Blair gave it some thought before saying, “It must have something to do with Hubson. Some of the spies’ immediate family members have been transformed into hybrids. That makes them easy prey for pure-blooded vampires. They can be manipulated into doing anything, even supporting vampires instead. As a matter of fact, it isn’t so hard to figure out their reasons for doing this. The problem is that I have no way of knowing just how many of Hubson’s men have infiltrated our pack.”
“But Hubson is still suffering from the curse. He-No, wait. Wait!” No sooner had I mentioned this than something else occurred to me. “He was cursed by Noreen. . . Has the curse been removed upon Noreen’s death?”
Crystal’s POV
The new speculation left me upset for a long time and I couldn’t reign in my agitation.
My mind flashed back to my first year as Alpha. I had gone to negotiate with Hubson on behalf of my pack. When I met Hubson that day, his condition was worse than I had expected. He was huddled in a black robe, looking like he was on his deathbed. He was frail, and his prominent hand bones were horribly deformed. Thanks to the curse, he could only lean weakly against the chair.
I greeted him with a smile, but he stared at me with a clenched jaw. His lifeless face under his hood twitched subtly, and he looked eager to charge at me and tear me into pieces.
But by that time, I’d already mastered both the lycan power and the witchcraft practiced by black witches. I was not scared of Hubson, who was suffering from the black death curse. Even if I stood within arm’s length from him, he wouldn’t have the nerve to touch me.
After taking a sip of the coffee the servant had brought, I gently placed the cup on the table and took out the agreement from my bag. I waved the paper in front of his despondent eyes to show him the agreement. Then I placed it on the table for him to sign.
The agreement was quite straightforward. The most important clause was that from that moment on, the vampires and werewolves would not break the peace, and they would no longer invade the other’s territory. Both sides agreed to these terms for fifty years. Neither would they step foot into each other’s restricted zone, nor would they interfere in each other’s matters.
Although several emotions flitted through Hubson’s face, he finally picked up the pen and signed his name with a bleak expression. The negotiation back then had been exceptionally smooth and I returned immediately.
Over the next five years, the border had been safe and sound. As expected, the vampires had honored their side of the agreement and never entered werewolf territory. I gradually relaxed. I didn’t keep the same vigilance against vampires and even lowered our security measures.
Not long after I returned to the imperial palace this time, I discovered that the curse on Blair had lifted naturally now that Noreen was gone. Did this also mean that Hubson was free of the black death curse? Hubson was so crafty. He had been pretending to be weak all this time, while he was actually secretly planning something against me! I gritted my teeth. I said to Blair, “After Noreen’s death, the black death curse on Hubson might have been lifted. Now he has probably regained his strength. Maybe he is hatching a secret plot. You must stay alert.”
There was a moment of silence on the phone. Blair seemed to be deep in thought. A few seconds later, his voice rang out from the earpiece.
“So we can be certain this is Hubson’s scheme. Besides, I have some bad news for you. My subordinate just sent me the report that the two spies committed suicide during the interrogation. Their true faces were revealed when they stopped breathing.” Blair paused briefly and continued, “They had fangs. They were vampires.”
I gasped loudly. “So the vampires have already infiltrated the werewolf pack?”
Blair replied, “It’s very likely. When we probed this matter further, we uncovered some vampire presence in the small towns far away from the city, some new and some old. It seems that these vampires have mastered the skills to disguise themselves as werewolves. It is quite possible that some of them have long crossed the border and penetrated the werewolf pack.”
This news disturbed me. I muttered, “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have relaxed my guard.”
Blair sighed. “It’s not your fault. The responsibility for this issue falls on everyone. Don’t worry yourself too much about it. Now it is also possible that the vampires have infiltrated the imperial capital. I think we should do something to weed them out.”
Crystal’s POV
“Is Rufus aware of this?” I asked.
Blair sighed. “He already knows. I’m guessing he will take action soon. I’m afraid there won’t be any peace in the coming days. You must be vigilant while you’re in the imperial capital. You’ve been the Alpha of the border pack for five years, and the vampires hold a lot of grudges against you. Some of them might even be very familiar with your identity. If you’re not careful, you might get exposed to Rufus.”
“All right, I understand. I promise to be more careful.”
After ending the call, I walked back to look for my son. He was squatting on a patch of grass, playing with mud.
I called out his name, and Arron scampered toward me, clutching my hand. “Where have you been, Mommy? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
I bent over and picked him up. “Mommy had to take a call. Let’s head back, shall we? Mommy will make you some cookies.”
“Okay!”
The next day, after having breakfast with my son, I prepared to go to the kindergarten alone. Arron knew that Beryl was also at the school, and he made no effort to hide his envy. He followed closely behind me as I went around the house and packed my things.
I held him close, trying to brush off the guilt that pierced my heart. “I’m so sorry, baby. I can’t take you to kindergarten for the time being. Just give Mommy a few days, okay? Once I get rid of the problems, I’ll take you to see your sister.”
Arron was clever enough not to ask me what I meant. He simply nodded in complete faith. “Okay, Mommy. Don’t worry. I’ll be good and wait for you here. You can go by yourself.”
I caressed his chubby little face. “Listen, sweetheart. If you feel sad or bored, you can ask Uncle Harm to take you to see Grandma.”
Harm was my subordinate. He had often played with Arron back when we were in the border pack.
“Okay, Mommy. Hurry up, or you’ll be late. ” Arron pushed me toward the door with his stubby little arms.
I glanced at my watch, hurriedly gathered my purse, and headed out.
When I arrived at the school, I had to take a moment to calm my anxiety before walking into the classroom. Today was my first day, and I was a little nervous.
Fortunately, I only had ten students in my class, so it wasn’t too tiring. They were very obedient and well-behaved, too, which was a bonus.
During the break, I found Beryl sitting alone at her desk, looking out the window with a melancholy expression. While the other children happily played together, she kept to herself, seemingly scared and listless.
I walked around the teacher’s table and approached my daughter. “Hey there, baby Beryl. Is anything wrong? I get the feeling that you’re unhappy about something.”
The little girl turned to look at me, her eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t see Daddy this morning,” she said, sounding aggrieved. “I searched everywhere but didn’t find him. Did he abandon me?”
The sorrowful look on her face tugged at my heartstrings. I couldn’t help but take her into my arms and stroke her hair. “Daddy didn’t abandon you. He would never do something like that. Maybe he’s just busy. I’m sure you will see him when you get back at lunchtime.”
My daughter snaked her arms around my neck and clung to me. “No, Daddy left the palace. I asked Grandma, but she doesn’t know when he will be back.”
Beryl was choking on her sobs as she spoke.
I was surprised to hear that Rufus had left the imperial palace so suddenly. Then I thought back to my phone call with Blair.
Had he gone out to deal with the vampires?
Perhaps.
Without the curse to impede him, Hubson was certainly more dangerous than ever. Moreover, countless vampires were probably already lurking in the imperial city. The thought of Rufus facing a coven all by himself rendered me speechless. If I could, I would have liked to fly out to him and make sure that he was okay.
Crystal’s POV
My daughter couldn’t seem to accept that fact that Rufus had suddenly left. She was so distraught that she even refused to eat her favorite cookie. She kept looking out the window in morose silence, her chin resting on her tented hands.
Since she had lost her memory, Beryl and Rufus had seldom been separated from each other. They were attached to the hip, no matter where Rufus went.
The worst part of this predicament was the fact that Rufus’ date of return was uncertain. It was understandable that Beryl was upset.
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