CHAPTER 2: THE CONSPIRACY

However, she wasn’t born a coward. Her mother taught her better than that.

“Veda, when did I say that I don’t respect the Moon Goddess? Don’t you dare feed words in my mouth!” she angrily shouted at Veda who was speaking misleading words and without waiting for her to refute, Elowyn shifted her focus to Hilary and took a deep breath.

Hilary didn’t hurry her up but waited until she could speak.

“Hilary, is that you have found her? Why didn’t you ….. why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why did you have to wait until this very day to humiliate me like this? What motives do you and everyone else here have to watch me acting like a fool? Why did you do this? Just tell me why?” her voice was shaking as she tearfully looked at Hilary. Her gaze filled with pleading.

He could have just rejected her, broke up with her peacefully without going to such great lengths. So why did he do this? She just couldn’t understand.

“He did it for me!”

“You ….. what do you mean?” Elowyn asked, disbelief in her tone as she looked at the two.

She was especially hurt when looking at Hilary. How could he do all this to hurt her?

What wrong did she do to deserve all that?

However, Veda rolled her eyes disdainfully as she looked at her, her arms intimately hooked with Hilary’s and responded to Elowyn, “I believe that you aren’t illiterate. It is as you have heard. So, if you may …. Can you make yourself scarce? We have a ceremony to complete here!”

Elowyn gnashed her teeth, with clenched fists as she looked pleadingly at Hilary, hoping that he would say something different. But the man she had spent three years with, simply looked at his beta and coldly instructed, “Take her to the cell to await her final judgement. Don’t let her cause a scene!” his tone filled with unquestionable authority.

Hilary’s beta acknowledged the command. “Yes, Alpha. I will let her out of your sight!”

Elowyn felt completely defeated as all power slipped out of her.

“Haha,” she laughed mockingly as she looked at the couple who were blessed by the Moon Goddess and suddenly found herself a great fool.

If only she didn’t save him back then, perhaps she wouldn’t be this hurt today. Unfortunately, it was too late to regret it.

What if ….?

“Ms. Elowyn, please!” however, her thoughts were cut midway as the beta’s cold voice jolted her back to reality.

She raised her head to look at the man who used to smile at her and speak respectfully to her. And yet at this very moment, it was if he was looking at an enemy.

She wanted to cause a scene and not easily agree but when she looked at Hilary and saw that indifference in his eyes. She deflated and lowered her head in defeat.

“You win!” she numbly said as she turned her body around.

Under the scorching eyes of many, she left the place embarrassedly, overhearing the mocking laughter of the people who once treated her like a treasure.

“She is too pitiful!”

“Haha. Who made her human? Did she think that such a position would be given to a mere human who isn’t even our Alpha’s mate?”

“I didn’t like Elowyn ever since she came to the pack. Thankfully, she has now been discarded.”

“According to the rules, she should be either enslaved or banished from the pack.”

“What’s the point of doing all that? She is a dangerous person. It’s better to just kill her. That way, we can continue to keep the secret of our existence!”

“That’s a good idea!”

The farther she went from the scene, the more she couldn’t hear what these people were saying about her.

Still dressed in her customized wedding gown, she dragged her feet as the beta followed behind her plus three more warriors who were designated to send her to the cell.

To think that there was going to be a day when she was going to be locked up. She felt very ………. It felt unreal to her.

The walk lasted for nearly twenty minutes or so and she shortly found herself locked in a dirty cell. They didn’t even bother to guard her but left directly, eager to witness the wonderful ceremony between the Alpha and the Luna.

Elowyn remained on her own as she recalled how beautiful life used to be even when she knew that Hilary’s heart didn’t contain her at all.

“What a foolish dream! If only I have listened to my mama’s advice to the very end. Haha, maybe I wouldn’t be despairing here right now!” huddled in the corner with her hands placed above her knees, she mockingly laughed at herself, tears streaming down her cheeks.

At moments like these, she couldn’t help but think more about her deceased mother. If she was alive, she would be scolding or beating her severely.

“I miss you so much!” she mumbled emotionally as tears continued to stream down her cheeks, falling deeper into her misery.

****

Meanwhile, on the other side, the ceremony went perfectly well after Elowyn was kicked away.

The pack was in celebratory mode now that their pack had a Luna and their Alpha no longer had to be depressed. The love between their leaders was something that they envied. How could a mere human being come between them?

After the ceremony, Hilary and Veda went to their room, which was Hilary’s bedroom.

Inside the room, the two lovers were embarrassed standing against the floor to ceiling window while looking at the celebrations still ongoing with smiles on their faces.

“I can’t believe that I finally found you and made you, my mate. I am thankful that you haven’t given up on finding me, Hilary,” Veda’s grateful voice sounded, touching Hilary who had never stopped thinking about her even for a moment.

Hilary planted a kiss on top of her head while tightening his hold on her and responded, “We are fated with each other. How can I give up on you?”

This was the woman he was so dearly in love with even before he learnt that she would be his mate. Only the Moon Goddess would understand how obsessed he was with Veda. It hurt his heart back then when she just vanished after they both learnt the truth about their mating.

Thankfully, he still found her and her feelings for him were deep.

Veda sniffed after hearing that and tearfully responded, “thank you very much. If it weren’t for me … you …. You wouldn’t have Elowyn take advantage of you,” her tone filled with grievance, he felt as if someone was squeezing his heart. He didn’t like that feeling at all.

[Tche ….. I told you. Since the bond wasn’t cut, we should continue searching for our mate. But you just have to fool around with a human!] inside his head, his wolf, Adolf arrogantly scolded.

Hilary gnashed his teeth as he listened to that voice and retorted using a mental link. ‘Don’t act like you didn’t like her!?’

[So, what if I did? At the end of the day, she is not suited for us.]

‘Then what do you expect me to do? I already embarrassed her enough!’

[Huh, do you think that’s enough? Veda’s wolf is in pain and so is she. As long as Elowyn remain here and Veda continues to see her. What do you think will happen? What if she schemes against Veda and plots against our pups? Do you want to see that happening?]

Hilary’s eyes narrowed when he heard that, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes and coldly responded, ‘She wouldn’t dare do that!’

[Heh, she is hurt. What can’t a hurt woman do? Have you forgotten what your mother did?]

‘You ….’ He was so angry and wished to pummel Adolf badly but before he could finish, Veda’s voice sounded, “Hilary … you ….  Could it be that you still have feelings for Elowyn?” sounding very wronged and her body trembling as if she was crying.