Old Duke Almandine's convoy of 1000 Lycan troops arrived at the northern city's border as midnight passed. Because they were rushing from the West, they arrived sooner than expected.
The Old Duke rode a large horse at the front of the convoy, galloping moderately through the deserted streets at midnight. He was followed by hundreds of his soldiers who made it back, along with prisoners of war who were strangely not tied up nor chained.
In no time, the victory convoy that had come quietly under the night sky had arrived at Almandine Castle. No cheers, no words, just mighty Lycans whose irises shone in the darkness.
Harriet and Heath stood to greet them at the end of the castle entrance steps. Leading everyone, Harriet knelt down respectfully as the Old Duke, the mighty Alpha, dismounted.
“My child, Harriet,” said the Old Duke when he saw Harriet getting up and standing, welcoming him, smiling with relief.
"Your Grace," Harriet returned the Old Duke's greeting. “Congratulations on your victory in the West. Congratulations, Your Grace."
Old Duke only smiled. He stepped closer, followed by his assistant, Sir Russell, a large, tall man. The Old Duke then looked at Heath, who had come to his senses. He furrowed his brows.
"Your brother is awake," said the old man.
Harriet nodded.
Seeing that, the Old Duke turned his head to a horse carriage following his horse right behind him. Harriet had guessed that maybe her brother's mate was in there. Harriet watched her brother shaking again. The young man was clutching his chest.
The Old Duke stepped in front of Heath and gripped his shoulders tightly, holding him from getting out of control. Only then did the older man order his men to open the carriage door.
A young girl in a simple white dress stepped out of the horse carriage. Her skin looked pale white, like a marble statue polished by a master craftsman. The girl was so tiny and delicate, with a pair of navy blue eyes that sparkled in the moonlight. Her long, straight pink hair fell as she looked down, descending the steps of the carriage.
Heath's breath hitched. The youth wanted to come forward, but the Old Duke held his body tightly.
“Patience,” the Old Duke said in a firm voice.
The girl looked at Heath, and their eyes met.
Heath was a handsome young man with hair as black as night and silvery grey irises. Despite being young, there was an aura of maturity radiating from his body. He was also tall, even taller than Liam.
Slowly, the girl sobbed, making everyone confused.
“You are safe…!” whispered the girl.
"Miss had saved me," Heath said, smiling helplessly.
Harriet and everyone else there certainly didn't understand what the two of them were talking about. However, it was clear that perhaps the two of them had interacted before.
“I thought you were dead…” the girl said as she strolled towards Heath. “You are badly injured and bathed in blood…”
Heath chuckled. The two of them reached out to each other and then embraced.
"Okay. Now you can start to imprint your mate, Heath. Let's go inside," said the Old Duke.
The girl was taken aback and tried to attract the attention of the Old Duke, who was ready to busy himself. “Y-Your Grace, but I was your prisoner and previously your enemy. My family and I have caused a lot of trouble…”
The Old Duke raised his hand to stop the girl from continuing her words.
"No problem. I will take responsibility,” the Old Duke said.
The older man turned around to arrange for his convoy to rest and the captive Lycans to be placed in separate residences.
Seeing this, Harriet called Daniel to ask him to help Heath and the young girl carry out their imprinting ritual.
Harriet walked briskly, following Old Duke after him, and Old Duke was glad Harriet followed him.
"We'll talk after we've done what has to be done," the old man said, and Harriet agreed.
Harriet helped the Old Duke take care of his troops. He was starting from those who were injured and those who died. Old Duke allowed the rest of his soldiers to rest.
Then, as they started taking care of the prisoners of war, the opposing Lycan soldiers who surrendered completely, the Old Duke explained to Harriet what happened. They had sworn not to start any more trouble.
Harriet nodded once and gave orders right and left to provide the captives with temporary residences as the Old Duke wished.
The sun began to rise right as they finished, and the Old Duke looked at Harriet as if he wanted to take a good look at his granddaughter-in-law.
"Maybe we can postpone your welcome party to tomorrow or the day after, Your Grace," said Harriet.
Old Duke nodded.
They walked down the hall, and Harriet could sense the older man was about to say something important that he had to say.
“You must have heard the girl's words earlier. She is part of the enemy's Lycan Pack family."
Old Duke walked slowly and leisurely. There were only two of them in the hallway.
“The captives I brought home were the Lycan Pack, who were the perpetrators of your brother's transformation into a Lycan, and they were the ones who attacked the Western Fort. However, they were not the ones who started this war. They were forced to help with this attack,” explained the old man.
Old Duke told Harriet what he knew. For months, enemy Lycans had come secretly using small ships from the Western Continent. They gradually increased their numbers and gathered in the Western Dark Forest to prepare a surprise attack on the Western Fortress.
Harriet's younger brother, Heath, was assigned to explore the Western Dark Forest on an expedition routine. He caught sight of the troops that had gathered.
That was when a fight broke out between them. All the knights led by Heath died, while Heath was captured by them, knowing Heath was an important noble.
The young girl that the Old Duke brought was the daughter of the enemy Lycan Pack's Alpha. She also tried to help Heath escape, but in the process, Heath got seriously injured and caught Lycanthropy.
During his investigation, the Old Duke discovered that the enemy Lycan army was a Lycan army without their Alpha. After winning the war, the Old Duke learned that the army was led by a wizard and a prince from the West Continent, not their Alpha. The Prince had taken their Alpha's Daughter hostage.
“What about their Alpha?” asked Harriet.
The Old Duke shook his head in concern. “That Prince killed Thei. That was why that Prince controlled his. He held their Alpha's daughter hostage.”
Aksara