My Alpha husband, Ryder, has always hated the sound of a crying pup. But recently, he started caring for my adopted sister's newborn pup, staying by its side in the nursery every night until dawn. Every time Ryder left our bedroom for the nursery, an inexplicable stabbing pain would pierce through my chest. This agony would last all night until dawn when he returned. I had finally reached my breaking point. At the Full Moon Festival, I announced in front of the entire pack that I was rejecting our mate bond. The pack's mind-link erupted with whispers that the battle had damaged my mind. A golden light ignited in Ryder's eyes as he stared at me in disbelief. "Because I was too busy to check on you when you were injured, you're rejecting our bond over a six month old pup?" I didn't meet his eyes. Instead, my gaze lingered on the faint lipstick mark smudged inside his collar. My voice trembled, yet it did not waver. "Since you love her pup so much, once our bond is severed, you can openly be the father."
Lihat lebih banyak上に登れば登るほど酸素は薄く、気温も低温傾向にある。
しかし、この者たちは鍛錬を積み重ねた強靭たちばかりが集められている為、何の心配もいらないようだ。 一人の男が言う。「|阿可《アーグァ》様! あそこに廟があります!」
「よし、見つけたな! そこへ向かうぞ!」
|突厥《とっけつ》の|阿可《アーグァ》たちは目先にある廟へ向かって険しい岩場を進む。
様々な木が生い茂り、視界を遮るように霧が立ち込めている。 進むのも後戻りをするのも困難な場所だが、彼らは行く手を止めようとしない。木枝や葉を踏み鳴らす音だけが響き、皆黙々と登り続けると、突厥たちはようやく山の頂上の岩場に聳え立つ、小さな廟に到着した。「本当にここなんですか?」
「あぁ。間違いない。早く扉を壊せ」
|阿可《アーグァ》の命令に従い、数人の下の者たちが、硬く封じられた扉を抉じ開ける。しかし、扉自体は開くものの強力な呪符で護られているせいか、中に踏み込む事ができない。
|阿可《アーグァ》は「チッ」と舌打ちしながら、預かっていた一枚の呪符を胸元から取り出し、扉の中に投げ入れた。 すると、たちまち呪符の効力が消え、ただの物小屋のような空間が広がり始めた。「さすがです! |阿可《アーグァ》様!」
下の者たちから煽てられて気分の良い|阿可《アーグァ》は、颯爽と中に入り、この廟に祀られていた|三神寳《さんしんほう》の一つ・|神漣剣《しんれんけん》を手に取る。
「これが|呂熙《リューシー》殿が欲しいと言っていた神剣か……」
ひとしきり眺めた後、|阿可《アーグァ》は|神漣剣《しんれんけん》の隣に置いてあった符術書・|万墨帛書《ばんぼくはくしょ》と、青銅製の鳥の形をした銅鏡・|神翼鏡《しんよくきょう》も手に取って胸元に仕舞った。|阿可《アーグァ》は踵を返そうと足元に目を遣ると、石段に何やら文字が彫られているのに気付いた。
しかし、|阿可《アーグァ》は突厥の人間な為、この国の文字が読めない。「おい! この文字を読める者はいないか?」
「いやぁ……、分かりません」
「ふんっ。そうか、まぁいい。早く出るぞ」
|阿可《アーグァ》は近くにいた下の者たちを急かせ、一緒に廟の外へ出る。
すると突然、轟々と鳴り響く猛烈な山鳴りがそこにいた者たちの耳を劈いた! まるで、ここに重鎮している山の神が、天に向かって怒りを表しているかのようだ。 すると、次から次へと地響きも鳴り始め激しい雨が降り出す。 「おい! 急いで退散するぞ!」『は、はい!』
|阿可《アーグァ》たちは、急いでこの激しい崖を次々と飛び降りていった。
廟の中はもぬけの殻となり、激しい雨が扉を無情に叩く。 扉から漏れる雷光が、石段の文字を何度も虚しく照らしていた━︎━︎。在天願爲比翼鳥
在地願爲󠄀漣󠄀理枝
天長地久有時盡
此恨緜緜無盡期
天井にあっては比翼の鳥
地上にあっては連理の枝となって 永遠に離れずにいましょうと 永遠の天空、恒久な大地 それらはいつか終わりの時がやってくる しかし、この悲しみだけはいつまでも連綿と続くことだろう(白居昜「長恨歌」より)
Later, I heard that Ryder's howls could often be heard in the wilderness. He couldn't believe he had fallen so low.He searched everywhere for a pack that would take him in, only to find that no pack would even grant him the lowest Omega status.Ryder's crime of betraying his mate and defiling his bloodline was so heinous that he had become a disgrace to the entire werewolf world.By the time he finally realized this, it was too late. He had lost everything.As a lone wolf, Ryder howled in anguish every full moon. He truly had nothing now.He had lost his Alpha status and had to endure the suffering of having no pack to protect him.I felt no sympathy for him. This was his just deserts.With his body broken and his status gone, his mind grew more and more unstable.Meanwhile, my pack, under the leadership of the new Alpha, Liam, was growing more prosperous and powerful, and new alliances brought in abundant resources.When Ryder heard the news of my improving life, he dragged his pathe
"If she wants to see me, she has to see Ryder first and confess everything to him.""Including her true identity and her real reasons for getting close to Ryder."I agreed to my adopted sister Lyra's request to see me, but I had already sensed that she had never truly loved Ryder.My investigation had shown that Lyra had already been marked and bonded to another lone wolf. I just wanted to see the despair on Ryder's face when he learned the truth.I brought Lyra to his medical room. When Ryder saw her, his wolf eyes instantly lit up with a golden glow.He wiped away his bloody tears and struggled from the bed, lunging toward Lyra. He grabbed her wrist with a trembling hand and said with deep affection."Lyra, you finally came to see me. I knew you wouldn't abandon me.""I know you must still love me. We can run away from here together, become lone wolves. I swear I'll protect you and the child..."I realized then that the truth was far crueler than I had imagined. Now that Ryder had
