Chapter 37 His Regardless
Russell scoffed, resting his head on the couch.
He waited for Marcus’s expression to return to normal, and when the sobriety etched on it remained intact even after ten seconds, he arched his brows, taking a deep breath.
“You are serious, Marcus.”
“Of course, I am serious.” The Beta insisted, taking two steps forward.
“What is stopping you from making her yours publicly, Russell? I think this is the Moon goddess giving you a second chance.”
Russell stared at the Beta for a few seconds, and then he looked away, bending his face to the ground.
The Beta sat next to him, staring even when the Alpha refused to look at him.
“This is about the curse, isn’t it?” He didn’t think he needed the Alpha to respond.
Just his body language was enough to give him the answer he wanted.
“With what I saw last night, Russell. The curse won’t kill her.” Marcus said with full conviction, nodding to affirm his words.
“She is really strong, and it will take more than a curse to kill her.”
“You don’t know that,” Russell muttered, and then he sighed in despair.
His lips parted, but it seemed like he was going to have to struggle to get the words to come out.
“She is her daughter.” He said silently, but the Beta couldn’t grasp what he meant.
“Whose daughter?” Marcus asked, his brows hanging above his wide eyes.
“The Flare’s daughter. The Luna of Moonstone Pack.”
“No way!” Marcus gasped, taken aback by the revelation.
He looked around briefly, and then he swallowed hard.
“Does she know?” He asked, but his question was beyond the immediate topic they were discussing.
The Alpha nodded. “She knows everything.” He muttered, causing the Beta to be engulfed by a similar feeling that gripped him.
The Beta cleared his throat, yet the clog remained intact.
“What was the Moon goddess thinking when she decided to give you an enemy as mate?”
The Alpha tutted, having no answer to give.
“Do you believe she has forgiven you, Russell?” The Beta finally asked the question that had been lingering inside his mind, staring impatiently for an answer.
The Alpha gave it a deep thought, and then he nodded confidently, leaning forward.
“She has forgiven me, Marcus. She said it herself...”
“And you believed her?” Marcus stared with a wry smile, but it was obvious that he was never going to get a response from the Alpha.
“You need to be very careful, Russell. Her brother is our arch-enemy, and that makes her an enemy as well,”
“Her cousin, Marcus. There is a big difference.” Russell corrected, but the Beta scoffed at him, shaking his head slowly.
“Do you remember my brother, Lucas?” Marcus asked, and the Alpha nodded.
“What does your dead brother have to do with all of this?”
“Good…” Marcus nodded without getting rid of his wry smile.
“I am sure you remember how heh died…” Marcus sighed heavily, his expression turning dark.
“He was killed by the same girl whose entire family he slaughtered. She fed him wolf bane, and stabbed him in the heart with a silver stake.”
Russell grunted, shaking his head in disagreement.
“She was a human, Marcus. Besides, your brother was careless enough to fall for a lady he met in a brothel, charmed by her beauty.”
“We are talking about the same thing, Russell.” Marcus insisted, his expression firm and unwavering.
“What if this is a plot to kill you? What if she has ganged up with Craig? Have you given that a thought?”
Russell sighed heavily, and the more he tried to fight the feeling that crept into him, the more it lingered.
At the end, he suppressed it, turning to the Beta.
“I know that you are worried for my sake, my friend. But I assure you, Mia would never betray the trust I have in her. She is my mate.”
Marcus grunted in disappointment, shaking his head slowly.
He took a deep breath, and then he sighed heavily.
“I hope this doesn’t come back to haunt you, Russell. You are the Lycan King, and you shouldn’t take things for granted…”
“I need you to make preparations for the claiming ceremony, Marcus.” Russell interrupted, looking the Beta in the eyes.
Marcus cleared his throat, and with a shaky voice, he asked, “What did you just say?”
“You heard me, Marcus.” Russell stood up from the couch, and then he faced the Beta.
“I will call my uncle to inform the Elders. The Ceremony will be brief with a few people in attendance. Tonight…”
“Tonight?!” Marcus exclaimed, rising from the couch.
“You can’t do that, Russell!”
“Oh, yes I can.” Russell nodded, his expression resolved.
“I am the Lycan King, remember?”
Marcus took a deep breath, looking away from the Alpha’s eyes.
“You know that’s not what I meant, Russell. I know you are the Lycan King,”
“Good.” Russell chuckled softly, and then he patted the Beta on his right shoulder.
“You will do exactly as I say, Marcus. Get everything ready, no more questions.”
The Beta looked Russell in the eyes, and then he bowed.
“Yes, Alpha Russell.”
As soon as he lifted his head, a guard walked into the living room and bowed to the Alpha.
“We have them.” He said, prompting the Alpha to nod in satisfaction.
“Good. I will be with you shortly.” He waited until the guard shut the door behind him, and then he sighed heavily, returning his gaze to the Beta.
“They have captured those three miscreants who laid their filthy hands on my mate.” He sniggered, his eyes sparking with contempt.
"Let’s go teach them a lesson.” He made the first move, but Marcus remained still, staring at him.
“Come on, my friend!” He urged, already out of the castle.
Marcus grunted, clenching his right fist.
“He never listens.” He muttered, and then he reluctantly walked out of the castle.
He met Olsen and his two cohorts kneeling before the edifice, their breaths shaky as they whimpered before the Alpha.
Olsen had a plaster covering the wound inflicted on him by Mia’s wolf, her heart pounding violently just like the others.
“I beg you, Alpha Russell! I didn’t know she was truly your mate!”