Just as they were about to leave, an upset Harry kept whining and pestering Joanna, saying that he didn’t want to go. The couple huddled to the side for a brief conversation. When they broke apart, Harry was strangely in high spirits. I was curious about what Joanna had told him then.
And I only found out about it much later. It turned out that she had accepted Harry’s proposal!
I saw my friends off, and then slowly trudged my way back to the palace, where I met Laura at the palace door. She immediately rushed to me and grabbed my hand, her face wrought with worry. “Something bad happened. Rufus has gone missing. We lost contact with him.”
Crystal’s POV
My heart skipped a beat. My eyes widened with surprise. I couldn’t believe that something had happened to Rufus.
“What happened? How did you lose contact with him?” I grabbed Laura’s hand and asked in a frantic voice. “I don’t exactly know what happened. The news only reported that Rufus is missing and we haven’t been able to establish contact with him by any means.” Laura’s face was drawn. She was so agitated that she didn’t know what to do.
I guided her into the palace and said in a soothing voice, “Don’t worry. I’ll go and get Rufus back.”
“How can I let you go there? We can’t lose you as well.” Laura disagreed with me, her face shining with hesitation.
“I have to. I can’t just stay in the imperial palace and do nothing when Rufus is in danger.” I stood my ground and insisted on going there. Sitting next to Laura, I did my best to persuade her. “If the vampires have infiltrated the werewolf race, I can figure out a way to find a quick solution. After all, I have dealt with these vampires for five years at the border, and I know them well.”
After contemplating for a while, Laura gave in.
“Okay. But this ban Rufus has placed on you will be a problem. No one will allow you to leave the imperial capital without his express order.”
“That’s easy to work around. Help me fake my identity, so I can leave the imperial capital. Then find someone else to take my place and stay here.” Although this plan was a little cumbersome, it was the only way I would be able to leave this place. With Laura’s help, it would be easy to find someone to impersonate me without being discovered.
“Okay. But you must stay in touch with me when you get there. Call for back up if things get hairy.” Laura repeatedly urged me to be careful before letting me go.
With her help, I managed to successfully leave the imperial capital and soon reached my destination.
The Cherry Bay Pack was a small pack just a little distance from the imperial capital. Unlike the other packs that had advanced technology, this pack still retained primitive living habits. They dressed in traditional beast hide clothes and feather caps, and they liked to display their wolf form.
Wolves of varying colors could be spotted everywhere on the street. These werewolves liked to adorn their wolf forms. They either wore gemstones on their foreheads, or agate necklaces on their necks. The more lavishly they were bedecked, the wealthier they were.
I pulled down the brim of my cap over my eyes, pretending to be a tourist. After taking a stroll around their center square, a feeling of strangeness rose in me. It was too peaceful here, as if nothing had occurred. If an attack had taken place here, it would be impossible that so many people were still thronging the streets. Moreover, the biggest anomaly was that the royal army was missing, and the army of this pack should have deployed soldiers to patrol.
But they hadn’t. Only two soldiers guarded the city gate.
“Miss, would you like to buy some flowers?” a street vendor asked me warmly.
I accepted the flowers and handed two coins to the vendor. In a nonchalant voice, I asked, “Has there been anything strange going on in the city lately?”
The vendor thought for a while and replied, “Nothing serious has happened. But our Alpha often leads the troops out of the city and stays away for a few days. I heard that a group of pirates came from the south and robbed several aristocrats who had gone out for a cruise trip to the sea.”
I frowned. “Did they catch the pirates?”
“I guess so. As the Alpha has returned, I believe they have captured the pirates.”
I pondered this for a few moments. I couldn’t point out why I felt uneasy. The werewolf packs were mostly located inland, which meant few pirates were around. Numerous armies were stationed near the coast all year round. So, where did these pirates come from?
Moreover, why hadn’t anyone in the pack mentioned the arrival of the lycan king? That was a big deal, wasn’t it?
Crystal’s POV
I took a casual walk around the city. As I did, I asked several passersby and found out that none of them knew anything about the arrival of the lycan king.
I headed to the residence of the Alpha, where I came across a male wolf garbed in a soldier’s uniform. I stopped him and asked. “Is the Alpha’s residence around here?”
“Yes,” the soldier answered cautiously as he looked me up and down. “Are you not a naive here?”
“That’s right. I’m from the imperial capital, and I’m here for a tour.” I gave him a warm smile before leaning close and whispering, “I heard that the lycan king has come to your pack.”
The soldier flinched and stepped back as though I had hit him. “Who told you that?” he demanded. “The lycan king is not here.”
“So, he didn’t come?” I frowned, confused by the whole situation. Where on earth would Rufus go? Had they lost contact with him before he had even arrived at this place? But there were many other things that didn’t make any sense. The pack seemed peaceful, and didn’t look like it had been attacked recently. There must be something wrong with the information that was passed on.
In any case, I now had the opportunity to meet up with this pack’s Alpha first.
“I want to see your Alpha.”
I told the soldier that I was a royal emissary, but he did not believe me. He asked to see my credentials. I didn’t have any, of course, so I tried to talk my way into convincing him. Alas, this only made the soldier grow more suspicious of me.
“Didn’t you say you were here for a tour? Why are you suddenly claiming to be a royal emissary?”
“I want to keep a low profile.” I tried to appear more stern and noble, the demeanor fit for a royal appointee. If the soldier still refused to take me to their Alpha, I would have no choice but to break in by f0rce.
The soldier let out a cold, derisive laugh. “I was not informed that the royal family would be sending emissaries to our pack. If you really are one, how come you come alone? My best bet is that you’re a spy, sent here by the other packs.”
“You certainly have a wild imagination. I am not interested in arguing with you. Go and inform your Alpha that I want an audience with him.” I glared at the soldier.
“Okay. Since you want to see him so badly, I might as well take you straight to the dungeon. You’re sure to see our Alpha once we commence with your interrogation.” After saying this, he covered his mouth and nose with his hand, and then let out a cry similar to that of a hawk’s. It was likely a secret signal of sorts.
I backed away from him, only to see guards appear out of nowhere, surrounding the alley we were in.
The soldier raised his hand and pointed at me. “Arrest her! She may be a spy.”
In the next second, the guards rushed forward to lunge at me.
I fumbled for the weapon I had hidden under my sleeve and pulled the trigger, aiming for the nearest guard. A sharp, silver needle flew out and lodged itself square in the middle of his neck. He froze for a second before promptly crumpling to the ground. Rufus was the one who had taught me how to use this weapon. He liked to study and tinker with all kinds of things during his spare time. In my humble opinion, the man was capable of mastering almost every weapon in existence.
As more and more guards fell, the door of the Alpha’s residence slowly opened. A deep roar rang out, and the remaining guards finally ceased their attack.
A man with long hair stepped out, his face pale and gray.
I was quite bemused. I didn’t see him during the military parade.
He approached me with a contrite expression. “I apologize. My subordinates here lack tact and discretion. Please forgive them.”
The man’s voice was hoarse and somewhat labored. As he drew closer, I smelled the heavy scent of roses wafting from his body.
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