Claudius' perspective
Playing with the ring on my finger as I listened to my strategist come up with a plan how we'd conquer the realm by taking over the port across the Wilde seas, I found myself rolling my eyes at him.
“If I take your advice to win this town and small pack, bit by bit, it would take me years before I get back to the realm and Regulus pack,” I snapped as my patience had run thin.
“Alpha, you have hundreds of skillful deltas and warriors, four fleets, but Regulus has thousands of deltas and warriors who'll do anything to protect the Alpha King, and their fleets, they have hundreds.” Gregor Conoire explained.
“You come here to take back the realm and rule over the Regulus pack, not to destroy it, Alpha,” Caspian reminded me.
“If you went ahead with your plan to challenge the Alpha King with a face-to-face battle, this will be a losing battle for us from the very beginning,” he added, and I sighed.
I held out my hand to stop all of them from speaking and then dismissed them two with just a flicker.
My jaw clenched with annoyance.
In the midst of trying to communicate with Eero for I needed to discuss something with her, my wolf alerted me that he couldn't find her wolf within the vicinity.
“What do you mean, my mate is not here?” I asked, but it only repeated what it told me.
I left the formal hall and went to the study where I last saw her.
“Where is Eero?” I said to Caspian who had entered my study, behind him was Logan.
“A delta saw Luna Eero leaving the manor three hours ago after she had a fight with the Lady Adeline,” Logan informed me and through mind link. I called my true mate.
“What's happening? Why does it feel like chaos was about to break in within the walls of the manor?” She asked cautiously.
“What happened between you and my Luna?”
“Your Luna?” She asked, being offended by what I had called Eero.
“Eero was fighting with you when before she left the manor. What did you tell her?” I demanded for an answer while I was holding firmly her arm.
“Alpha, you're hurting me—”
“What did you fucking tell my wife!”
“Nothing! What could I possibly tell the Luna of Blood Moon Pack to make her leave?” She asked me back, but I knew that this woman was lying to me.
Cielo entered my study room as well.
“Is it true that Eero went out? And she is missing?”
“Take that woman out of here, Caspian. This is none of her business,” I spat and was about to turn my attention to Adeline once again when Cielo spoke.
“It's more than two decades when this place last saw a woman with an icy-blonde hair.” My forehead knotted.
“Shifters in here might mistake Eero as a long-lost Xerxes. That will soon reach the Alpha King's ear, and having the color of hair like Eero's was enough to put her in danger.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Alpha, I will explain myself later, but we must find the Luna first,” Cielo pleaded.
“Caspian, deploy all our warriors to search for my wife,” I ordered.
“I found a letter in the Luna's room. She ran away, Alpha. Luna Eero decided to left you,” Soleil informed us, giving me the letter.
“Alpha?” Caspian asked.
“Are you deaf? I said, start to look for my wife. I must have her back before this day ends.”
Both Soleil and Cielo followed Caspian on his way out of the study, leaving me with Adeline.
“I will deal with you later,” I warned her.
“She is nothing, but a second chance mate, Claudius. Eero is not the one the Moon Goddess has chosen for you. It was me!” She said. She finally lost her cool and showed me her true colors.
“We found each other now… are you seriously choosing that damn breeder over me?” She mocked and anger spiraled.
“How did you find out about that?” I asked her, while I was holding both of her arms.
“Did you tell Eero that I told you that she used to be my breeder?”
“And what if I did? Yes! I think I might have been the reason Eero decided to leave you and so? I am happy that she did because at last. You are mine!”
Fear flashed in her eyes. Adeline started tapping my arm as I wrapped my fingers around her neck.
I snatched a bottle that I had left on top of my study table and broke it. The sharp pointy edges of it were now pressed against her left cheek.
“You better pray to all Gods and Goddesses that you have here to keep Eero safe, because if something happens to my mate, you'll get the taste of my wrath.”
Adeline's wolf had taken over to protect her from me. She pushed me away from her, and I stilled in my spot.
“You are going to kill me? If you do, then the Moon Goddess will punish you. I am your fucking mate! Did you know how hurt I was when I found out that you promised that you'll choose her over me and that you would reject me?” She smiled evilly.
“But you didn't do. You couldn't reject your mate. Your wolf was stopping you. At the back of your head, you want to choose me over her!”
I chuckled to mock her.
“Oh, you fool. You got it all wrong. Did you really think that I had changed my mind just because I was sleeping with you?”
“You were falling for me!” She insisted.
“I was playing with you. We were having problems, and you were the distraction that I needed, but I will always come back to her.” Adeline picked a sharp piece of glass on the floor and put it near her neck.
“Reject her and choose me, or I will—”
“Kill yourself? Do it, I dare you.”
“If I die, then it will weaken your wolf too.”
“My wolf is mated to Eero's wolf. If it's not clear to you, then I'll say it out loud. Your death won't mean anything to me, so go ahead. Kill yourself.” Adeline's hand trembled, and then the glass fell from her hand.
“Did you think that you're placed above her because you're the woman that some Goddess has chosen for me?” I leaned to her ear.
“You're wrong. I chose her, and I will always choose her. Remember how you told me earlier that you wanted to bear my pup?” I stood up straight and looked darkly at her.
“I might have acted like an asshole and fucked whoever I wanted, but it's Eero whom I still wish to be the mother of my pups, just her.”