Chapter 8

Third Person's Point of View

> The Next Morning – Alpha’s Mansion <<

“It’s past seven already?” Miranda grumbled as she woke up to the loud, blaring sound of her alarm clock. “I’ve not gotten enough sleep.”

She sleepily reached for it and snoozed it, but five minutes later, the loud blaring sound came again. Feeling frustrated, she sat up.

And right at that moment, her phone beeped, and a notification popped up.

“Everything is against me this morning!” she hissed. She reached for her phone anyway and gasped when she saw a message from Vincenzo. Then she remembered her mission.

Fearing Lorenzo might see the message, she quickly deleted it. But when she turned around, he wasn’t on his side of the bed.

“Oh no! Don’t tell me it’s too late,” she panicked. Her hand quickly reached for his side, and she gasped as her panic increased when she realized it was cold—which meant he’d been awake for a while.

“What is wrong with you, Miranda? Why did you have to sleep like a baboon?!” she scolded herself quietly. But just as she was about to jump out of bed to go look for him, Lorenzo came out of the bathroom with a towel hanging around his waist and water drizzling down his body.

“Fuck! This waist is killing me,” Lorenzo groaned painfully as he walked toward the bed.

“Are you alright?” Miranda asked him.

“No. I’ve been having waist pain since last night. I thought I could sleep it off,” he replied.

Miranda’s eyes lit up.

Wow, what a perfect opportunity! Miranda thought to herself. She couldn’t believe the chance to keep Lorenzo away from his study had come so easily.

“I can give you a massage. It’ll help numb the pain,” she suggested.

“Oh yes. I almost forgot that you give the best massages.”

“You’re lucky you have a wife who’s skilled with her hands,” she teased lightly, walking toward a drawer.

“Of course. I married you for your hands... and your brains,” Lorenzo muttered with a tired chuckle.

Miranda smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She rampaged through the drawer for a brief moment before pulling out a small bottle of massage oil and dropping it on the table.

She faced Lorenzo with a fake smile, doing her best to make it look genuine. “Yes. I’ll be back—I just want to relieve myself in the bathroom.” With that, Miranda dashed into the bathroom.

She quickly dialed Vincenzo’s number and waited impatiently for him to pick up. Luckily, he answered on the first ring.

“Hey, Miranda?” Vincenzo’s voice boomed from the other side.

> > > > > > 

> Seer’s Lair <<

Vincenzo was pacing to and fro, impatiently checking his wristwatch. He was waiting for news from Miranda.

“Alpha Vincenzo, have some tea,” Maurice offered him.

“Thank you,” he accepted the tea.

“Are you sure the Luna is still on our plan? It’s almost past our agreed time.”

Vincenzo sat on a sofa. “Let’s wait a little. Lorenzo is very smart. It’s not going to be easy to hold him back,” he replied.

Right at that moment, his phone rang. He reached for it and saw Miranda’s name flashing on the screen.

“Hey, Miranda?” he said immediately after picking up the call.

Before Miranda could reply, he heard his brother’s voice in the background. “I’m ready, darling. We have to be fast because I have an urgent meeting to attend.”

“I don’t think I can hold him back for long. You have just thirty to thirty-five minutes,” Miranda whispered from the other side, sounding urgent.

“Thirty minutes is more than enough. Talk to you later.” Then Vincenzo hung up. His fingers typed furiously fast on his cellphone for a brief moment as he dialed a number and pressed the phone against his ear.

He waited a few seconds, then a voice spoke from the other side. “It’s done, boss.”

“Good.” He hung up again and faced Maurice. “Everything is ready. I need you to distract the guards guarding the entrance to my father’s cell.”

“On it,” Maurice replied and rushed off immediately.

> > > > > > 

> Entrance of the Underground Holding Cells – Seer’s Lair <<

Maurice strolled confidently down the corridor leading to the tunnel, a basket of fruits in his hands. He wore his usual white robe, and his seer’s badge was clipped to his chest. When he reached the guards, he raised the basket and smiled.

“Hey, fellas. I see the cook hasn’t delivered your food yet. How about having some fruits first?” he asked suggestively.

The guards frowned slightly as they wondered why Maurice was offering them fruits. It was so out of character for him to do that.

“I’m afraid we can’t accept this,” one of the guards said.

“Why can’t you?” Maurice asked, an offended frown plastered on his face.

The guards exchanged looks between themselves.

“We’re on duty, and we aren’t allowed to eat food prepared by anyone except the pack’s cook,” the second guard answered.

“This is not food. This is fruit,” Maurice said, picking a fruit from the basket and taking a big bite. “Everyone knows that I’m very protective of my garden and stingy with my fruits, but I collected too much and didn’t want it to go to waste. That’s why I’m reluctantly sharing it with you. But... it’s fine since you don’t want to eat.”

> > > > > > 

> Inside the Underground Holding Cell <<

Vincenzo entered the dimly lit cell. His eyes studied his father’s body, and he realized new wounds had been inflicted on him.

He clenched his jaw as he released a pained growl. He found it hard to believe that his father—who had once led the pack with pride and strength—had been reduced to a broken and powerless man by his brother.

“Dad! Dad, can you hear me?” he called in a whisper, but there was no response from him, not even a grunt. “Let me get you out of here!”

He pulled a small bottle from his pocket. He reached for the cuffs binding his father’s hands and poured a clear liquid on them. A soft sizzle echoed as the enchanted silver metal loosened.

At the sound of the metal loosening, shadows surrounded Vincenzo as hidden guards revealed themselves. Before they could attack, Vincenzo’s men descended from the high ceiling, creating a shield around him.

“I know you’re following orders, so back off and there won’t be any bloodbaths,” Vincenzo said to the guards Lorenzo had stationed in his father’s cell.

“We’re sorry, Beta, but we can’t let you leave without putting up a fight… The Alpha would have our heads,” one of the guards said.

“Your choice,” Vincenzo simply replied. “Don’t kill them—just knock them out,” he ordered his men.

“Yes, sir!” his men replied in unison, and then the fight began.

With swift and calculated movements, Lorenzo’s guards were knocked out in a few minutes. Vincenzo had completely unchained his father

by then. His men quickly joined him, and together, they carried his father outside through the back door in the cell.