would be saved from Princess Larisa's maltreatment." Tara's partner dodged her attack as she responded.
I stepped closer to the duo to hear more but Jake shouted at them, "Quit gossiping and learn how to defeat Black Fur warriors. We have to make sure they don't take the trophy from us." But that didn't stop me from asking Tara and her partner who still hasn't noticed my presence, "What maltreatment?"
The duo jumped when they heard my voice and their eyes widened as they realized that I overheard their little conversation.
"Alpha." They both bowed their heads, tilting their necks to the side as a sign of submission.
"Answer the question," I ordered, leaving no room for either of them to change the topic.
Tara nudged her partner to speak but the redhead shook her head trembling before me.
"I know nothing about it, Alpha. Olivia was just telling me." Tara removed herself from the conversation, shifting to the side while I walked closer to her redhead partner.
Olivia looked everywhere but
avoided my gaze, however, she stopped avoiding my question. "I heard the servants talking about how harsh and brutal Princess Larisa has been with them since the Luna left. They must have been lying, Alpha. Please forgive me for
Pel
sharing such dirty lies."
Of course, I noticed how she still referred to Aurelia as the Luna while Larisa remained the princess of her father's household but that wasn't enough to take my mind off the possibility that Larisa had been maltreating my people. Servants or not, no one should be treated poorly-
"But you confidently let everyone treat Aurelia like shit when she was married to you. In fact, you treated her like she was nothing but garbage." My wolf seethed at me, dropping the barrier between our minds.
I stormed off the field to ask Larisa
the thousands of questions that were flooding my mind at a rapid
pace and replied to my wolf, "Butet
defended her against bullies many times before we got married. She knows I hate the silly act of bullying and maltreating the weaker wolves."
Lex didn't have to tell me how stupid I sounded but he still did, "Aurelia was right about you. You're an idiot."
A large bile rose in my throat as I
walked towards the one place I knew Larisa would be at this time of the day... My home. In my bedroom and on my bed which I had avoided since the dinner with her parents and since I found out that I was in love with another woman,
Larisa was lying in my bed as I predicted, snuggled against my pillow, her naked body calling for attention.
She was naked.
That part, I didn't predict.
The second she sensed me in the room, her eyes fluttered open and she purred, stretching before me like she wasn't completely naked. "Raid, good morning. Would you like to join me in bed?"
Her eyes twinkled with excitement because she knew I found her irresistible... because she knew I'd never say no to her captivating body... I took a step closer to her just like I did after Aurelia's escape.