Favo Novel
Chapter 54
A FEW HOURS EARLIER...
"Helga, you need to wake up." Siegren's voice, low and hoarse, pulled Helga out of her slumber. She blinked a few times before turning towards him, his hand gently resting on her shoulder. He smiled apologetically as if he didn't want to wake her up, knowing how tired she was the night before. "I just had a conversation with the Incarnadine's butler. Their Alpha and other high-ranking pack members have invited us to join them for breakfast."
"Oh," is all Helga managed to reply, remembering that they had stayed over at the Incarnadine pack house. Suddenly, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she remembered her heat cycle. Normally, the memories of a she-wolf in heat would be foggy because their mind was clouded by the hormones and they lost their sense of self, resulting in them being quite forgetful. But for Helga, every detail from that night was vividly clear in her mind.
"Do you feel sick? You're burning up, was your heat acting up again?" Siegren asked, placing his hand on her forehead and noting her flushed cheeks.
"N-no," She shook her head before sitting up and noticing that she was wearing her camisole, "I just remembered what happened last night."
"You do?" his lips curved upwards as his expression became slightly mischievous, watching her nod. Helga couldn't help but feel shy and unable to meet his gaze. The memories of her bold and seductive actions made her wish she could disappear into the ground. "That's good, I'll be sad if you don't remember it."
"Are you in any pain because I filled you in completely? If you are unable to move, I will have the servant bring breakfast to us here instead," he said, gently tucking a strand of her fiery hair behind her ear.
"W-well, my whole body's aching but I can manage," She flashed him a reassuring smile to ease his worries and avoid making him feel guilty. "I'll get ready quickly so we can go together."
"All right," He nodded in agreement because he was already dressed and ready for the day. After all, he had woken up earlier than usual after sensing someone lurking outside their room since dawn. He knew it wasn't one of the warriors of Incarnadine patrolling, as his inner wolf Ivo had become agitated. As a result, he stayed alert and used his Alpha aura to intimidate whoever was planning to approach their room with malicious intentions.
Their bravery was commendable, he had to admit. However, if they had dared to attack him and Helga, he wouldn't hesitate to ruthlessly mass murder every single pack member within their territory.
"IS THE FOOD not to your liking?" Siegren asked, noticing how Helga barely touched her food as they discussed the upcoming hunting festival. She pursed her lips, trying to conceal
her frustration because she couldn't understand why they would serve so much food with sesame seeds when they all knew about her allergy. Even in her current position, she was still
being tormented by the Incarnadine pack members.
"I think I am unwanted here," Helga said as she set down her fork and spoon, causing Siegren to frown.
"Why do you say so?"
"I have an allergy to sesame seeds, Your Majesty,” she answered, causing the Incarnadine pack members and the servants around their table to flinch.
"What?" Siegren's expression turned dark, his gaze shifting between the dishes on the table. He hadn't realized she was allergic to sesame seeds, but seeing how almost every contained them, it was clear that they were intentionally trying to harm her. He balled his hand into a fist, feeling anger rising in him. "What's the meaning of this?"
dish
Miranda gasped and immediately switched into her acting mode, feigning shock and apologizing profusely. “Oh no, I am so sorry! I had no idea that the Queen was allergic to this dish. If only I had known, I would have instructed the head chef not to prepare it—”
"Do you take us for fools?" Helga's sharp tones cut through the tense air like a knife, sending a shiver down everyone's spine. Meanwhile, Ezra's gaze hardened as he glared at Miranda, silently warning her not to do anything that would anger their guest. After the disaster of yesterday's banquet, they couldn't afford any more mistakes. But Miranda seemed oblivious to his warning, her actions driven by naivety or perhaps stupidity. He couldn't entirely blame her though-none of them had remembered Helga's allergy until she pointed it out. "N-no, of course not. I'm really sorry, I didn't know.... Please don't be harsh—"
"Is the new Luna of Incarnadine really this stupid?" Siegren remarked, his voice mocking which made everyone's eyes widen. Helga almost snorted at her husband's brutality, but she held back because she didn't want to worsen Miranda's already battered ego. "I'm worried that your pack will meet its downfall soon because the Alpha's mate continues to prove incapable."
A shade of red spread across Miranda's cheeks, her eyes downcast in humiliation while Ezra sat beside her, his jaw clenched tightly, his veins pulsing with anger. The Alpha King's constant harassment and humiliation of his mate was something he couldn't stand, especially after seeing Miranda cry. But he hadn't been able to confront him because of what happened. Suddenly, the memory made him look away from Helga, trying to push the sound of her moaning out of his mind. He cleared his throat, trying to regain control of his thoughts and emotions.
"Please forgive my mate, Your Majesty. It appears she was not fully informed and made an honest mistake—"
"Honest mistake?" Helga scoffed, staying silent was more difficult than she thought. "Miranda was fully aware of my allergy to sesame seeds. She even went as far as trying to trick me
into eating food that had hidden sesame seeds. She did that just to get rid of me when I was still a member of your pack."
Helga's words caused a gasp of disbelief from the high-ranking member of the Incarnadine and even Ezra turned to look at Miranda, his expression betraying his shock.
"Is that true?" he inquired, prompting Miranda to shake her head as tears welled up in her eyes. Helga was all too familiar with this tactic because Miranda always used it whenever she wanted to appear vulnerable and innocent in order to manipulate others into believing her lies.
"No, I would never do something like that...Why would you even think that? She's the one who tried to harm me by putting peanuts in my soup before, remember-"
"You're brave trying to make my wife a villain in front of me," Miranda felt her senses slipping as Siegren's intense stare fixed on her. She gulped nervously; the weight of his gaze heavy on her chest. Her breaths came quicker and more ragged, betraying her fear as he continued to watch her closely. "Do you think I wasn't aware of how you treated her ever since you accused her of being fake?"
"I was just stating the facts, Your Majest-kughh!" Miranda coughed up blood, causing everyone's eyes to widen in shock. Ezra's face turned pale as he quickly rushed over to him, glancing fearfully at the Alpha King who appeared enraged.
"Your Majesty, stop! You're crossing the line attacking my mate in our own territory!" Ezra's voice growled out, commanding the attention of everyone in the dining hall. The scent of fear and tension filled the air as Viola and Aldous tried to calm their pack members, who were on the brink of shifting in response to the threat posed by the Alpha King. However, Helga and Siegren remain calm, their expressions betraying little emotion even though they may soon have to face off against the entire Incarnadine pack once one of them transforms. "Crossing the line huh? It appeared that even the recently appointed Alpha of this pack lacked competence. Or perhaps your decision-making was simply flawed?" Helga arched an eyebrow, coming to her mate's defense against Ezra's accusations. "If I were to eat the food you have served us and something were to happen to me, what consequences do you think would happen to your pack?"
The question hung in the air, heavy and laden with tension. It was enough to make even the most agitated members of the pack fall silent, their eyes turning towards Helga with a mix of fear and hesitation. Her expression was like ice, cold and unyielding, her gaze fixed on Ezra as if daring him to say something out of line. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear at the thought of what the Incarnadine pack might become if she was harmed because of Miranda's mistake.This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - ©.
Ezra clenched his jaw, his muscles tense before calling for the pack's physician to attend to Miranda. His gaze then shifted to the Alpha King, who had finally regained control of his emotions. Though still seething with rage, Siegren stood up slowly, his red eyes narrowing dangerously and causing a collective flinch among the gathered pack members.
"I've lost my appetite. Why don't we settle this with a horse race?" Siegren proposed out of nowhere, his voice determined and confident, "Whoever loses would have to kneel down and apologize for what they did wrong."