Chapter 2

Miranda shook her head, dropping to sit on a chair, as at that moment, she felt so weak her legs couldn’t even carry her, “no… I don’t understand… why? He knows how important this wedding is to me and my pack, why then did he decide to bail on me at the last minute??? A day before the wedding? This makes no sense at all.”

Beta Finn’s face held sympathy, “I’m sorry princess Miranda, but the Night shadow alpha just has too many responsibilities choking him on the neck, he tried to make it, he tried so much… but he just wasn’t able to come for the cardinal conference, the burdens he’s carrying are too overwhelming. I’ll even be the one representing the night shadow pack’s leadership for the sacrifice this year.”

“He couldn’t make it? For his own wedding??? He knows how important this engagement is to the Lotus pack! To me!!!! What could have been so important for him not to be able to come???” Just then, she remembered something, something that he had told her earlier through a phone call, same thing that made her storm with rage.

“I should have known… It’s Samara, isn’t it???? She’s the reason he couldn’t make it here today, right?!!!”

“Ummm….” Finn couldn’t answer.

“Don’t lie to me, Beta Finn! I can see right through you! Tell me the truth!!!”

“The beta sighed, giving up, “I’m sorry princess, but Samara was severely injured and the alpha couldn’t help but blame himself for it. I…”

Miranda cut him short, with an empty laugh… “so all because Samara is injured? He cancelled his own wedding??? Ha!”

“He didn’t cancel it dear, he only moved it to next year, to the next cardinal conference… he promises that there will be no more excuses by that time and the both of you will get married, he says to tell you he’s sorry.”

Miranda was not only heartbroken but devastated, and the words of the Beta only hurt her more,

“Follow your heart,” she heard her wolf, Lily, suddenly whisper within her then. Lily hardly came out to speak and when she did, she knew it was because it was time to make a hefty decision, a decision that would change everything…

“Tell your alpha to save his explanations, he can go ahead and marry his Samara. I am calling off the engagement. I’m not doing this anymore.”  

“Miranda!” She heard her father’s loud voice call this time, her father rarely shouted, but this time he did because the words she’d let out shot him like an arrow in the chest, of course no alpha would like to see his pack’s downfall because of his daughter.

“Father!” She turned to see her father holding his chest, struggling to breathe, he’d panicked and now he’d gotten an attack. Fear suddenly erupted in her heart. Oh no! This is not good! This is not good at all!!!

“Guards!!!!” As soon as she yelled, two uniformed men stormed into the meeting room, upon seeing the alpha in a state of attack, they held worried looks on their faces. Miranda then gave instructions.

Take him to his room now and send for the healer immediately!

“Yes milady!” They quickly ran past her to where the alpha was struggling, nearly falling out of his wheelchair. Lifting him up to take him out of the room, leaving Miranda and the beta alone, but her mind wasn’t conscious of that fact, the only thing she could feel right now was tremendous guilt prickling her insides, she should have known better than to say that in front of her father, who doesn’t take too well to bad news because of his condition.

“Princess…” her mind was interrupted by Beta Finn’s voice.

She turned to him, “yes?”

“I’m sorry about what happened to your father dear, I guess there are things in life that happen beyond our control.”

By things that were “beyond control,” Miranda knew he was referring to the unfortunate happenings in the Lotus pack the past few years, the pack was badly damaged after the last war, it was unexpected but it happened of course, taking many lives. Alpha Luther was the best leader any pack could have, and if it weren’t for him, the lotus pack wouldn’t even be in existence any longer, he fought for their protection till he could fight no more, but it was not enough to uplift the prosperity of the pack, there’s only so much one wolf can do, all other packs has managed to scale through and succeed after the war period, but the Lotus pack keeps getting worse, especially without an alpha who can’t even stand on his own two feet.

“Princess? … Princess???”

Her thoughts were interrupted again, she realized then that the beta had been calling her a couple of times, there’s just so much going on in her mind right now, making her oblivious to her surroundings.

“I’m sorry… what is it you were saying?”

“I’m taking my leave now and I have to send feedback to the alpha before heading to the cardinal conference, I understand that you calling off the engagement so quickly might have just been reflex; of course, no one likes to hear that type of news just before the main day, I understand if you’ll need some time to think things through, I can tell that to alpha Walden instead.”

Miranda shook her head, “I’m not thinking anything through. My decision stands and nothing will change that. Tell alpha Walden what I told you earlier, the engagement is called off, I’m not doing this anymore.”