Chapter 140

Chapter 140
She immediately turned, and saw a young figure running towards her.

“Scott?” She called out, unsure. But as he got close to her, and she saw him clearly, she shouted, “Scott. Oh my goodness.”

Scott jumped into her arms gladly and they remained in each other's embrace for a short while till Veronica heard a voice. “Happy Birthday, Veronica.”

She looked up, “Beta Richard? Steve? Oh no, am I dreaming?” She asked, completely surprised.

“No, you're not.” Her dad intervened, as he joined them.

“How? Ho….how was this possible? How did this happen?” She asked, stuttering impatiently.

“Apparently, the ‘Richie’ I told you about turned out to be Richard, here.” He revealed, throwing her into further shock.

“I had to do my findings after you were so interested in the person and realized he was someone you knew and I decided to invite them here as a surprise.” He added.

“Really, dad?” She exclaimed excitedly. “I'm so speechless right now.”

“Now that you are all here, I want to use this opportunity to appreciate you all. I want you to know that I'm so grateful to all of you for what you did for my daughter while she was still in your pack. I really don't know how to thank you enough. She hasn't stopped talking about you all, and how you helped her in different ways. Thank you so much.” He thanked them, wholeheartedly.

“You're welcome, Alpha Charles. It's the least that we could do.” Beta Richard replied with a smile. “Your daughter is an amazing young lady. In fact, she saved the life of our son without knowing who he was. They do say one good turn deserves another. It's just quite unfortunate how things turned out.” He said further.

“Oh no, it's okay. That was fate at work.” Alpha Charles mentioned. “If she wasn't sent away from your pack, she probably wouldn't be here today.” He said, and they all nodded in agreement.

Steve and Veronica walked to the balcony, and got talking, catching up on old times. He told her everything that happened, including everything that Megan did, and the reason behind her actions.

“So, she liked you?” Veronica asked, her eyes widening.

“Apparently, she did.” Steve answered, sounding displeased. “So, she did everything she did because she liked me, and I …. you know… liked you instead.” Steve revealed to Veronica.

“Shit! That's crazy!” Veronica uttered, still in shock.

“Really crazy. I cut ties with her anyway, because she can't be trusted. Someone like that who can go to such lengths to destroy someone else's life can never be trusted.” He stated.

“That's true. I feel pity for her though.” Veronica said sadly.

Surprised, Steve asked, “Why? Why will you pity someone like that?”

“I don't know.” Veronica shrugged slowly.

“So now she has been locked up?” She asked, concerned.

“Yes. She has been locked up in the dungeon with other hardened criminals like her. That is even a more lenient punishment, and it's because of her father's status in the pack. If not, she would have been sent away.” Steve explained, his tone cold, still showing his anger towards Megan.

After a short moment of silence as they sipped their drink from their cups, Veronica suddenly said, “I'm sorry, Steve.”

Puzzled, Steve asked her, “What for?”

“I'm sorry I caused the issue between you and Megan. And to make matters worse, I still didn't agree to be in a relationship with you.” She said, and Steve sighed.

“If I wasn't in the picture, you guys would probably still be very good friends.” She continued, her tone filled with guilt.

Steve shook his head in disagreement. “It's not your fault, Veronica. I'm sure if I had met someone else that I liked, she would have done the exact same thing.”

“One thing Megan failed to understand is that matters of the heart cannot be forced. The way she liked me and I liked her as a sister is almost the same way I like you and you don't like me the same way.”

“Now imagine, if I started hurting people that you love just so that you can love me back, would that make any sense to you?” He spoke further, and Veronica shook her head.

“Exactly. So, there are some things that can never be forced no matter what. Just allow it to happen naturally, and if it doesn't, move on.” Steve added.

“I hope we can continue being friends though.” She said, unsure of what Steve's reaction was going to be like.

“Of course.” He responded, and she sighed in relief.

“We should go back in. I shouldn't take all your attention on your birthday.” He said, and smiled.

“Let's go in, dear friend.” He said jokingly as he held her hand and they left the balcony and walked back into the hall to meet Beta Richard and Scott.

Many hours later, outside the palace, a very few other guests arrived. Among the guests were Beck and Ben. After travelling for a very long time, they finally arrived at the Silver Mist Pack in the evening, when most of the guests were already leaving.

“Wow. This is massive.” Beck said, looking around, admiring the massive scenery.

“Yes, I agree.” Ben nodded in agreement.

As soon as their names were checked at the gate, they were allowed into the palace, where they couldn't stop staring at its magnificence.

As soon as they stepped into the celebration hall, Alpha Charles sighted them.

“Good evening. Wow, such a good-looking young man. I hear you're the Alpha of Sun Crest Pack. Your father has told me a lot about you. Thank you so much for coming.” Alpha Charles smiled as he stretched his hand to him.

“The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for having me.” Beck smiled, taking his hand in a firm handshake. “I'm sorry it took this long for us to arrive here. It was such a long journey from our pack.” He explained respectfully.

“It's fine. I understand.” Alpha Charles replied.

“I should introduce you to my daughter, the celebrant of the day.” He said, his eyes scanning the room in search of Veronica.

He soon caught a glimpse of her speaking with Beta Richard, Scott and Steve, her back turned to him. “Oh, there she is. I guess she is catching up with some old friends.”

“Princess, come here.” He called out to Veronica.

“My dad wants me. Will you guys still be around a little longer?” Veronica asked them.

“Oh, no, we'll soon be on our way. The journey back to the pack is still very long, so we can't stay much longer.” Beta Richard explained to her.

“It's fine. In case I don't get to see you before you leave, please send my regards to Beta Lily and everyone else. I'm so glad that you guys could make it.” She said, her heart filled with gratitude as she hugged Scott.

“I hope you'll come and visit me some other time?” She asked him.

“Sure.” He replied happily.

“Okay. I'll introduce you to my brother when next you come. That little rascal is away somewhere. I don't even know where he is right now.” She said jokingly, and they all chuckled.

She then turned to Steve, embraced him and whispered into his ear. “Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I wish I could repay you, but it's obvious I can't. I'm so sorry that things didn't work out between us like you wanted, but I'll be forever grateful to you for being my saviour. Thank you for always saving my life.” She appreciated him.

“It's fine. You're welcome. I'm so happy for you. I'm happy that you finally found your home. I hope that one day, I get to meet the right person for me.” He rubbed her back gently.

“You should go now. Your dad is waiting.” He said, pulling back from her.

“Yeah, I almost forgot.” She chuckled, and they all laughed slightly.

She then waved at them, and walked up to meet her dad, with a smile on her face.

“Meet one of your guests.” He gestured to Beck, who stood transfixed in a spot, unable to move or utter a word.

As Veronica turned in his direction, her smile immediately vanished as her eyes caught the sight of the most unexpected person in the entire world. The last person she ever expected to see— BECK.