Chapter 22 Infamous Alpha

**Valerie**

I should have been happy that I finally got what I wanted. But I wasn’t.

Every time I thought about the disappointed eyes Mr. Lang glanced at me with before leaving, my chest was stuck with something sore and painful that prickled my heart as each breath I took.

Maybe Mr. Drakos was right in his commentary on me.

I was grabby, pompous and shameless. I couldn’t really tell right from wrong. What I had done was contradicting what I believed to be correct.

I claimed that I loathed them all, all of those supernatural creatures that had taken the life once belonged to me, but why did my behaviors and feelings always go against my wishes?

Why had I been aroused by a werewolf? Why had I been attracted and touched by a vampire? Why did I grow voracious possessiveness over my enemies?

I was helpless. And there’s no one else in this world I could possibly rely on.

A similar feeling had once occurred to me before.

When mom and dad brought me to the beach that summer and we were about to visit a small island on the sea, motorboat was the only choice to get there. But the winds were strong, blowing waves high and intensive. Despite being equipped with life jacket and assured of the safety, I was afraid of boarding it. I asked if we could wait for the tide to die down.

I remembered the utterance mom made then, that I should never forget in my life. She petted my head softly and smiled to me, said something far-reaching even though I couldn’t really understand by that time.

She said, people would tell themselves to follow the tide or wait when they were actually too feared to take any risks and go against it. And she wished me to be the gallant one who’d always believe in myself and not be afraid of confronting hardship.

I had done my utmost not to let mom down.

In case of making another mistake, I spent most time helping with other slaves in the kitchen then. Mrs. Manson didn’t make any comments for me avoiding serving the guests. I supposed she was even delighted with this since she never liked me to be selected as one of the servants. Actually, Mrs. Manson had been so excited to stay in that lounge standing by the lords that she hardly care about my presence.

When the noble families of The Red Moon Pack arrived, I was washing the dishes at the sink with Samantha. She complained about not being selected for the celebration and urged me to catch this “good” opportunity.

We heard a loud noise from outside when the new guests got out of their luxurious cars, chatting in groups and walking to the castle. Then Benjamin rushed into the kitchen hastily, reminding me to join welcoming lines as soon as possible.

I quickly followed Benjamin and stood beside him at the end of the left row, managing to steady my breaths before they came in. Xavier and the North guests were waiting at the doorway. From this point, I could not see his face, but the shafts from sunshine breaking through the narrow space between their figures and casting yellow patches on the floor. Despite being surrounded, his silhouette looked solitary.

All of those aristocrat werewolves were attired in their best clothes, she-wolves in silk evening gowns and male wolves in formal wool suits. Bowing my head to as they walked past me in their fine leather shoes, a sulky and weird question formed in my mind.

Had they ever dressed like this before the war, when they lived in the forests like beasts?

The way they postured, greeted or even talked were in exact resemblance with human’s custom. It’s hard to know if they learnt it from humans or if they just invented it for themselves, like what humans had done.

If that’s the case, then what’s the differences between us? Why did they have to defeat us?

My thoughts were roaming when I felt someone gazed at me in the guests group. He wasn’t particularly looking at me as I noticed that he eyed all of us the same way, in a sense of scrutinizing, sending a coldness down spine.

I wasn’t quite sure but he looked very similar to the man I saw in the photo in that dusty room, the one who resembled with Xavier, except this elderly man had lost the entire left arm. The empty sleeve was tied into a knob, hanging there and sway with every step he took.

He walked in the very front among all the guests, rambling and laughing with an old couple and a young man who were following closely on his right side. Obviously, he was the one with higher ranking as the others three were just stringing along his talk in a rather respectful manner. Notwithstanding the smile, he looked scary with those sharp eyes and a grim countenance.

“Father.” Xavier bowed to him.

I was nearly shocked to hear this.

The other servants all stiffened as though unable to believe their ears. Benjamin’s hands were even shaking uncontrollably beside me.

We were not scared by the infamous Alpha himself, but the severe wound he had suffered. No one had ever mentioned that Caser Murphy was crippled.

Was it done by the war? That sounded impossible.

Werewolves had always revered force and pure strength. Despite being loyal, they would never accept an Alpha with disability. Since the brutal battles had ended 8 years ago, how could he possibly be able to keep his title for such a long time?

“Alpha Caser! Nice to see you!” Alpha Felix chuckled a delightful tone and extended his arm to hand-shake with Caser Murphy.

“This is my daughter, Alyssa.” He introduced.

“Nice to meet you, Alpha Caser.” Alyssa bowed her head timidly and greeted in a tiny voice. This poor girl seemed to be freaked out, bending her back slight as if wanted to recoil.

Caser Murphy nodded with a grin, but his brows furrowed in a distain. He was evidently not like this girl quite much, but what he said had nothing to be picky about.

“Good to see you again, Alyssa. The last time I saw you, you were only 6. Remember? Crying on your dad’s shoulder.” He laughed.

Alyssa nervously forced a smile on her face and rubbed her hands with no replies.

Then he turned to Alpha Felix. “You’ve got a good girl, Felix. I envy you.” He said.

“Oh come on,” Alpha Felix seemed to rejoice at his praise, “Isn’t it great enough to have a son like Xavier? Besides, after Xavier and Alyssa get married, there’s no need for us to envy each other anymore.”

Bringing up the topic of marriage, I couldn’t help but glanced over at Xavier. He looked fatigue and frustrated with a severe countenance. Noticing my stare, he looked back to me.

I gulped in nervousness when he turned to me. He seemed to be a bit surprised as I didn’t avoid eye-contacting with him this time. Neither of us switched our sights away from beholding each other tightly until his lip corner curled into a comforting but playful smile.

My heart just skipped a beat and I quickly looked down.

But I had missed a twitch on Caser Murphy’s face as he squinted at me with a baleful light springing up in his eyes.