Chapter 46 Letter from Bluemoon Pack

Chapter 46 Letter from Bluemoon Pack
The meeting room was filled with conversation and discussion about the annual festival regularly held by the Silverpaw Pack, the Great Hunt Festival. A festival organized to welcome the hunting season, it takes place at the turn of the seasons from spring to summer.

They seemed at a loss as to what theme to choose for this year. Each division had its own opinion, but Calix paid no heed to any of them.

Indeed. Among the council members seated around the long meeting table, there was one figure detached from reality. He was Alpha Calix. The very person whose opinions and decisions mattered most was busy, absentmindedly twirling his pen.

Calix sat at the end of the table, his body leaning lightly against the chair’s backrest. His eyes were indeed looking forward, but his gaze was vacant, and his thoughts were wandering far away.

"For this year’s annual festival," the voice of one council member rang out clearly, "what if we use a flower theme? We haven’t used that theme in years."

Those words fell on deaf ears. They didn’t even register with Calix.

"But it doesn’t seem quite right for marking the start of hunting season," another interjected.

They exchanged opinions back and forth.

Unlike them, the flower theme and other topics only served to bring Ruella’s image more vividly to Calix’s mind.

That girl, with her messy hair, her gentle gaze, and the warm smile from earlier that morning, made Calix unable to focus on anything else. He could only think of her.

This is bad.

Calix let out a soft sigh without realizing it.

"...and for the official competition organized by the pack house, maybe we should increase the total prize money. What do you think?"

Calix became even more lost in his thoughts. "Does Ruella know there’s a festival coming up soon? She’d probably be excited, or wait… why am I thinking about that? What do I care if she likes it or not?"

Calix furrowed his brows, annoyed by the direction his thoughts were taking.

"Damn it."

"Is something wrong, Alpha?"

Calix snapped back to reality and shook his head. It turned out he had cursed too loudly. "No, everything’s fine."

Focus.

He should focus.

But the harder he tried, the more his mind drifted.

Ruella’s expression the last time they spoke, when she looked at him with a mix of emotions that were hard to read. Even the look of disappointment at being misunderstood was visible to Calix.

"Alpha Calix?"

The voice cut through his train of thought.

Calix gave a small start, his eyes blinking several times before finally returning fully to reality.

All eyes were now on him.

"So, has a decision been made?" Calix asked.

Reinar, the council member in charge of the city’s layout and construction, looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows, his expression polite yet clearly demanding attention.

"Do you have any input regarding this year’s festival theme?" Reinar asked in a calm yet firm tone.

Several other council members exchanged glances.

Calix fell silent for a moment.

He couldn’t answer. He didn’t even know what themes were on the list of options.

"A... flower theme?" he repeated softly, more to himself than anyone else.

Reinar nodded. "Correct. We want to ensure this concept has your approval so we can immediately create the official announcement banner."

There was a moment of silence.

Calix straightened his back, took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. He felt relieved that his offhand remark hadn’t been off the mark.

He scanned the room, taking in the faces waiting for him to make a decision. But he hadn’t heard everything yet. He needed time.

This won’t do, he muttered.

"Send me the complete proposal. I’ll decide later." His tone was firm and decisive.

The meeting participants could say nothing but agree.

"I’ll prepare the proposal immediately and send it to your office," said Reinar.

"Good, the sooner the better so I can review it right away," said Calix.

Calix stood up from his chair. His movements were quick yet controlled.

"The meeting is over," he said briefly. "I have other work to do. You may all return to your work."

Chairs scraped against the floor, and one by one, the board members stood up while tidying their notebooks.

Without saying another word, Calix walked out of the meeting room.



Calix left the conference room and headed to his office. His mind was in turmoil, and he couldn’t focus on anything. It was as if his thoughts no longer belonged to him but to Ruella. As he strolled down the office corridor, he couldn’t stop berating himself.

"Why can’t I stop thinking about her? I have so many things to think about, and she just pops into my head whenever she wants, damn it," he muttered to himself.

He had to find out about the history of the war from the past, when his father was the Alpha, and he also had to figure out what Ruella was really hiding.

"Because of that damn rogue, now I’m doubting my own father. No. There’s no way my father started that war," he told himself.

Amid his swirling thoughts, a voice suddenly called out from behind him.

"Alpha Calix!"

