What should I do now?
The most powerful person of all suddenly appeared before us uninvited.
"Well, Nikolai? Is it true you know something about the whereabouts of the Moon Goddess?" asked The Great Father.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I don't know."
"Don't lie. Amour said you attacked their prison and rescued all the Wolfenstein pack. They also said you've regained your wolf form."
"That's true, Your Majesty, but I really don't know about the Moon Goddess's whereabouts. I encountered her accidentally last night on Mount Tâmpa. She fled when members of Amour's pack attacked me."
The Great Father turned to Cedric with displeasure.
"Do you know where she went?"
"No, Your Majesty. She jumped into the gorge after she finished blessing me."
"Is that so? Very well then. I think I'll send some people to investigate the mountain you mentioned earlier, in case there are clues to where the Moon Goddess went."
Cedric felt uneasy. "What? Your Majesty, are you just going to leave? Didn't you say earlier you wanted to capture Nikolai and his pack again? After all, they are all being punished for killing the Moon Goddess two years ago."
"I did intend to. But now that I know members of your pack are responsible for the disappearance of the Moon Goddess, who has been missing for over two years, I think it's best to punish you and your pack instead."
"Why? I'm not guilty!"
"Clearly guilty. With the disappearance of the Moon Goddess, us werewolves can't do anything. She who rose from the dead, but because of your carelessness and your vendetta, you blinded yourself and made the Goddess we've been searching for disappear again. I should imprison you right now. Do you want that?"
"No. Forgive me for all the sins I've committed. I promise to make amends."
"That's what I want to hear. And the same goes for you, Nikolai. I'll release you and your pack from punishment with one condition: you must find the Moon Goddess again and bring her to me. There will be a reward for anyone who delivers the Moon Goddess to me."
Cedric then smiled slyly, "and if any of us hide the Moon Goddess and refuse to give her to you, will there be punishment?"
"I will execute them, along with their entire pack, without sparing any of their descendants."
"Very well, Your Majesty. We understand. We will endeavor to find the Moon Goddess and bring her to you."
The Great Father was about to walk away. But when he saw me, he changed his mind.
"Nikolai, who is this woman from the east?"
"She is My Luna, Your Majesty. My wife, who passed away two years ago, has apparently returned in this woman's body. We are officially married."
"Is that so, so Helen has returned along with the Moon Goddess. Truly an unusual coincidence. What is your name, young lady?"
"I am Mei Ling, from China."
"I'm sure you must be confused by everything happening here. But sooner or later, you will get used to it. Congratulations on your marriage and Nikolai's return as your Alpha. May your days be joyful."
The Great Father walked away.
Everyone who had kneeled stood back up, watching him disappear into the crowd on the street. Nikolai immediately pulled my hand away from Cedric as quickly as possible. His face showed immense fear.
"Hey, Nikolai," called Cedric, "you heard earlier, right? Anyone who tries to hide the Moon Goddess will face punishment from The Great Father. I hope we can share information about her whereabouts in the future."
"I will not stoop to exchanging any information with someone like you."
The Wolfenstein pack and I hurried back to our hotel room, avoiding Cedric as much as possible.
We all gathered in the living room as if calling an impromptu meeting. Everyone argued about what to do next. I myself didn't know what to do.
"We should hand Mei Ling over to The Great Father," Nerfi commented.
"No, let's not be hasty. We need to think carefully about our next steps. One wrong move, and we'll all regret the decision," Giovanni replied.
"I will never hand my wife over to The Great Father, no matter what," Nikolai insisted passionately.
"But Nikolai, if he finds out you're hiding the Moon Goddess within Mei Ling, he will destroy the Wolfenstein pack."
"Quiet, Nerfi. There must be a way out of this problem. My wife has returned from death, and I've waited two years to meet her again. There's no way I'm giving her up now."
"You yourself said you didn't care about Mei Ling and the soul of your deceased wife within her. You said your wife was dead, regardless of whether she's reincarnated or not. Why are you saying the opposite now?"
Nikolai fell silent.
Our debate continued without resolution until the sun set. Each member of the pack had their own opinions, and Giovanni tried to find a middle ground that would be best for everyone. But looking at the current situation, it was very difficult. We were divided.
By the time night fell, each of us had dinner in our rooms. It was unlike the previous night, filled with laughter and smiles around a shared table. Even I, I ate with Clara on the bed, feeling grim. Though the food was delicious, it tasted bland due to the murky thoughts swirling in my mind.
After finishing dinner, I stepped out to throw away the trash and accidentally encountered two women in bikinis with slightly tanned skin typical of tropical residents. They giggled as they passed me and entered my husband's room.
Oh no.
Was Nikolai calling prostitutes into his room again? I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear what they were about to do. The last time he brought a woman into his room, it tore my heart apart. And now he was calling two women at once?
I should go somewhere else.
I didn't know where to go, but I knew I had to get away so I wouldn't hear any sounds from Nikolai's room.
As I ran away from the room, I accidentally saw Rachel sitting alone on the balcony where we had dinner the night before. She was enjoying the night breeze in elegant attire, holding a cup of beer in her right hand. Her broad-brimmed straw hat gently swayed in the night wind.
"Madam Mei Ling?" she said after noticing me at the bottom of the stairs. I then joined her, taking a seat beside her.