Unable to contact any of Ryder's blood relatives, the physician had no choice but to mind-link me, his former Luna, to handle the situation.Looking at him lying bloody and mangled in the medical bay, I felt nothing. Not a shred of pity. I turned to leave.He weakly pulled out a communication crystal, trying to contact Lyra, but he couldn't get through.He cried out in despair, his pained howls echoing through the medical bay like those of a dying lone wolf.I didn't ask where he had wandered on the pack borders these past days, because he and I were no longer connected in any way.The mind-link was filled with accusations and curses against him. Having lost his Alpha title, Ryder was facing unprecedented scorn from the werewolf community."Shameless betrayer! Serves him right! He had a Luna and still slept with her adopted sister. Scum like that deserves to be torn to shreds!""A lone wolf who taints the bloodline should be exiled to his death! He had such a good Luna and still chose
The Great Elder solemnly took the golden scroll, and the light of the Moon Goddess instantly illuminated the entire council hall."This is a paternity test report witnessed by the Moon Goddess herself. No werewolf can question its authenticity."He unrolled the scroll and announced in a loud voice, "The analysis confirms the blood relationship between the pup and Alpha Ryder is that of father and son.""The result is one hundred percent accurate, witnessed by the Moon Goddess herself."The hall instantly erupted with a thunderous roar of fury.Every werewolf was furiously cursing Ryder and Lyra in the mind-link."Liar! A complete and utter liar!""He made us wrong the Luna for so long!""A beast like that doesn't deserve to be our Alpha!"Ryder broke. He collapsed to the floor.He couldn't believe the result. He had never imagined his elaborate scheme would end like this."How could this be? How did you know the truth all along?"The Great Elder rose with great authority, his voice th
Ryder shot to his feet, shouting in a trembling voice, "Esteemed Elders, think about it. Even a Truth Crystal can be altered!"The furious voices in the hall quieted slightly as some pack members began to whisper."The Alpha has a point. Magical items can be tampered with.""Could the Luna have really forged the evidence?"I let out a cold laugh and pulled a scroll shimmering with silver light from my satchel.It was a certificate confirming that this Truth Crystal had been divinely blessed by the ancient witch of the Full Moon Forest, guaranteeing its absolute authenticity under the law of the Moon Goddess.The Great Elder took the certificate, examined it carefully, and nodded. "This guarantee is authentic. The recordings in this crystal cannot be altered."Ryder's Beta supporters immediately tried to win sympathy for him. "If the Luna wasn't always so busy with pack politics and neglecting the Alpha, how could he have made such a mistake?""What Alpha doesn't want to spend time with
"My first piece of evidence." I slid a crystal across the table. "It contains the howls of my wolf on every night you claimed I was 'imagining things.' A wolf's pain, as the Elders know, cannot be faked." The Great Elder activated the crystal, and immediately the hall filled with the sound of a wolf's heartbroken cries.Raw, primal sounds of betrayal and anguish made every werewolf in the room shudder with recognition.But Ryder immediately protested, "These are all fake! She's forcing her wolf to make these sounds to manipulate everyone!"I ignored him, gestured to the second piece of evidence, the Truth Crystal, shimmering with magical light before the Elder Council.The werewolves looking on were still buzzing from Ryder's accusation, their derision echoing through the mind-link once more."She's just making things up now. If the howls were forced, this is probably fake too.""Her fate is sealed, but she's still putting up a pointless struggle..."The hall buzzed with chatter, the
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