6/7
Chapter 66
Hardy’s POV
Ever since the dinner party where I laid my eyes on Zora, I found it hard to sleep because I was unable to. On most nights, I stayed awake as I couldn’t help but wonder about what I had to do. Indeed, I just agreed to make an alliance with the east. It would be wrong for me to ask its Alpha to separate from his wife just because she was my fated mate. While I could tell that she wasn’t of Alpha blood because she couldn’t sense me, it would be hard for me to make sure of her that she was mine.
Although the circumstance between Zora and Casey made me full of hope, I wanted to wait for a while. After all, I knew well that Casey wouldn’t keep her for way too long. So, I wished to claim her as mine when they ended their disastrous relationship.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know that Hand would interfere. That asshole bullied his way through. Even though I tried my best to ignore the Hands, they always found a way to mess my life. First, they messed with my parents and my childhood. Thanks to that fucking Collier, my father died early. It made me unable to be any normal teenager because I had to take over as an Alpha way too early. As for now, Darius dared to take my fated mate.
I had to admit that attacking his mansion in the north was a stupid move. It caused me to sacrifice lots of lives while I tried to get Zora. However, I was very desperate to have her. After all, I could no longer take this.
288 Vouchers
My wolf, Rex, was in a constant state of pain. Day by day, I was hurting. I was afraid that with me knowing Zora was taken to the north, I might never be able to see my fated mate ever again just like mother.
When Casey questioned on whether I had told Darius about Zora being my fated mate, I couldn’t help but laugh. The Hands would never ever let go of what they had taken. They weren’t called trophies for nothing, after all. The she–wolves they had taken were reminders. Those poor women became living proof that the Dark Lord had beaten a pack. Eventually, I was left without knowing what had to do in order to get her. As the time passed, I became more and more anxious to get my mate.
Indeed, I had to respect Casey’s decision to hold a meeting just because that man had heard that I planned to attack the east to conquer the rest of the east. Meanwhile, I already heard that he planned to attack me in order to take back the part of the east that joined the south. This man never liked involving himself in problems. It was one of the strengths that he had.
After that, I made up my mind that I would have to be more cautious before I chose to act because of someone or some people who obviously tried to beat us off together. After all, my feelings were still hurt because Cruz assumed that I was the one who was behind the attack against the western borders.
In my view, I was sure that it was Cruz who did it. When it became worse, he then denied it. As the days had passed, I started to assume that it might be Darius who was behind this entire sudden attack. That way, that jerk would get another reason to attack the east to make them his. If only Casey
2/4
288 Vouchers
could see that it would be a bad move to allow such a crazy guy like Darius to rule over us. How many more did we have to give to the Dark Lord?
Even though Casey himself didn’t wish to beat Darius, I would do it. I would do this for Zora’s sake. After all, the universe had made her to be my fated mate. I was unable to let her get away from me.
When Casey told me that both Darius and Zora were in a relationship, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted. I was sure that she had a relationship with him because she had to do what she could in order to stay alive. If I were put in her position, I would also do the same.
It had to be because of how she lived her life with Casey and had to share with Lori that hurt her heart so deeply that she saw her captivity as a miracle. Later, I learned that she wrote to several Alphas in the south to give her permission to get her own land and property in their territories. Obviously, she actively tried her best to leave her husband.
Yet, why didn’t she write to me? Why didn’t she inform me of her plans when both of us danced as I had her in my arms? Thinking of this made me even more hopeless as I didn’t know what I could do. Not only that, I also felt that I was running out of time.
‘We can’t keep going like this,‘ Rex, my wolf, told me, which made me sigh.
By now, I was lying on the grass on the back of my house in my garden. For all of these years, I lived alone. I had lived alone ever since my father passed away. Even worse, I never dated anyone until it became a serious relationship. Not only
288 Vouchers
that, I never brought any she–wolf to my home. It was because I was determined to wait for my fated mate. I always told anyone whom I was dating with that I was still waiting for my fated mate. So, how could I be this unfortunate?
‘We can’t let Darius have her for himself, Hardy,‘ Rex kept talking in my head as he growled.
He was pained by all of this.
‘I’m doing as best as I can, Rex. When we want to attack, we must get the timing right,‘ I told my wolf that made him go silent…
It wasn’t that he was pleased with my response. Rather, my wolf knew that I was right. The Alpha of the pack in western region, whose area was attacked for disagreeing in tax rates, was currently on his way to pay me a visit. While I wasn’t actually prepared to accept him because I was still mentally sad, I didn’t have any choice other than to accept him warmly.
288 Vouchers
Chapter 67
Hardy’s POV
I only felt glad because I was able to help him as long as he gave me something to help me in return. After that, I tried to force my feet to walk as I readied myself to go to the office to wait for my guest, Alpha Brighton. Soon enough, I was already in my office waiting for him. Not long after my arrival, the Alpha finally came. He then apologized because he had a long night because he went to a dinner party at the Hand’s estate. I could care less about that, so I just offered him a drink. The man happily accepted my offer.