"Rachel, what are you doing here alone?"
"Just calming my mind with the gentle night breeze. The sea looks beautiful tonight. And you? Rare to see you out so late."
"I guess you already know what's on my mind without me saying it."
"Let me guess, because of Nikolai?"
"Yeah, he's brought another woman into his room. I think it's better if I stay away from his room for a while."
She poured some strong red wine into the empty cup in front of me. What a thoughtful woman she was.
"I understand how you feel. Please drink, you'll feel better after."
I took a sip of the wine, but the lingering melancholy in my heart didn't dissipate.
"Can I ask you something, Rachel?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"What actually happened with Nikolai's ex-wife two years ago?"
Rachel took a long breath before continuing, "Perhaps now is the right moment to tell you."
"As you know, we werewolves worship a figure called the Moon Goddess. Every year, we have to give up one of our prized possessions. It is a kind of sacrifice as a sign of our worship of her. Ever since he was a child, Nikolai never agreed with the way sacrifices had been made to the Moon Goddess for generations. To him, a goddess had no right to ask for anything from those who worshipped her. Nikolai was not yet an Alpha."
"As time passed, the denial within Nikolai began to be felt by the Moon Goddess herself. She realized that there was one of her servants who refused to make offerings. On the day of Nikolai's elevation to Alpha, the Moon Goddess gave him a punishment. She asked Nikolai to give up the single most valuable item he had ever owned, and guess what it was?"
"His wife?"
"Indeed. Helen was a rational woman who became Nikolai's Luna. Their love was at its peak, especially on the day Nikolai was appointed Alpha. Feeling outraged, Nikolai tried to stab the Moon Goddess with a silver blade. But just before the blade could pierce the Moon Goddess's heart, Helen jumped in to stop him and ended up getting killed herself. Nikolai thrust the blade with all his might, piercing through Helen's body and simultaneously stabbing the Moon Goddess in the heart as well."
"That night, two souls perished simultaneously in one strike. Helen and the Moon Goddess. I suppose that's why those two souls could reincarnate into your body at the same time."
"I see. The scroll we read that night also mentioned the concept of oppressed souls. Death caused by two different souls in the same manner."
"Exactly. That's also what made Nikolai harbor such intense hatred towards the Moon Goddess. The death of the Moon Goddess had a profound impact on the werewolves. It was also when Nikolai imposed instant karma; the Wolfenstein group lost their ability to shift into their wolf forms. We were all imprisoned because of Nikolai's sins. Meanwhile, Nikolai himself was expelled from the group and became a Rogue, a werewolf without a pack. Being a rogue is far worse in status than living in prison."
"But what's even worse than being a Rogue is being an Alpha who has lost their Luna. Typically, if a werewolf loses their mate, they will commit suicide because they can't bear to live without their partner. I was surprised Nikolai could endure living two years without a mate, wandering alone in the human world and successfully building his own business. Now you understand how much you mean to Nikolai, don't you?"
"I see. No wonder when I first met him, he immediately proposed marriage right then and there."
"Indeed. If Nikolai were to lose his Luna again, I don't even know what would happen. That's why it's so difficult for me to decide about this issue with The Great Father. Clearly, Nikolai would refuse to hand you over to him."
"I understand."
"If you were to die because you were handed over to The Great Father, Nikolai could do the worst possible thing."
"You mean suicide?"
"More than that. I'm afraid he might even kill The Great Father, just like when he killed the Moon Goddess. I'm truly grateful that Helen's soul could reincarnate into you. From what I know, reincarnation is a very rare event. This is the first time I've seen a werewolf rise from death. That's why I implore you, Madam, you must take care of yourself. Nikolai made you his wife when he first met you because he didn't want to lose you, especially to another man. If you were to form a relationship with another man, it would be like betraying your mate, and Nikolai would sense it. I beg you, make Nikolai the only one you love. Your fate is bound to him."
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. If he truly considers me his wife and respects Helen, he wouldn't be with another woman in his room at night like this."
"We're constantly advising Nikolai to treat you better. To make you the only precious woman to him. You must believe in yourself. Sooner or later, Nikolai will treat you just as he treated Helen."
"Thank you, Rachel. Talking to you really makes me feel better. I'll go back to my room now. What about you?"
"I still want to stay here. You can go ahead."
"Alright then. Enjoy your night."
I walked back to my room. But I wasn't sure I could stand hearing Nikolai making love to those two women. So I deliberately took a detour to delay my return to the room. Hoping that by the time I got there the two women would have left my husband's room.
But taking this detour turned out to be a bad idea. For some reason, a hooded man suddenly followed me. His steps were getting closer and closer to me. I'd better start running.
"Where are you going!" Damn it, he caught my hand!
"Let go of me! Who are you! What do you want from me?"
He dragged me into the room, then threw me on the bed and locked the door. I was so scared. My body was shaking, and my heartbeat was irregular. The man walked closer to the bed while smiling lustfully. Once his face was illuminated, I realized who he was.
"Cedric? What are you doing! Let me go!"
"Nikolai is very lucky to have a woman as beautiful as you. I really envy him. Tonight you will be all mine."
Oh God! This guy was crazy. He started to take off his pants and crawled onto the bed.
Nikolai, where are you!
Help me!