Chapter 4

Miranda's Point of View

Like a deer caught in daylight, my eyes widened in shock, and I froze the moment the door burst open.

Oh no, I can't get caught, I murmured to myself as my eyes scanned the place for somewhere to hide.

"Miranda?" I heard Vincenzo's voice behind me.

I turned around to make sure it was truly him. I let out a relieved sigh after confirming it, but fearing we’d be caught, I signaled him to lock the door. He nodded, quickly locked it, then approached me.

"I locked the door from the inside. How did you get in?" I asked, perplexed that he could open it.

"The lock is broken. I tampered with it some days ago," he answered.

"Oh."

He stopped in front of me, tilting his head slightly as he stared at the file in my hand with a small frown. I quickly hid it behind me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Nothing. I..." I was speechless because I’d been caught in 4K.

"Lorenzo would have your head if he knew you were here," he scolded.

"Yeah." I took a deep breath to remain calm. "I should go now."

With that, I approached the door, but he swiftly grabbed my hand and stopped me.

"You can't leave with that."

"With what? What are you talking about?" I feigned innocence, pretending not to know what he meant.

"You have to put that down. He’ll know if you take it away." He gestured at the file I was hiding behind me.

"You don't know what I'm holding," I argued quietly.

"I do, and taking it away right now would be a very reckless decision," he replied.

Before I could say another word, he snatched the file from me and quietly laid it back on the desk.

I frowned in dissatisfaction. "What are you doing? Give it back!"

Ignoring my words, his grip on my hand tightened as he pulled me toward the door.

"Come with me," he said.

"Leave me alone!" I tried to pull away.

"Keep quiet and follow me if you want to remain alive."

His words sent chills down my spine as the words of the moon goddess replayed in my mind—Don’t waste this life!

After surveying outside briefly, he smiled at me. "Let's go."

I nodded simply and followed him.

> > > > > > > 

"Where are we going?" I asked when I noticed we were heading toward the seer's lair, where I had just performed my daily ritual.

"To the seer's lair," he answered.

"I know, but why?"

"There's someone I want you to meet," was his response. Then we continued walking in silence.

After walking a few meters, we finally arrived at the seer's lair.

The seer, who I had always known as a serious man, broke into a bright and warm smile the moment he saw Vincenzo.

"Alpha Vincenzo," he greeted with a respectful bow.

I frowned slightly at the title he used to address Vincenzo.

Vincenzo chuckled, then shook his head.

"Don't let Lorenzo hear you say that. You know what he'd do to you," he warned the seer.

"I don't care. You are the only Alpha I recognize," the seer said in an adamant tone.

I simply listened and watched them in silence, low-key confused about what they were talking about.

"Anyway, I'm here to see—"

"Oh, right this way."

The seer cut Vincenzo off, leading the way to a tunnel.

We were just at the beginning of the tunnel, but I was already getting scared for my life. It was pitch black inside, and there was a sound coming from within, like someone blowing air into an empty bottle. Immediately after we stepped inside, I began to feel uneasy and heard strange whispers.

What is all this mystery? Why is there a tunnel here? Why haven't I seen or heard of this tunnel before? I questioned myself inwardly as we walked deeper into the tunnel.

"Fuck!" I shrieked in fright as I jumped and grabbed whoever was in front of me.

"What is it? Are you okay?" he asked. Apparently, I had grabbed Vincenzo.

The seer laughed quietly and briefly.

"Oh, Luna, it was only a mouse," he said.

"Oh..." I sighed in relief, still not letting go of Vincenzo.

He tapped my hand reassuringly.

"Just stick to me," he told me, and I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me nod.

We continued walking in silence, and soon, we could see light a few meters ahead, indicating we were reaching the end of the tunnel. It wasn’t long before we arrived.

"We're here," Vincenzo said.

I furrowed my brows when I saw a disheveled, older man a few steps away from us.

He was sitting on a bench made of silver, his hands tied above his head with silver chains. His head hung low, resting on his chest. Judging from how tired he looked, I could easily tell he had gone through several rounds of torture.

"Who is that?" I couldn't keep my curiosity to myself.

"This is my father."

"Your father?" My mouth fell open—I couldn’t believe my ears for a brief moment. "Wasn’t he already dead?"

"No, he’s not dead."

He balled his fist and clenched his jaw as he said those words.

"My father is still very much alive. Lorenzo and the elders who support him had my father arrested because he was adamant about not passing the Alpha position to Lorenzo. Then they lied to everyone, saying he was dead."

Taking a proper look at the man, I confirmed he was truly the previous Alpha.

"But your father was the Alpha. How were they able to get him arrested?"

"Like I said, some elders are in favor of Lorenzo, and those elders are the most influential among them. They framed and accused my father of raping a sixteen-year-old child..."

"What?" I exclaimed, interrupting him.

"Yes, and as you know, that is a big crime. According to the laws of our pack, he’s supposed to be stoned to death. But they can’t kill him because he’s still very useful."

I was just hearing this story for the first time because I wasn’t a member of this pack. I was originally from the Meek-Wolves Pack, and Vincenzo had already been made Alpha before I came here and became his mate.

"I know your plan, Miranda," Vincenzo said. "You want to take him out, right?"

"Yes."

"You can’t."

"What do you mean I can’t? He’s a tyrant, and I’m sure the people are sick of his leadership by now!"

"They’re sick of his leadership, but none of them is bold enough to impeach him. I just told you, Lorenzo has the support of the most influential elders, and with their support, he’s unshakable."

He paused briefly, his eyes zeroed in on his father as he continued.

"We need my father if we want to take Lorenzo out."