The coronation of Alpha Gareth of Vaelwynd was met with expectation, euphoria, and joy.
The wolf beastfolks were immensely grateful that their true Alpha had finally returned.
Now that Gareth was back, they would no longer have to feel humiliated when the Court of Moonlight began, nor did they have to worry as much about being invaded by the other monarchs.
However, Gareth was far from happy.
He walked through the long and cold corridors of the castle, wearing the cape that had been prepared for him six months ago.
He had tried to relax after taking a long bath, but his mind kept drifting back to Klaus’s death and Lily’s situation with that devious fox.
Even though he had regained his title as the Alpha of the West Wolf Pack, Gareth felt nothing but sadness.
Because for the first time in his life, he felt truly…
lonely.
Without his best friend.
Without his beloved woman.
He sat on the throne inside the castle, looking down at Roland, Elder Wulfric, and a few other elders who knelt solemnly before him.
Meanwhile, Willow entered the throne room not long after Gareth had taken his seat.
She breezed through the crowd of kneeling wolves and stood right next to the throne.
Gareth did not object to her presence because Willow was practically the little sister everyone loved, and he held the same sentiment toward her.
Willow had grown up in the castle alongside him and was well loved by everyone.
She had never held anything against him, even when she had been arranged and forced to become Gareth’s future mate.
She had never resented him for it.
Instead, she had told him not to adhere too closely to the old rules because she did not want their arrangement to ruin their childhood friendship.
Thus, Gareth had always held Willow with the fondness of an older brother.
Perhaps, to put it bluntly, the way Gareth saw Willow was much like how Lily saw him.
Pure, with not an ounce of romanticism beneath it, the same way one would love a sibling.
Which was ironic, because Gareth secretly hated being seen that way by Lily.
After all, he had been knocking his head against the barn wall almost every day just to suppress his primal instinct to mark Lily as his and mate with her immediately.
“Why is everyone so tense?” Willow asked as she sat on the armrest of the throne.
“I thought we were here to celebrate your return.
I was busy picking out a good dress for it.” “A celebration can wait,” Gareth replied, his eyes still fixed on everyone in front of him.
“But I have to know what has been happening in the pack while I was gone.” “T-there is nothing bad happening while you were away, Gareth.
The ministers were still doing their jobs and tried to hide the fact that you went missing,” Roland tried to explain.
“Though, we couldn’t hide your absence for too long because everyone outside the castle grounds started questioning why you weren’t around for so many events over the past six months.” Gareth turned toward Roland, his expression still grim, which made the Beta of the West Wolf Pack lower his head deeply out of fear.
Honestly, Gareth had not suspected his older brother at first, simply because Roland had never seemed interested in vying for the throne.
But when Gareth saw Roland about to be crowned as the new Alpha, something had snapped inside his mind, making him question whether he could truly trust him.
In fact, at this point, he could not trust anyone in this castle.
“I was poisoned,” Gareth said.
“I drank a glass of wine served on a tray beside my bed, and the effect was instant and brutal.” “My wolf was suppressed instantly, and it turned me into a human with no power.
Then, three assassins broke in and started chasing me,” Gareth recalled.
His gaze shifted toward the elder in charge of the guards around the castle, followed by the one responsible for food and beverages.
The two elders stiffened before immediately prostrating themselves without being asked.
“My Alpha, I truly had no idea that you were poisoned!
I-I never told anyone to serve you wine the night before your coronation!” “M-me neither, my Alpha!
I dispatched the wolf guards to patrol around your room, but they saw nothing throughout the entire night!” “Have any of you questioned why I disappeared without a trace and gone searching for my whereabouts?” Gareth’s gaze turned solemn, especially when the answer he received was absolute silence.
“FOOLS!” Gareth exploded.
His aura as one of the beast monarchs was enough to strike fear into the entire throne room, forcing everyone to prostrate themselves, including Willow, who seemed unable to fight against her own instinct to kneel.
“W-we never expected you to be poisoned and become vulnerable, my Alpha!
You have always been so powerful and unbeatable.
We simply thought that you had abandoned us!” one of the elders said.
“And you think Klaus simply died for no reason?” Gareth asked.
The elder immediately fell silent.
“I can’t believe I have to govern a bunch of idiots,” Gareth muttered before getting up from the throne.
“Investigate what happened that night, including Klaus’s death.
I want an elaborate report, or at least a lead on who administered such dangerous poison.” Gareth already knew the result would most likely be unsatisfactory.
With so much incompetence and conspiracy within this castle, he was beginning to wonder whether returning had been the right choice.
He could have simply stayed with Lily at the barn, perhaps starting their own family somewhere near the forest while he worked as a lumberjack.
But Lily had been dragged into the Court of Moonlight.
Because of that, Gareth had no choice but to jump back into the fray to keep her safe.
“Prepare everything for the Court of Moonlight.
We are leaving tomorrow morning,” Gareth said before walking out of the throne room.
His mind was in turmoil as he wondered what he should do next and, more importantly, who he could trust.
With Klaus gone and Lily no longer by his side, he was truly…
Alone.
As he walked through the long corridor, he heard Willow calling his name.
“Gareth!
Gareth, please wait!” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Apup Do you think Gareth is truly alone?
Perhaps a good Luna will help him rule over his territory–which girl will be his Luna though?