“My lady!” Diane’s shrill voice woke me up. This time her voice sounded like an irritating alarm.
“Did someone die?” I demanded, annoyed that I had been woken up so early.
“Apologies my lady but I felt like you would want to know that Lady Nydia has just returned,” she said it like she was announcing bad news.
“What? Has she asked for me yet?” I was wide awake now.
“No, my lady but I believe she will call for you soon,” I groaned upon hearing her response. I had been living the best life since she had left. Could she not be with Dagen for a little longer? I had even become used to not seeing Dagen and my life was not so bad.
“If Lady Nydia is back does that mean Alpha Dagen…”
“He did not return with Lady Nydia,” replied Diane.
I was not sure if this piece of information was good or bad news. If Alpha Dagen was not around that would give Lady Nydia leeway to mistreat me but did it really make a difference if he was?
********#********
Dagen’s POV
The first thing I did when I reached the capital was to pay a visit to my Beta, Edvin Foxe. He was like my right-hand man in many ways. He was someone I could always depend on and he had stood by my side during the toughest times. He was a man I respected very much.
He welcomed me with A warm embrace which was really just a pat on the back.
“I hope you enjoyed your vacation very much because now that you’re back, you have a lot of work to attend to,” I said jovially as he led the way to his library. He had been gone for almost a year and had missed my wedding. It occurred to me then that Nydia had mentioned Edvin meeting Regina.
“I had fun, Alpha Raphael is a real dog you know. He’s into all sorts of things that will scandalize your immoral self,” he responded. Edvin had spent part of his vacation in Alpha Raphael’s pack. It was the place to visit if one wanted to have fun.
“I told you you would not return quite noble if you visited his pack,” came my response.
“It was worth it either way. That reminds me, I met your Luna. She is quite the equestrian,” he remarked. The light that shone in his eyes when he said this told me that he was telling the truth. I knew Edvin was very fond of horses.
“Nydia hates that you are introducing her to people; it undermines her place in the pack,” my voice was firm so Edvin could know that I was with Nydia on this. The less people saw Regina, the better. She was going to die anyway.
“Her place in the pack is in your bed,” Edvin’s response was crude. One could never guess that the two were twins. They hated each other in a way that was rather hard to grasp.
“Edvin, I love her and…”
“If you love her so much, why do you have a Luna? You should have rejected Regina as your mate,” his voice held no anger but his words registered guilt in my mind regardless.
“It is not as easy as you think; the curse still haunts me, I cannot shake it off,” was my reply.
“You really think that Regina is the one to lift your curse?” he asked, his tone woven with sarcasm.
“No, but I need an heir before the curse zaps my life away,” I said.
“And it is sad Nydia cannot give you one,” his tone remained sarcastic.
“Indeed, if only…”
“If you’re going to throw a pity party for Nydia, do not do it here,” warned Edvin.
“Do you not care for Nydia?”
“I do not but I am quite content that she has fooled you enough to give a shit about her,” came his response, there was a thread of anger in his voice.
It amazed me how the siblings were always in tandem against each other. It made me wonder if something had happened in their childhood to warrant such hatred. Their feelings for each other seemed to surpass sibling rivalry but perhaps I was wrong. After all, neither wanted to kill the other while my uncle had no problem killing my parents.
“About Regina, please stay away from her. I am going to end her life once she has served her purpose,” for about three minutes Edvin looked at me as though I was a book he was studying.
“You are trying to convince yourself to do that and good luck to you but that would not hinder my friendship with the Luna,” he finally said.
“Edvin you need to stop calling her Luna, it’s just for formality…”
“Formalities unfortunately describe our identities; I am Beta not just because my father before me was but because I had a little ceremony to bestow the title upon me. Lady Regina had a wedding and the necessary rites to prove that she is your Luna,” I hated how Edvin was always right about everything.
“I see. If that is how you will play it I believe I have given Regina too much leeway. Starting today, she shall not leave the palace,” as I said those words I realized I should have done so a long time ago. It had been my initial intention for Regina except for formal occasions where it would be a must to bring her along. But even that could be avoided.
“Do what pleases you but one thing is certain, you will regret that decision,” sometimes Edvin sounded too much like Kane to the point that it was eerie.
“I do not think so. Anyways, it is good to have you back,” I said warmly. Now that Edvin was back in the pack I could take a step back from politics and have a bit of fun.
“As it is a pleasure to always serve you,” he said as he walked me to the door.