“Thank you so much, Alpha Hardy, for helping us. While the north speaks badly of you, it’s those damn Northerners who are actually barbarians,” he spoke before he swallowed his drink.
It seemed to me that he looked annoyed. Not only that, Brighton also looked as if he hadn’t rested well because he looked pretty messy and disheveled. After all, this man didn’t tuck his shirt in. He even had his sandals on.
“That fucking overprivileged asshole don’t even give us time to mourn our dead. Instead, he acted as if he never attacked my pack. He dared to invite us to his engagement party. I find it hard to believe that someone agreed to marry that asshole. I also found out that she was a Luna from the east. She’s one of the Dark Lord’s trophies. She’s very gorgeous, I’ve got to admit. Her name is Zara Rohan,” he told me about the engagement party, but he already got me lost with those words.
288 Vouchers
“Did you just say Zora Rohan?” I asked Brighton, which he responded with a nod.
“She’s a beautiful woman. It’s so unfortunate for her to get married to such a jerk. But I have to say that she looks happy as a captive. I can’t tell whether she acted that out or it was what she truly felt,” the man kept talking, but he totally made me lose in my train of thoughts.
My heart started to beat even faster. Soon enough, my hands were shaking hard. I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with rage and anxiety. I tried my best to stop my tears from falling. There were only so man that I could bear.
On the other hand, Rex started to howl in my head. How would Zora be able to sense our mating bond if she had Darius‘ mark? Thinking of that made me enraged. It seemed that what Casey said wasn’t a lie at all. It seemed that both Zora and Darius had fallen in love deeply. I had to get a way to meet her before the damned Dark Lord claimed her as his. I had to make her know that she belonged to me as my fated
mate.
“Alpha, are you okay?” Brighton then asked me worriedly, so I tried to keep my head cool as I let out a smile to be seen by him.
“Oh, I’m okay,” I responded to him.
After that, the man drank scotch before I forced myself to smile again.
“Who would’ve thought that the damned Dark Lord would eventually settle down? I heard that his woman had left him for years ago as she went to the south. She must’ve found out how fucked up the Hands were. It made her realize that she
288 Vouchers
didn’t want to be a part of it. Let me say that she totally saved herself by doing that. I also found out that Darius had searched for her for a while before he let her go. It seemed that Darius finally made up his mind to move on. Or, rather, just like his father, he was trying to make this woman named Zora as his baby machine. After all, he’s the Dark Lord. He still needs an heir,” he kept talking, but the way he talked about Zora made me enraged that I clenched my palms into fists.
However, Brighton kept looking at me as he smiled again.
“I’ve got no idea how I can return your sympathy after you’ve given us your kindness even though you’re nemesis with the north. Let me tell you, I’ll do whatever you want to show my kindness. Besides, we’ve already agreed to pay the taxes that are forced upon us to avoid any future attacks,” the man told me as he looked sadly.
“How will your people hold on then?” I asked Birghton because I knew that it would be too much from him.
I really had to keep my emotions in check. It took lots of effort for me to do that.
“It seems that we’ll have to keep paying until we can no longer pay. If that happens, we’ll have to leave our lands as we’re looking out into different packs,” he solemnly replied, which made me feel bad for him.
I couldn’t help but wonder how Darius could be this merciless. Thinking that he would get married to Zora made me hate to imagine what my Zora had to go through later with him. Finally, Brighton left my office.
As soon as he left, I lost my composure. My insides were shaking hard. I was in a strong state of confusion. When I left
288 Vouchers
my office, I immediately shifted into Rex as I ran to the forest to howl. I was in sharp pain. It made me confused because I had no idea about what I could do. As things are, I needed to get my Zora back either between now and the blue moon.
I wasn’t sure if my army would be ready by the time the blue moon came. Frankly, I no longer wished to be a lord. Rather, I only wished to stay by my fated mate’s side. Then, I howled longingly as I asked the high powers to help me. There wasn’t any possible way for me to live my life without her. To me, Zora was everything that I had dreamed of ever since I laid my eyes on her. Thus, I couldn’t let her be someone else’s mate.
This time, I had to try even harder to move faster. I decided to ask Casey for help as a part of my plan. Since the man wrote to his former wife, he might be able to tell the truth about the mating bond to Zora. It might help.
However, it was also a risky one because Darius might be interfering with Zora’s letter. If that happened, he might know about it and make sure that I would never see her ever again. It made me even more confused about what I could do.
While I did plan on finding a way even if I had to sacrifice my life to go to the north to make her see me and know that I was her fated mate, I would do it. I truly wished that I would end up as a victor because I already suffered so much. To me, my happy ending was obviously not a lovely one.
