Alisha's POV
Although I despised Joey immensely, I was still startled by Orathe's assertive words. "Actually, there is no need to make a fuss about this..."
Orathe gently shook her head, "Honey, while I appreciate Black Furies adopting and taking care of you, you need to understand that you are my supreme treasure, and no one can offend you. I will repay them for their kindness, but I will not tolerate any harm they caused you."
"But I wasn't adopted. Magaly is really my grandmother! She…" I realized that Orathe had misunderstood it.
Before I could finish, Orathe interrupted, "What are you saying? How did you meet your real grandmother? After you were... abducted from Blood Dawn, I searched for you for a long time and couldn't find you. Some even thought you were no longer in this world... I thought later you were rescued by people from Black Furies and adopted. Moon Goodness, how did your grandma find you? Wait! Is your father also in Black Furies? How is he now?"
I could clearly feel Orathe becoming increasingly nervous as she asked the last question. Unfortunately, I couldn't answer her questions.
"Sorry, I know nothing. I have no memories about him either. From the moment I can remember, I lived with my grandmother until..." At this point, I couldn't help but start to miss Magaly, feeling a pang of pain in my heart.
At that moment, the witch doctor, accompanied by Riley, also arrived at the Royal Palace.
Orathe, seeing them, said, "Alright, my dear, maybe we can see your grandmother later and talk about this thing in detail. I must thank her for taking care of my precious baby all these years and raising you so excellently. Now, let's deal with your wounds first."
Hearing this, I couldn't hold back my tears and cried out, "No! It is impossible to see Magaly once more! She passed away, and I'll never have a chance to talk to her again! It's all my fault! All my fault!" I couldn't help but want to hurt myself again.
Louie, hearing this, quickly got up, crouched beside me, held my hand, and said word by word, "Don't think like this, Alisha. Don't attribute all the mistakes to yourself. Your grandmother loves you forever. If she sees you so sad, she must be sad too."
Orathe seemed to be frightened by my condition. She looked at Gray and asked, "What's going on?"
Gray sighed, "Mom, I didn't explain it to you carefully in the mindlink before. This time, when I accompanied Alisha back to Black Furies, we encountered an attack. Alisha's grandmother Magaly was seriously injured. We originally planned to take her to Golden Crest for treatment, but in the middle... some problems occurred. When we found the doctor, it seemed like Magaly was no longer there, only Alisha left. You know... 'Black Furies, buried in the fire'."
Archie's POV
I am now facing what I fear the most. According to the information gathered by Brad, Black Furies seemed to have engaged in a fierce war before, even pursuing their targets up to the borders of Golden Crest. From the information I have pieced together, it is quite apparent they were chasing after Alisha and her companions. And the elderly she-wolf Mireya mentioned should indeed be Alisha's grandmother, Magaly.
Alisha has always held a profound emotional bond with her grandmother. Despite her apparent aversion toward her uncle Joey, she would make regular visits to Black Furies, primarily to spend time with her grandmother.
Alisha mentioned that even though her grandmother couldn't attend her wedding, she wanted her to see the man she was marrying.
Before our marriage, I went to Black Furies with her once. Alisha expressed her deep desire to see her grandmother; though Magaly couldn't attend our wedding ceremony, Alisha yearned for Magaly to see me, the man she was about to marry. That was the only request she made to me before our wedding. I still remember her joyful expression when she spoke to the elderly woman lying in bed. Never did I imagine that my marriage with Alisha would come to an end, and her meeting with M would be the only and last time.
My heart feels like it is being cut by a knife right now. I can almost see Alisha's resolute back when she left, not looking back, going further and further away. She must hate this place, hate me, and never want to return.
This thought triggers a surge of panic within me, and instinctively, I yearn to hear her voice, to catch a whiff of her presence. Without delay, I rush to the bedroom upstairs, only to see large patches of black-red congealed blood and scorched devastation on the carpet.
Following closely behind, Mireya, seeing the distressing scene, immediately drops to her knees in a panicked apology, "I'm deeply sorry, Alpha. Luna was severely injured, and blood was everywhere. I just managed to hastily clean the bedsheets and her clothes, failing to deal with the carpet in time. And those marks of scorching on the carpet and furniture, I honestly don't know how they came about. I swear I had nothing to do with setting anything ablaze."
Every word uttered by Mireya feels like a lash, lacerating my skin. The blood on the carpet had turned black and solidified, but it hinted at the massive blood loss at that time. Alisha must have been in so much pain and fear!
As for those pitch-black burns, I know very well they were from, Magaly. When the core member of the Black Furies dies, they turn into a ball of black fire and return to Moon Goodness. If it's during a battle, that flame would keep burning until it takes the enemy's life, or it will never extinguish.
On our return journey from visiting Magaly, Alisha had once said, "Archie, I know I am not the woman you wanted as your wife in your heart. I'm not exceptional, and my family background isn't powerful. I can't contribute much to your career, but please believe, I'm willing to give everything for you. I will always stand with you. I'm ready to sacrifice my life to safeguard our marriage and you; my life's fire will perpetually blaze for you."
I had no interest on her before at all. But I don't know why after she left, every word she said, every expression, everything seems so vivid to me now. I never realized that I had remembered so much things about her. But this clarity in memory only makes me more miserable and regretful now.
However, Moon Goodness seemed to feel her punishment for me was not enough. The next moment, my wolf and I felt an indescribable, immense pain of the soul tearing, engulfing my entire being. Just before falling unconscious, I instinctively yelled a word, "Mate!"