Episode 11

“Baby, baby! Please forgive me!” Alpha Zach kept rambling. After the tragedy where he collapsed helplessly on the floor, now he could only lie weakly, muttering in delirium.

“Baby, don’t leave me!” His breath felt heavy. His lips kept trembling, his body turning cold.

“I love you so much…” Zach kept sniffing around him, imagining inhaling the sweet scent of his mate’s fragrance. But the tense atmosphere broke when a maid entered his room, disturbing his moment.

“Alpha, I brought your meal—” Before the maid could place the food down, Zach suddenly rose from his bed.

“Arghhhhhh!” Zach roared and hurled the plate of food to the floor. The maid staggered back in fear.

Zach’s face flushed red as he glared sharply, his chest heaving up and down as though trying to restrain his rage. His brows furrowed deeply.

The maid quickly ran out, intending to find Luna Amarlylis and report what had happened.

“Luna Amarlylis! The Alpha is furious!” the maid cried out.

Luna Amarlylis immediately left her throne and headed toward her son’s chamber.

“Alpha…” Luna gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. She saw Alpha Zach slumped weakly on the floor, his shoulders trembling signs that he was weeping. Her heart broke seeing her son in such pain.

“Alpha, calm yourself,” Luna Amarlylis whispered, softly stroking Zach’s shoulder.

“Mother… I’m sorry. I was wrong. I want her back,” Zach said, clutching his mother’s hand as if pleading for his mate to return to him.

Unbeknownst to them, someone was standing at the doorway. It was Keona, her face filled with jealousy. She clenched her fists, her mind clouded with questions why, after her sister’s departure, did the Alpha search for her instead? Why did he confess such deep love for her sister?

How fortunate her sister was. So different from herself on the very night that should have been their wedding night, Zach had driven her away, even fainting afterward.

“What happened, hmm? Can you tell Mother?” Luna Amarlylis stroked the top of Zach’s head gently.

“Mother, she was my mate. I was wrong. I rejected her. Bring her back to me, Mother!”

“What? So all this time, you’ve been hiding this from me?” Luna Amarlylis gasped in shock. She hadn’t realized that her son’s recent torment came from banishing his own mate.

Luna Amarlylis staggered back, clutching her chest as her heart pounded rapidly. Her breathing grew heavy, her vision blurred, until finally she collapsed to the floor.

“Luna!” Keona screamed in panic. She wanted to help but couldn’t possibly lift Luna’s body. Moments later, a man entered and carried Luna in his arms.

“I’ll take Luna to her chamber,” the man said, walking away while cradling Luna Amarlylis and placing her gently in her bed.

About five minutes later, Luna Amarlylis finally regained consciousness.

“Luna Amarlylis!”

“Fabio? You’re here?” Luna sat up quickly upon recognizing the man beside her.

“Hmm, yes. My mother sent me here to train as an Alpha alongside Alpha Zach’s cousin before I’m officially appointed,” Fabio replied, shrugging lightly.

A bit about Fabio he was Zach’s cousin. Zach’s father was the elder brother of Fabio’s father. Fabio’s features bore some resemblance to Zach’s dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and a sharply defined jawline.

Even so, Fabio’s personality was the complete opposite of Zach’s. Where Zach was cold and withdrawn, Fabio was cheerful and open-hearted.

“Luna.”

“Luna.”

A sudden voice startled them both.

“What is it, Gamma?” Luna Amarlylis stepped forward as Gamma ran toward her in panic.

“The rogues are growing wilder! We need to report this to the Alpha. I’ve been searching for him, but he’s nowhere to be found!” Gamma exclaimed.

“Wait, Gamma. The Alpha doesn’t want to be disturbed right now. Don’t you dare enter his chamber,” Luna warned.

“But Luna—”

“Let the rogues calm down first, then the Alpha will take action,” Luna advised. Gamma wanted to protest, knowing how dire the situation had become in the kingdom.

“The situation’s getting worse, Luna. The rogues are starting to destroy the kingdom’s order!” Gamma said anxiously.

“Bring in additional troops from my kingdom,” Fabio ordered firmly.

“Yes, Alpha.” Gamma quickly left Luna Amarlylis and Fabio.

“Hah… Did Alpha Zach ever mention anything to you perhaps about a girl he loved?” Luna Amarlylis asked, returning to the previous topic.

“I don’t think so. Wait actually, once he mentioned feeling his heart race and catching the scent of a girl’s fragrance, but he didn’t specify who she was,” Fabio said, trying to recall.

“Was she his mate, Fabio?” Luna asked worriedly.

“It seems so, Luna.”

“Oh God… Then why didn’t he acknowledge his mate?” Luna Amarlylis pressed her hand to her forehead.

“I don’t know, Luna. The Alpha tends to be cold and keeps everything to himself. Maybe you should ask Beta Kenzo he might know something.”

“Wait a moment.”

“What is it, Luna?”

“I remember there was a girl who once tried to stop Alpha Zach and Luna Keona’s wedding. She claimed that Zach had marked her. But no one believed her back then. Instead, the Alpha banished her from the pack,” Luna said, her voice trembling.

“Call the Beta here.”

“I’ll go get him right away,” Fabio said and went off to find the Beta.

“Luna asked for me?” the Beta said as he approached.

“Come here. I need to ask you something.” The Beta nodded.

“Did Alpha ever tell you he fell in love with a girl?” The question made the Beta frown slightly.

“As far as I know, Alpha never mentioned anything like that,” he replied. Indeed, Alpha had never spoken to him about any woman.

“It’s just that—” The Beta paused for a brief moment.

“Did something happen?” Luna asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

“On the night of the full moon,” the Beta began cautiously, “I saw Alpha coming out of the royal guest chamber… and I could smell the scent of a female wolf who had just been marked and mated from inside.”