LPR 5

For Gloria, there had never been a happier march than this one. More specifically, there had never been a happier day than this, the day of Estelle and Lennon's engagement party.

Gloria awoke feeling refreshed. Her skin glowed from the restful sleep she had had the night before. She was grateful to her family doctor, Pippa Callahan, for administering a tranquilizer at just the right time. After all, the euphoria of happiness could be a double-edged sword. That happiness had caused her endorphins to surge, leaving her feeling so energized that she almost couldn't sleep.

With her body refreshed and full of energy, Gloria was now ready to face what was sure to be a long day. She got out of bed and grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand. She wanted to call Natalie Davies, the watcher of the Noctilux Pack Palace, to make sure all the preparations for the day were going smoothly.

A smile immediately spread across Gloria's face. Aside from her joy over Estelle's engagement, the fact that her future son-in-law was an Alpha only added to her happiness. Estelle was truly lucky, she thought. Out of all the women in the world, Lennon had chosen her to be his partner and future Luna.

Gloria was confident that the Palace would make the engagement party as perfect as possible, with meticulous attention to detail. After all, she had known Natalie for many years and considered her one of the most meticulous people she had ever known.

Still, Gloria couldn't resist the urge to check on the preparations. Natalie was probably busy, but Gloria promised herself the call wouldn't take long. She just wanted to ask a question or two, and then...

A sight made all of Gloria's thoughts vanish in an instant. She decided not to call Natalie. Putting the phone back on the nightstand, she got up and walked over to Roland, who was sitting on the sofa with a newspaper in his lap.

The newspaper was open, Roland's eyes were fixed on it. But Gloria could see the emptiness in his eyes. He wasn't reading it, as it seemed; instead, he was daydreaming.

"Roland?"

Roland remained silent, not answering Gloria's call.

"Roland," Gloria called again. This time she shook Roland's shoulder. "Roland."

Roland began, blinking and turning reflexively. "G-Gloria," he stammered. "You're awake?"

Gloria rolled her eyes once. "Of course I'm awake. Then again, are you still asleep that you didn't answer my call earlier?"

"Oh, forgive me." Roland closed the newspaper and put it back on the table. He briefly wiped his face. "I guess I didn't get enough sleep. I should have taken the sedative Pippa gave me."

Gloria knew that wasn't the reason. After all, she had been married to Roland for more than 30 years. She knew his nature very well, including the fact that Roland never had trouble sleeping. On the contrary, he had a unique habit that she greatly envied: falling asleep within five minutes of his head hitting the pillow.

"You don't have to try to deceive me, Roland," Gloria said as she also sat down. She looked at Roland lovingly. "Tell me honestly. Are you still worried about this engagement?"

Roland remained silent.

Gloria closed her eyes for a moment. "I mean, are you still worried about the relationship between Estelle and Alpha Lennon?"

In the end Roland couldn't avoid it. He groaned in despair. "You know my worries best, Gloria. I try to ignore them, but I can't. As soon as my mind is empty, they're what I think about."

Gloria nodded. "I know, but there's nothing we can do about a couple that loves each other, Roland. You know that. So can't you accept their relationship with a truly open heart?"

"I tried, Gloria. For God's sake! I tried without you reminding me, but I'm really worried," Roland said again, his expression showing helplessness. He wiped his face again, this time a little more roughly than before. "I'm really afraid that something bad will happen to Estelle. I can't bear to see our daughter suffer, Gloria."

This time Gloria kept silent. As a woman, she could well understand Roland's worries. In fact, she had seen a similar situation before, just before they got married.

Gloria knew that her late father had also had trouble sleeping for several nights when she was about to marry Roland. It wasn't that her father didn't like Roland, but she believed that there was always something that made a father reluctant to let go of his daughter. He was simply saddened by the passage of time and the realization that his beloved daughter would be taken care of by another man.

