“Don’t worry; your daughter was probably saved by someone else. If that’s the case, maybe they’ll contact you soon,” Joanna added, comforting me. She then immediately made a call to summon her men to look for Beryl near the woods.
“Thank you,” I gratefully said as I held Joanna’s hand.
“Don’t mention it. It’s no big deal.” Joanna smiled.
“If you really want to thank us, maybe just let us get more involved in your kids’ lives in the future,” Harry chimed in. “Joanna happens to like kids very much.”
Joanna cast a reproachful glance at Harry. However, she didn’t stop him.
I chuckled and nodded. “No problem. But we need to find Beryl first.”
A hint of joy flashed in Joanna’s eyes. She then calmly asked, “How did you manage to live on the border all these years?”
“Laura actually did me a favor when I left.”
I took a deep breath and briefly told them what had happened to me in the past few years-including how I became the Alpha of the pack on the border.
Harry’s eyes lit up. He was very happy to hear that. “I didn’t expect that the person who targeted you at first would end up helping you the most. What a surprise! I thought Laura was a cruel, heartless person. I guess we all misunderstood her.”
Crystal’s POV
I smiled faintly and explained, “Laura’s actually a soft-hearted person when you get to know her. We’ve stayed in touch for all these years. Both she and Ethan have helped me a lot in secret so that I could gain a foothold in the border pack.”
“When they announced your sentencing five years ago, I opposed Laura in public and said a lot of harsh words. I think she’ll never want to see me again.” Smiling awkwardly, Harry scratched the back of his head.
“You were only trying to protect me back then. Laura wouldn’t take it to heart. In fact, the last time we talked, she told me about you and Joanna. She was very happy for you two.” I sighed and took Joanna’s hand. I locked eyes with her and asked seriously, “So when do you two plan to get married?”
For the first time, I saw Joanna blush. She averted her gaze and muttered, “Don’t know yet. It’s not the time to talk about it.”
“Very soon! Just wait and see,” Harry cut in, unable to contain his excitement.
Joanna shot him a glare, but she didn’t say anything. She really loved that goofball.
I chuckled. I felt happy for them. After so many years, Harry finally was about to start a family of his own.
Joanna pursed her lips and changed the subject. “Anyway… Why’d you come here for the military parade? Aren’t you afraid that Rufus will recognize you?”
Crystal’s POV
I smiled faintly and explained, “Laura’s actually a soft-hearted person when you get to know her. We’ve stayed in touch for all these years. Both she and Ethan have helped me a lot in secret so that I could gain a foothold in the border pack.”
“I had to come.” I shrugged helplessly and told them about what Rufus had done to make me come this year.
After hearing that, Harry burst into laughter. “Damn! Rufus is really good at this. He’s forcing you to surrender. Are you two playing a game of cat and mouse or-“
Joanna was also amused, but she hurried to clamp her palm over Harry’s mouth, preventing him from saying anything more.
“Cut the crap. Rufus has lost his memory. This isn’t a game,” she hissed.
Harry was forced to shut up. Unable to talk, he looked at Joanna with pitiful eyes.
I rubbed my temples and asked helplessly, “Have you interacted with Rufus at all over the past few years?”
“Yeah, over government affairs. But it was always just letters and official documents and things. Why? What’s wrong?” Joanna looked at me strangely.
“No, I just…” My voice trailed off falteringly. I didn’t know how to explain.
Finally free of Joanna’s grasp, Harry waved his hand and said, “I get it. Rufus has become more and more difficult to get along with over the past few years. Now, he’s stubborn and cruel. I dared to approach him before, but let’s just say I learned a hard lesson that day.” When he talked about Rufus, he looked especially scared, like a timid mouse facing a fierce cat.
I sighed. “I had a brief confrontation with Rufus not long after my arrival. It almost looked like he really wanted to get rid of me.”
“Not surprised. You’ve been managing the border pack in an orderly manner and even recruited the surrounding small packs. You have soldiers, adequate military provisions, and public support. And you’ve been hiding in the border pack for years, refusing to come here to worship Rufus. Rufus is not a fool. He’s a scheming fox, so he’s definitely afraid of what you might be planning to do. That’s exactly how Geoffrey did before. Remember? Rufus is really sensitive. He has lost all his memories related to you, including the fiasco at the border as well as Geoffrey’s rebellion. But he still functions well as a leader of the country. He deserves to be the king.” Harry rubbed his chin and analyzed the situation aloud.
The more I heard, the colder my heart became. It seemed Rufus wouldn’t let me go unless I found a way to show my loyalty to him.
Joanna patted my back and comforted me softly. “Don’t worry. As long as you don’t openly offend the crown, Rufus can’t do anything to you.”
I nodded. It was useless to overthink things now. I could only play things by ear.
All of a sudden, a slight groan came from the sickbed. I quickly stood up and went to check.
Crystal’s POV
As soon as Arron woke up and saw me, his eyes turned red. He couldn’t help but burst into tears, his arms outstretched towards me.
“Mommy, hug…” Arron sobbed, looking especially pitiful.
My heart broke. I spared no time in wrapping my arms around his tiny body tightly.
Arron rested his head on my shoulder and asked in between sniffles, “Mommy, where is Beryl?”
I fell silent at first and patted his back gently. Finally, I sighed, “Mommy hasn’t found her yet.”
Unexpectedly, Arron cried even harder. His nose turned red and swollen from all the sobbing. “I’m sorry, Mommy. It’s all my fault. I wasn’t able to protect her. I lost her. I shouldn’t have told her to split up…”
A lump formed in my throat. The tears started rolling as I listened to my son’s account of what happened.
“Okay, okay. It wasn’t your fault, baby. You’ve done so well. Your safety is the most important thing to Mommy. Now, we just need to find Beryl, and then we’ll be together again. Mommy won’t ever leave you alone again.”
Arron wiped his tears and said firmly, “Let’s go find her now.”
“I’ve already sent someone to look for her. I just know we’ll find her soon.”
I kept comforting Arron, but truth be told, I was also worried sick about Beryl. I just didn’t want my boy to know how anxious I was, fearing that he’d blame himself even more.
“Okay, Mommy!” Arron managed to hold back his tears and didn’t say anything more. Instead, he wrapped his little arms around my neck in a tight embrace. His obedience made me feel even more distressed.
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