Calix stopped and turned around.

A guard jogged up to him, breathing slightly heavily. In his hand was a cream colored envelope sealed with black wax.

"A letter for you, Alpha," he said, bowing respectfully.

Calix took the letter without saying much. "Thank you."

The guard nodded and quickly went back to his duties.

Calix continued walking, but the moment his eyes fell on the sender’s name, his body tensed.

Noah Xiomara.

His brow furrowed. "Xiomara?"

The name wasn’t unfamiliar.

"Ah, he must be Ruella’s older brother."

Calix stood still for a few seconds, staring at the letter in his hand.

Without wasting any time, he hurried straight to his office.

Once he arrived at his office, Alpha Calix walked to the desk, placed the letter on it, then stared at it as if it were a dangerous weapon that could explode at any moment.

The black wax seal bearing the Bluemoon Pack logo was intact. It was safe, unopened.

Calix read the recipient’s name. Ruella.

It was a letter for Ruella from her older brother.

Calix let out a long sigh. It was a personal letter, but curiosity and worry made his hand rise automatically, his fingers reaching to open it.

Then he stopped.

"No. I mustn’t open it. My goal is to gain her trust. This letter must reach Ruella intact. I can ask her about the contents later," he muttered softly.

He rubbed his face with one hand.

"But what if the contents of this letter are a conspiracy?" he wondered. "I’ll ask Ruella to open and read this letter in front of me," he decided.

And just then, a knock on the door was heard.

Calix turned immediately.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a woman with light footsteps stepped inside.

"Calix."

It was Rubina.

"Ruby, what brings you here?"

"You look busy," she said as she stepped closer. "Nothing’s wrong, I thought we could have lunch together today."

Calix immediately shifted his gaze to the letter on the table, then back to Rubina.

"Not now," he replied briefly. "I have to get back to the pack house."

Rubina stopped.

Her expression changed slightly.

"Now?" she repeated. "Why? Is your work here already done?"

"I have something I need to take care of."

Rubina crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "What business do you have at the pack’s house right now?"

There was a moment of silence.

Then Calix said, "There’s something I need to talk to Ruella about."

That name hit Rubina like a rock. It was suffocating and sickening.

"What?" her voice rose slightly, clearly displeased with the direction of the conversation. "Woaaah, Ruella again and again. Ah, that woman really loves attention. She feels hurt by me even though I’ve been nice to her from the start, but now I’m sick of it."

Calix didn’t answer and simply put on the suit draped over the chair, his formal attire.

And that only made Rubina even more annoyed.

"Are you serious?" she continued. "You said you wanted to get rid of her, you said she’s a problem, but now you keep going back to her. Does that make any sense?"

Calix sighed, trying to hold his patience.

"Rubina."

"No," Rubina cut him off quickly. "You’re not consistent, Calix. You said you hated her, but all your actions show the opposite. You saw it yourself how she treated me, so rude."

"It’s not that simple, Ruby. We need a plan to get her to leave without facing resistance from the Bluemoon Pack. We don’t know how angry the Pack will be if we kick Ruella out without a reason," Calix said, trying to explain.

"Even a fool can see you’ve changed, Cal. The way you look at Ruella, ah, never mind. I don’t want to think about such nonsense," Rubina retorted.

Calix fell silent for a moment.

Then he said in a softer tone, "Calm down."

Rubina snorted softly but didn’t interrupt again.

"I know what I’m doing," Calix continued. "And this isn’t about feelings."

"Oh, really?" Rubina replied sarcastically. "Then what is it?"

"We don’t know her true purpose for coming to the Silverpaw Pack other than that I’m her mate," Calix continued. "And the only way to find out is by getting close to her."

Rubina fell silent.

"If she lets her guard down, she’ll show a weakness," he said. "And from there, we can find a strong enough reason to drive her away."

Silence.

Rubina let out a long sigh.

"In that case, I’ll help you," she said finally.

But Calix shook his head immediately.

"No."

Rubina frowned. "Why?"

"For now, you don’t need to do anything," Calix replied.

"Do nothing?" Rubina repeated incredulously.

"Ruella is still reluctant to meet with you," Calix continued. "Your presence might actually make her more wary."

"All right," she said. "I understand."

Calix gave a brief nod.

Without saying another word, he took the letter from the table, slipped it into his coat, and left.