Chapter 32
It had been about an hour after the call with Valledor ended. Walden should have known about the situation by now, Samara mused. She was sure that Valledor wouldn't have wasted any time in calling to break the news to him. But where was he crying out loud? He'd cancelled the rest of court activities for the day, probably due to the fact that he was distraught by the sudden news. Everyone was.
She got up from her bed and headed to the Alpha's chambers. Knowing Walden, whenever he was in a bad mood, he would be either in his bedroom or on the training ground. Good combat always helped him take his mind off things.
When she reached his room, she knocked on the door gently, but no response came from inside. She decided to go in. She opened the door and entered, looking all around the room.
"Walden? Are you there?"
He was, but he didn't answer. Samara went into the inner chambers and she saw him sprawled there on his bed, shirtless. He was awake, but had a blank expression on his face. He didn't appear to be happy, just like she'd guessed.
"Walden, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Samara. Can you please go away? I'm not in the mood to see anyone."
She feigned a look of concern and ignorance, taking a moment to have a seat on the edge of his bed, close to him. "What is the matter dear? You know you can tell me anything..."
"Like I said before, I'm fine, Samara. Leave me alone!" He yelled.
His angry words didn't make her back off. Samara knew Walden like the pages of her favorite book and if there was anyone who could get into the deepest parts of his life which he kept away from any other person, it was her.
"Walden, I know you're upset about something and it even makes me more adamant about not leaving you alone like this. I won't leave this room until you tell me what it is. You can't keep it away from me of all people, Walden. You know you can't."
Walden sighed. Of course, he couldn't keep things from Samara. She'd always led him in the right direction and if there was anyone in the pack he could trust with his life, anyone he could share his secrets with without having the fear of being back stabbed, it was her.
He took another deep breath before he began to speak, slowly.
"I thought we were meant to be. I always thought that nothing could come between us, even after our packs united. I thought our chemistry was unbeatable, but I guess I was wrong."
"Walden, what is it? Who is it you're talking about?"
He closed his eyes. She knew he was about to let out the most heartbreaking news he'd heard today, but Samara needed to be sure.
"Miranda... Miranda is getting married to someone else," he blurted.
Samara covered her mouth with her two hands in surprise, acting as if she'd just found out. "But how? How did this happen? I thought... I thought she loved you... I thought you were still going to get back together."
"That's what I thought too, you know. I recently mentioned going to visit her, but you advised against it, saying that we should give her some time to cool off because of what happened, and now the next thing I hear, only a few days after our engagement got called off, is that she is getting married to the Silver Pack's Alpha – the same man who sent spies here to kill me."
"This is terrible, Walden. Surely, we can't allow this!"
"I'm not sure there's much I can do about it, Samara. It seems as if Miranda's the one who made the choice, and from what I heard, she's also giving out her elite troops to Alpha Damian."
"What? Why would she do that?"
"They seem to have made a new agreement similar to the one Miranda and I had before – a symbiosis between the two packs through marriage."
"We cannot allow this to happen, Walden. I know you're heartbroken, I know you feel as if there's nothing you can do, but can't you see what is going on here? Can't you see that Alpha Damian is just using Miranda to get her army? After he gets what he wants, he'll abandon her and the Lotus Pack will have nothing! They'd even be worse than they were before! Surely, you can't allow that to happen to someone you care so deeply about!"
"So, what exactly do you want me to do about it, Samara? Is Miranda not old enough to see those things for herself?"
"Walden, you don't sound like a man who needs his woman at all! Don't you know who Alpha Damian is? Let me remind you in case you've forgotten. He's the leader of the strongest territory among the twelve wolf tribes. He's never been defeated and he is ruthless. He kills without mercy and not only that, he is feared by everyone around him. How do you know that Miranda isn't being forced or compelled into that marriage?"
"So, what are you saying? You want me to go against Damian and try to stop their marriage because of that?"
"It's what I expect you to do, Walden, if you truly care about Miranda as you claim."
"That'd be crazy. If Alpha Damian is truly all you've mentioned just now, then it's best I stay away from him. I don't want to risk my life nor the safety of my pack because of a woman."
"You wouldn't be risking your life, Walden. If Damian kills you, he knows very well that he'd be asking for war from the Night Shadow Pack's forces. He wouldn't risk the lives of his men like that because he knows there's a bigger battle ahead to prepare for."
"So, you think there's still a chance to have Miranda back?"
"Yes Walden, a very big chance in fact! If Miranda changes her mind about the wedding, Alpha Damian has no right to force her to marry him anymore, since he no longer stands in his territory. And unless he wants to invite war, he'll leave you and Miranda alone."
"Oh Samara! You're right! Thank you so much! I knew I could count on you! You don't know how uplifted I feel to hear this advice you've just given me. I won't lie that the thought of losing Miranda disturbed me so much."
"There's still a chance to fix things, there's still a chance to make things right between both of you. Go there now! Tell her how much you love her, tell her how sorry you are for the failed engagement, look for every possible way to make it up to her, and win her heart back. The Silver Pack's Alpha will have no choice but to back off and return to his territory once you two reconcile. I'm more than certain he won't retaliate."
"Of course, he wouldn't try to waste his men on a girl when he needs them for the upcoming war."
"Good. So now that it's decided that you're going to the Lotus pack-house, you have to hurry. You don't have much time because Alpha Damian would certainly be in a rush to seal the deal. They might be getting married tomorrow for all you know."
"Don't worry yourself, Samara. Miranda won't be getting married to that monster. I'll make sure that marriage does not hold!"