Gloria's belief was confirmed by Roland's last words. Roland simply didn't want to see Estelle suffer. It seemed that Roland felt that only he could protect Estelle and bring her happiness.

That was the boundless love of a father. Gloria didn't argue. Instead, she said, "I believe Alpha Lennon will not make Estelle suffer, Roland. Alpha Lennon will certainly make Estelle happy."

Roland looked frustrated, almost grimacing. "Gloria."

"Calm down, Roland," Gloria continued and reached for Roland's hand. She squeezed his fingers with deep affection. "Everything will be fine. Estelle will be happy for the rest of her life. After all, Estelle is the happiest woman in the world right now. She will be the mate of an Alpha. She will be a Luna."

"That's the problem, Gloria! That's the problem!"

Gloria was startled when Roland suddenly pulled his hand away from hers. Then he stood up and raised his face with both hands on his hips. His eyes were closed as if he couldn't bear to imagine what might happen.

"That's the problem, Gloria. Why did Estelle have to choose Alpha Lennon out of all the men in the world? Why?"

Gloria was astonished. Roland's behavior just now was enough to shake her. Roland had never acted this way before. Normally Roland was calm and always in control. "Roland."

"I can accept any man Estelle loves. I accept him. I will respect her choice. But this one is very hard for me to accept, Gloria," Roland continued, shaking his head once. Then he turned and looked at Gloria with a sorrow he couldn't hide. "Life in The Palace is not easy. It is full of intrigue. You know that very well, Gloria. On the outside, life in The Palace seems very pleasant, but inside it is full of pressure and cruel power plays. I..." He took a deep breath and then sighed heavily. "...can't bear to see her get caught up in pack conflicts and get hurt."

Roland's thoughts went deeper than Gloria had expected, leaving her silent. She thought about his words and recognized the truth in them.

"I just don't want to see Estelle suffer, Gloria."

Gloria swallowed hard. She tried to smile, to calm herself. Then she stood up and approached Roland with unsteady steps as his fears began to seep into her own thoughts. "Estelle will not suffer, Roland. Alpha Lennon loves her. So, I am sure that Alpha Lennon will take the best care of Estelle. Alpha Lennon will—"

"Alpha Lennon. Alpha Lennon. Alpha Lennon." Roland's face hardened. His jaw clenched. "He's the one I doubt the most, Gloria. Is it possible that he cares about Estelle? Is it possible that Alpha Lennon really loves Estelle?"

Gloria's lips turned pale. "Please, Roland."

"I keep thinking about it, Gloria, and I can't find a single reason that explains how Alpha Lennon could love Estelle."

Gloria shook her head, hoping that Roland would stop expressing his fears. Because she was starting to feel the same way. "Roland."

"The Montague family has served the Alpha family for generations, Gloria. So, we are the ones who understand the situation in the Palace best, aside from the Alpha family. We both know that the conflict in The Palace is far from over."

Gloria nodded stiffly, acknowledging the truth in Roland's words. "I know that, Roland."

"There's another thing that really worries me, Gloria," Roland continued with palpable anxiety, sweat already dampening his face and body. "All this time we had a close relationship with the previous Alpha, Charles Pendleton. In fact, we openly supported Charles when he decided to appoint his youngest son, Wade Pendleton, as the next Alpha. Then things got out of hand when some people showed their dissatisfaction, causing Wade to step down from his Alpha position and leave the Noctilux Pack altogether.

The memory of this event was vivid in Gloria's mind. For her, it was one of the most difficult times for the Noctilux Pack. Power struggles had always been a serious problem. Unfortunately, her family had been involved, though not too deeply.

"I know, Roland, but that was a long time ago and has nothing to do with Estelle. Besides, things are quiet now."

