Adide’s POV
Hearing the pack guard’s words, Beata’s eyes widened in shock.
“She dare show up here? And copses at our Frostfang Pack border–what’s her y?”
The pack guard exined, “She came with a few others. There’s someone iming to be Alpha Ulrik’s <b>sister</b>, wailing about Rosemary’s illness, begging you to lift the ban and let Shaman Digby treat her.”
Beata indignantly retorted, “How absurd! Doctor Digby’s refusal to treat her stems from her own misconduct. How could this be attributed to Alpha Adide’s order?”
I asked the guard, “Where’s Valentin? Has he taken charge?”
“Beta Valentin’s stepped out. He sent me to inform you not to intervene,” the guard replied, clearly annoyed. She paused to steady her breath. “They’re weeping outside, drawing a crowd from other packs.”
I inquired further, “Has Ulrik arrived?”
“No sign of him or Velda,” the guard answered.
I tied my hair into a ponytail and said, “Let’s take a distant look and see what they’re up to.”
Beata advised against it, “We better not go. Their rhetoric is bound to be unreasonable. Let’s avoid unnecessary upset.”
I responded, “It’s fine. When they tried to exile me, they threw all sorts of nder at me. This is nothing inparison.”
With that, I strode out, Beata following closely.
Approaching the pack border, I spotted Rosemary with Simon and Tamara.
Sabrina trailed behind them.
Rosemary, iming a twisted ankle, sat at the Frostfang Pack’s border entrance and wailed.
Her emaciated hand clutched the border pir, her knuckles whitening from strain. “Adide, I treated you like my own daughter. Did you ever suffer a grievance in the Bloodmoon Pack? You sought Lycan Erasmus’s help to dissolve your mate bond with Ulrik. Why harbor resentment against me? Knowing my reliance on Shaman Digby’s medicine, you forbid him entry into the Bloodmoon Pack. Is this not a death sentence for me?”
I couldn’t help but smirk.
Lingering in the shadows, I flicked my ears slightly to catch every detail of their disy.
Sabrina knelt beside Rosemary, also sobbing dramatically. “Adide, how can you be so ungrateful? When
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the Frostfang Pack faced disaster, my mother–fearing you’d sumb to despair–spent nightsforting you, lest you harm yourself. Moreover, I expended considerable Bloodmoon Pack funds to support you. Now, with your achievements and status, you show such cruelty?”
Clutching her chest and trembling<i>, </i>she pointed usingly at the Frostfang Pack’s entrance.
Her throat emitted a choked whine intermingled with a howl. “When you dissolved the mate bond, you vowed to always regard me as your family. Yet now you…”
Her coughing fit intensified, her moon grass bracelet casting chaotic glimmers on her wrist.
Onlookers from other packs murmured and cast reproachful nces toward the Frostfang Pack.
They recalled seeing me lead Frostfang members away from the Bloodmoon Pack, our vehiclesden with boxes and disassembled furniture.
In light of Rosemary’s usations, their gaze turned critical.
“Parting ways amicably is one thing, but why block someone’s means of survival?”
“Luna Rosemary treated her so kindly, standing by her during the Frostfang Pack’s massacre. Now look at this.”
“Alpha Ulrik and Velda’s bonding was sanctioned by Lycan Erasmus. It doesn’t affect her. Why can’t she let it be?”
I absorbed every word.
Lowering my gaze to Rosemary, I noted the frost wolf crest on her wrist–a token I’d personally ced on this “family” when I joined the Bloodmoon Pack.
The crest endured, but our bond was shattered.
“Alpha Bentley lived with integrity, and his sons were valiant warriors. Why isn’t his daughter cut from the same cloth? She’s too ruthless. She’ll incur the Moon Goddess’s wrath.”
Beta Valentin and two omegas stood calmly at the Frostfang Pack border. They listened without haste or defense.
Only when Rosemary’s sobs faded into hups, and the crowd’s chatter grew, did Valentin step forward.
His tone was even and unprovocative. “Rosemary, I am Beta Valentin of the Frostfang Pack. Please, rise from the ground and return to your carriage. Allow me to address everyone.”
Valentin stood ramrod straight, his voice steady and non–confrontational.
Rosemary looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot. “You’re merely a Beta. How dare you speak for her? She is the Frostfang Alpha. Let here forth. I demand to know if she intends to annihte the Bloodmoon Pack.”
Valentin smiled faintly and replied, “I manage the pack’s affairs. If every matter required Alpha Adide’s
direct involvement, what purpose would I serve as Beta?”
He took a roster from Omega Ivy. The lengthy document unrolled to the ground as he spoke.
“This lists the personal assets Alpha Adide brought to the Bloodmoon Pack when she and Alpha Ulrik bonded.”