Adide’s POV
I had just returned to the Frostfang Pack when <b>I </b>saw Beta Fabian waiting for me in the Packhouse conference hall.
Beata told me that Fabian had been waiting for a while.
He <b>was </b>dressed neatly, carrying the air of royalty–authoritative and proper.
“This is a new order from Lycan Erasmus,” Beta Fabian said, handing me a sealed scroll bearing the royal wolf–head stamp.
I opened it and was stunned. It said that if I couldn’t find a suitable mate in three months, I’d be summoned to the pce as the New Moon Priestess.
My cedar pheromones froze instantly. The silver–blue wolf hair behind my ears bristled like steel needles.
My nails shot out three inches, scratching the parchment and leaving five scorched marks with a sulfurous smell.
“Three months… New Moon Priestess?” The howl that rumbled in my throat shattered the hall’s crystal chandelier. The shards hovered in the air, sharpened into ice spikes by my chaotic pheromones.
In my mind’s eye, my wolf was tearing at the bonding chains.
Its golden–red pupils reflected the moon goddess blood oath on the scroll. “They want to pull out your fangs and turn you into a breeding bitch!”
Beta Fabian’s pheromones struggled to calm my cedar aura. “Calm down, Alpha Adide…….”
I quickly had everyone leave, except Beta Fabian.
“Beta Fabian, tell me honestly, what is Lycan Erasmus really up to?”
Beta Fabian lowered his head slightly, his gaze cautious.
“Alpha Adide, don’t panic,” he tried to soothe me. “From the Lycan King’s perspective, maybe he thinks three months is enough time for the right person to emerge.”
I disagreed, my voice edged with anger, “If he genuinely wanted me as New Moon Priestess, why the pretense? This three–month thing is just to embarrass me publicly.”
Beta Fabian shook his head gently.“Alpha Adide, consider this: he might be testing if anyone would defy this order to be with you. It’s a way to measure your future mate’s loyalty.”
“A <b>test</b>?<b>” </b><b>I </b>sneered. “What kind of test is this? Who would dare be with me once this order’s out?”
Beta <b>Fabian </b>sighed helplessly.“You see Lycan Erasmus <b>as </b>an older brother. He worries about your Second Chance<b>; </b>it makes <b>sense</b><b>.” </b>
<b>1/3 </b>
<b>I </b>clenched my fists, furious.“What’s the difference between this and forcing me into the priesthood?”
In my mind, my wolf was biting at the golden cor in the void.
<b>Its </b>silver–blue fur stood on end, and in my mental realm, it kicked up a hurricaneden with <b>ice </b><b>des</b>.
“Bullshit! Damn it!”
It roared in my head.
Beta Fabian was speechless.
Seeing him sigh, I grew more restless.
I knew this wasn’t simple.
I’d known Lycan Erasmus since childhood, but I didn’t understand how he operated.
When I studied at the Shadow Peaks, we barely contacted each other.
After I returned, my father and brothers had already died. I was too busy dealing with changes to think about him.
Now, this strange order left me puzzled.
Why issue this after I dissolved my mate bond and went to war?
He had Lycan Luna gauge my stance first, then set this three–month deadline.
What did it all mean?
Was it really, as Beta Fabian said, to test my future mate?
But that was too harsh.
After Beta Fabian left, Beata told me Paisley and the others had finally woken from their long sleep.
They washed up, still sleepy, and devoured the food on the table like ravenous wolves.
When I arrived, the table was clean.
Halbert sat slumped in his chair, hair messy, clearly unkempt.
Rubbing his round belly, he said weakly,“Slept so long, even my dreams <b>were </b>busy. One moment I was fighting on the battlefield, next I was marching back to the capital. Tiring stuff.”
<b>Paisley </b>frowned and said,“Same here. My dreams were full of des and blood, Killing felt nothing on the battlefield, but now it haunts me. I never want to go to war again.”
<b>Avery </b>and Ang exchanged nces and nodded, sharing the sentiment.
<b>2/3 </b>
Looking <b>at </b>them, I said seriously, “Think about it: if you don’t kill them<b>, </b>they’ll kill our warriors. <b>Better </b>them dead than our people <b>sacrificed</b>. They invaded the Southern Border, killing our warriors and tormenting locals for years. Mercy to them <b>is </b>cruelty to our people.”
“<b>Makes </b><b>sense</b><b>,</b>” Paisley said.
“Adide, <b>we </b>n to return to the Shadow Peaks,” Ang said.
Though they didn’t borate, I understood.
The war and killings had left them conflicted and restless.
<b>3/3 </b>