Roland dramatically closed his eyes. "Appearing quiet doesn't mean it is quiet, Gloria. The situation in the Palace will always be tense. Besides, Alberto, Alpha Lennon's father, will never let his guard down. He will always suspect that one day Wade will return to reclaim everything. He believes that Charles didn't favor him, even though he was the firstborn. He remains convinced that Charles disliked his son, Alpha Lennon, as much as Charles disliked him.”

At this point, Roland doubted that the conflict would ever end. Wade's departure from the Palace and the Noctilux Pack wasn't enough for his brother and nephew. To them, Wade was a threat, a figure to be constantly watched.

But the reality was different. As an outsider with close ties to the Alpha's family, Roland knew that Wade had no desire to be Alpha. That's why Wade had no qualms when Alberto and his followers continued to pressure him to leave the Noctilux Pack.

Roland felt sorry for the unfortunate events that had happened to Wade, but there was nothing he could do about it. As part of the pack, his priority was to support anything that would ensure peace for all.

Unfortunately, Roland's own peace was disturbed. Years after the incident, he was startled by the revelation that Lennon loved Estelle.

"One more thing, Gloria," Roland didn't want to forget the most important part of his concern. The most important thing of all. "If I remember correctly, Alpha Lennon was once attracted to Kiara. But now he's in love with Estelle? Don't you find that strange?"

Gloria took a deep breath. All of Roland's suspicions made sense, without exception. But she tried to stay calm. "Everything you say is true, Roland, but I'm sure that everything will be fine. Besides, Alpha Lennon only met Kiara a few times, and I think it was because he wanted to find out more about Estelle."

This time Gloria's answer sounded reasonable. Roland fell silent, although his mind was still busy with all his other suspicions.

On the other hand, Gloria knew it would be a challenge to calm Roland's worries. She didn't want to pressure him, but rather reassure him that everything would be fine.

So, Gloria took Roland's hand. She smiled reassuringly after she had managed to calm her own worries. "Let's pray for the best for Estelle, Roland. Besides, we're still here. We're still with Estelle. So, I think everything will be okay."

Roland couldn't speak. Maybe it was too late for him to voice his concerns. Maybe he should have forbidden his daughters to get involved with the Alpha family from the beginning. After all, the engagement party was coming up. Estelle and Lennon weren't officially engaged yet, but their bond was as strong as if they were. To break off the engagement would be an unforgivable act.

Now Roland could only make a promise to himself. Whatever happened, even if it meant facing Lennon and the entire pack, he would do everything to ensure Estelle's safety.

The promise echoed in Roland's mind, then melted and merged with every drop of blood that flowed in his body. He would do anything, and then Estelle's embrace stirred his emotions.

Roland calmed his heart. He had suppressed all the fears that had nearly driven him mad. Unfortunately, that morning at the breakfast table, Estelle hugged him tightly and said, "I miss Mom and Dad.

Roland was stunned to see tears rolling down Estelle's cheeks. He panicked. "Estelle, why are you crying?" he asked, wiping away her tears. "Tell me, what's wrong?" He glanced at Gloria before asking again, "Is something going on between you and Alpha?"

Estelle smiled and shook her head. "No, Dad. Nothing is happening. Alpha Lennon and I are fine. You don't have to worry."

Roland closed his eyes in relief. "Thank goodness." But that didn't satisfy his curiosity. "Then why are you crying? You said you miss Mom and Dad. Uh, what do you mean?"

Estelle understood Roland's confusion, but she just smiled. "I didn't mean anything, Dad. Maybe I'm just too excited about today. Anyway, this is the happiest day for me."

Roland only glanced at Estelle's explanation. At first, he didn't believe her. Something could have happened, but Estelle was lying.

But then Roland was surprised when he looked into Estelle's eyes. There were still tears, but he couldn't ignore the happiness radiating from them. Estelle's eyes were sparkling with joy. She seemed so happy.

Roland couldn't help it. He thought Estelle really loved Lennon, and for parents, nothing was more important than praying for their children's happiness. Besides, he thought, maybe Gloria's words were right—everything will be okay.

*