Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Zoe Hawthorne's POV

"Briel! Perfect timing—I just heard some great news!" I looked excitedly at Briel as she walked through the door. My emotions were running so high that the bandages wrapped around me inevitably pulled. I couldn't help but let out a soft groan.

"Adrian's mother is about to recover!"

Her illness was caused by excessive grief. Which means Adrian won't risk letting her know the truth, and Iris will very likely leave for some specific reason.

It would look reasonable enough, and she wouldn't reappear by Adrian's side anytime soon. At the thought, the corners of my mouth lifted in a smile I could barely suppress.

I didn't actually want to be around Adrian's mother—I simply needed this information. Now that I had the answer I wanted, that was enough. As for what state she'd be in after I returned to Adrian's pack, I didn't care.

So what if my presence made her angry enough to end up back in the hospital? As long as I achieved my goal, that was all that mattered.

"That's wonderful! Once Iris leaves Bloodridge Pack, you won't have anything to worry about." Briel grabbed my hands excitedly.

"You saved Adrian's life. He must be so grateful to you. He'll be willing to do anything for you!"

Grateful! Gratitude again. Gratitude wasn't enough to make him accept me as his Luna. That's just the kind of man he'd always been.

I lowered my head as tears streamed down my face. I desperately needed Adrian's money. Without it, what would I do? I'd never be able to achieve my dreams.

"Zoe, what's wrong? Don't worry! I promise, he's just temporarily bewitched by Iris. Once Iris leaves his side, he'll definitely come back to you." Briel leaned in, gently wiping the tears from my face.

I knew she was just trying to comfort me, but her words still made me feel a bit better.

Why should I worry so much? As long as Iris left this pack, everything would be mine.

"I know... But right now, I need you to do me a favor. Remember to remind Eric to stay away from Bloodridge Pack recently. I don't want him getting into trouble." I gripped her hand.

"Why? Didn't Adrian's mother recover? Why not just have Eric take Iris away?" Briel looked at me, confused.

"Iris has held this position for too long. She should pay a price for that."

I sighed, looking at her as sincerely as I could.

"That's exactly why we shouldn't cause trouble. If anything happens to Iris now, even the King might get involved. When that happens, things won't be so simple anymore."

Her expression grew complicated, but she finally nodded seriously.

"Alright, Iris, you're right. But I still think you're too kind. Your personality is definitely going to bring you trouble."

I watched her leave, and the moment her figure disappeared from my sight, the corners of my mouth curved into a smile once more.

I had lied to Briel.

In truth, I wanted to use Eric to take Iris away. Briel hated Iris—every time she mentioned her, her expression turned vicious. Knowing her as I did, she definitely wouldn't follow my instructions. Instead, she'd have Eric create trouble for Iris.

Eric was the most brutal Alpha I'd ever encountered. Almost every conflict between packs in recent years had been orchestrated by him. So even if something wasn't his doing, as long as the blame fell on him, everyone would believe it.

More importantly, I'd successfully distanced myself from the situation. Even if Iris died in some incident, it would have nothing to do with me.

Eric's POV

"So you're saying Zoe wants me to go to Bloodridge Pack and take Iris away while Adrian's gone?" I looked at the woman before me, puzzled.

"Does she not realize that Iris is Bloodridge Pack's Luna?"

While I wanted to see Iris, that didn't mean I'd completely abandoned reason. I didn't want to provoke Adrian right now—that wasn't what an Alpha should do.

Though the King usually didn't interfere much in conflicts between packs, if vampires were involved, he would definitely step in to stop it.

Besides, I preferred that Iris accept me willingly. I knew what Adrian had done for her, and I swore to the Moon Goddess I would do even better.

"Of course—that's exactly why you should go now. This is a rare moment when Iris is alone. If you miss this opportunity, there might not be a better one. As long as she understands your feelings, this won't be a big deal at all." Briel snorted coldly.

"Unless you're too scared? When you talked to Zoe about this, didn't you say you'd give your life for Iris? Now's your chance to prove it."

Really? I smiled as I studied the woman before me. Her expression was too twisted—even the most innocent young wolf could see what was going through her mind.

Was this why someone like Zoe chose her as a friend? Even if Zoe took all her assets, she probably wouldn't realize she'd been deceived.

"Briel, are you sure?"

I knew how badly Iris had humiliated her. Briel was the person in this world who most wanted something bad to happen to Iris. If she could, she'd probably prefer to throw Iris directly to the vampires to be torn to shreds.

I stepped forward, looming over her. Her entire body was engulfed in my shadow as she kept backing away.

"What?" Briel's eyes widened as she stared at me. Her whole body froze in place, her breathing slowing.

"Yeah, I know exactly what's going through your head. Don't forget—I'm an Alpha too. But I don't care about that. As long as the information Zoe gave me is correct, I can overlook it."

I pointed my finger at her. She trembled continuously, looking completely terrified.

"But you'd better understand this. If I find out you're trying to harm me or Iris, I'll make you pay for it."

However, at this moment, many of Bloodridge Pack's warriors had been assigned to Silvermoon Pack, leaving them severely short-staffed.

Even if I didn't cause them trouble, the remaining warriors simply wouldn't be able to fend off those crazed vampires. Iris would still get hurt because of it.

I should find a way to help her.