Chapter 31
Valledor had had his share of humiliation. Never had it crossed his mind that Alpha Luther would be so trusting of Miranda. He wished it were the former times when Miranda was seen as nothing but a little girl with no relevant opinion. Now that the throne would soon be handed to her, Alpha Luther had no choice but to side with his daughter's decisions, however unfit they might seem. Valledor had tried all he could, but things seemed to be worsening for him. He now knew that this was something he could not handle alone.
He went into his chambers to place a phone call, a private one that no one ought to hear. His hands shook as he pressed the buttons. He was still distraught from what had happened earlier.
The phone rang for a few seconds before it was finally picked. He could hear Samara's voice from the other end. She seemed to be whispering.
"Valledor? Didn't I warn you not to call me on the phone? Have you forgotten that we could get caught easily if our calls are monitored? What exactly is wrong with you...?"
He cut her off immediately. "Samara, you know I wouldn't take such a risk if it was not a matter of dire urgency. I couldn't wait till our next meeting because it would be too late by then."
"What is it then?" She demanded impatiently.
"The Princess... She is alive and she is back."
"What! How's this possible?!" Samara no longer whispered as the shock she had received from Valledor's words made her forget the risk of getting caught. "She's supposed to be dead! I went through a lot just to ensure that Walden never got that letter. It's only by a slim chance that he has not found out what I did, and now she's back alive? I don't understand any of this. How could she have escaped from the Silver Pack's Alpha just like that? How?!"
"That's only part of the story, Samara. The Silver Pack's Alpha whom you claim imprisoned her was the one who actually returned her here with the most devastating news of all – he plans to marry her and establish the union that she and Walden failed to establish. Not only that, he's also taking our men, the last of the troops, leaving us with nothing and thwarting all our plans... all we've worked so hard to get, Samara... He's taking all of it!"
"How could you let this happen, Valledor? Are you not a Beta? Don't you have a say in the leadership affairs of the pack? How could you turn a blind eye to all that and instead come to report to me in secret when you could have voted against it or something? Or better still, try to speak to Alpha Luther about it?"
"Oh Samara, you don't know how much it breaks my heart to hear you say that. If only you knew what I've been through today, you wouldn't say those hurtful words to me at..."
"What is it? What did Luther say about it?"
"He supports his daughter full on. I've been threatened today, both by Luther and Damian all because I spoke against Miranda. Luther seems to see no sense in anything I say as long as Miranda is involved. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life! There's nothing I didn't try to do. Even when I tried changing Miranda's mind, she did nothing but lash back at me, and her husband-to-be didn't even see anything wrong in her speaking so rudely to a Beta. Oh Samara, if only you knew..."
"I'm sorry for all you had to go through, Valledor, but this is no time for self-pity! We have to act fast to stop that wedding or else, all we've worked for will be hopeless. We will lose the Lotus territory after Luther dies."
"You know I won't let that happen. You see, that's why I had to make this call even with the risks involved. I'm out of options, Samara. I was hoping that there was something you could do to help me. You don't know how desperate I am to make sure that the wedding never happens."
"When is the wedding? I need to know how much time we have."
"I would have said we have until the day after tomorrow, but this Silver Pack Alpha seems to be in a hurry. After I left Miranda's room, I eavesdropped on their conversation through the door. He's moved their wedding to tomorrow evening."
"That means we have to act immediately. I too am out of options, Valledor. It's very frustrating to hear all this after how much I busted my ass, killing an innocent person just so the truth about Miranda's captivity would never be found out, and now, not only has her captor returned her, he also wants to marry her all of a sudden!"
"I can only imagine the frustration..."
"There's only one thing I think we can do now, and that is to let Walden know about what's happening, and then move on with our original plan."
"Walden? Do you really think that guy gives a hoot about Miranda? She's been missing for days and he didn't even bother to ask about her, even after she called off the engagement."
"Listen to me, Valledor. Walden might act as if Miranda is the least of his concerns, but I know very well that he DOES care about her. The problem is that he hasn't fully figured it out yet. Apart from that, he's been very busy lately and I also made sure to keep his mind off her by changing the topic whenever she came up in our conversations. I did it so he wouldn't make any attempt to visit her only to find out she's been missing. Now, I realize that that was a very costly mistake I made."
"Not just costly, but a terrible mistake as well. None of us expected this move from Alpha Damian at all," Valledor sighed.
"So, as I was saying about Walden, we or rather, you, have to tell him."
"Why do I have to be the one to tell him?"
"Because you're the one who got the first-hand information since it's from your pack. I have to pretend that I don't know anything or else Walden will find out that I'm in association with you."
Valledor nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see.I understand perfectly."
"Good. Now place a call to Walden and tell him everything. Make it sound as if you're not happy about the fact that Miranda is not only getting married to someone else, but also handing out the last of the Lotus troops as well. If there's anyone that can come there and object to Damian's claim on Miranda, it's him."
"Okay, Samara. Thank you so much for this idea."
"Please do not call me again. I'll find out from Walden if you've told him already. There's nothing he doesn't tell me."
"No problem. I won't call you again. Thank you so..."
He hadn't finished the statement when he heard the phone beep. Samara had cut the call. Valledor sighed as he began to dial Walden's number. This was the only thing he could do. Walden's response was the only thing he could hope for.