Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Iris Bennett's POV

Adrian stood with the warriors at the end of the road on the pack's border.

This scene was all too familiar to me, except Adrian and I were in a completely different situation now than we had been back then. The contract that bound our relationship was about to expire, and soon we wouldn't need to keep up this charade of being a loving couple anymore.

"Don't worry. While you're gone, I'll take good care of the pack." I wore a polite smile, looking at Adrian gently.

I tried my best to ignore the complicated expressions in the warriors' eyes.

Once Adrian left, there was a strong chance they wouldn't listen to me at all.

"Have you figured out how to handle this, Iris?" my wolf spoke in my mind.

"If I can't even handle this, I don't deserve to return to Silvermoon Pack," I answered quickly.

I was prepared. No matter what happened, I would manage this pack well.

"If vampires show up in the pack, notify me and the King immediately." Adrian turned to look at me. His eyes were filled with affection.

"Wait for me to come back."

His gaze was always like this. In the past, it would give me the illusion that he liked me.

But now I understood—it was only because I was his Luna. No matter who stood in this position, he would treat them the same way.

I instinctively smiled at him.

I'd encountered vampires before, but I'd never thought they were particularly dangerous. Still, Adrian was my Alpha, so I nodded.

Perhaps he knew something he hadn't told me directly.

"You should be more cautious," my wolf sighed.

"It seems the vampires are extremely well-prepared this time. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Don't worry, I can handle it."

In the past, I had always waited quietly like this for him to return to the pack. This would probably be my last time standing here as Luna, but I could still handle it properly.

I quietly clenched my fists.

The first time I stayed behind as Luna while the pack was deployed, I was even more anxious than I was now. At Silvermoon Pack, my father had taken such good care of me that I'd never done work like this before.

I didn't know how to get those powerful warriors to listen to me. I grabbed Adrian's sleeve anxiously, nearly in tears.

"Adrian, what should I do?"

"The Luna is the Alpha's partner, Iris. You need to have the ability to lead the pack. If you don't understand something, ask the Beta." That was all Adrian said at the time. After speaking, he gently pushed me away.

"He'll stay here with you."

I knew he was right. We were partners, and I needed to be useful to stay in this pack. But still...

I was extremely nervous—so much so that I couldn't sleep at night. I didn't want to disappoint Adrian.

But with the Beta's help, I quickly adapted to my role.

"You're doing very well, Luna. You just need to be more confident. We've seen your abilities. Your father is a powerful Alpha—what do you have to worry about?" The Beta simply smiled warmly and handed me a notebook.

"These are work records from our pack's Alpha. You can find some inspiration in them."

In those few short days, I rapidly adjusted to my identity.

Sometimes, dangerous rogues would wander into our pack, and I would lead the remaining warriors in counterattacks.

It was during those moments that I gradually learned how to lead these warriors.

Perhaps they still didn't acknowledge my status as Luna, but they had learned to follow my orders in those situations. For me, that was enough.

But all of that was before Zoe returned to Bloodridge Pack.

My mindset now was completely different from back then. I was about to leave Bloodridge Pack, and for me, many of these people were ones I would never see again.

They looked down on me even more than they had before, and I had no reason to continue tolerating their bad attitudes.

"For me, protecting this pack is my responsibility, and it's yours too." I looked calmly at the warriors.

I had no desire to argue with them.

I still needed to inspect the pack's defenses and prepare enough silver bullets. There were too many things waiting for me to do.

"Oh, of course. I hope you fulfill your responsibilities properly too," one warrior's voice sounded incredibly cutting.

"And then hand this position over to the person who actually belongs here, right?"

I said nothing, just looked at him calmly.

Seeing this, the others crowded around as well.

"Yeah, we all know what you did to Zoe. You don't have what it takes to be Luna. You shouldn't be here."

"She's so fragile, and you had the heart to push her down those stairs. How can we trust you to protect us?"

The warriors' voices grew louder and louder. They stared at me as if I were a traitor to the pack.

Even though I knew Adrian had done all this for Zoe's sake, their words still hurt.

Zoe had saved him and saved me. But the harm she'd caused me was also real. I sighed, not knowing how to respond.

But in their eyes, my silence became an admission of guilt.

"You should apologize to Zoe! Then get out of our pack!!" The warriors' voices grew even louder.

"Since you're a warrior of this pack now, you should understand what you're supposed to do." I interrupted him.

Now, I probably needed to approach this from a different angle.

"Since Adrian still entrusted this work to me, you should trust me too. Are you questioning his judgment?" I raised my voice, looking coldly at the warriors.

"Even if you don't trust me, at least trust your Alpha's judgment, right?"

They turned to look at each other.

I knew I'd found the key point.

Although these people didn't like me, Adrian was the Alpha they acknowledged in their hearts. If even Adrian felt comfortable leaving the pack to me, what more could they say?

"If you have issues with me, you can bring them up when Adrian returns. He'll give you an answer that satisfies you."

Gradually, all those who doubted me fell silent. But they still looked completely unconvinced.

"They absolutely won't follow your orders," my wolf spoke again.

"I see no trust in their eyes at all."

Of course I understood that.

If this situation continued, I wouldn't be able to protect this pack anymore.