Chapter 6
After waiting for a few minutes, the receptionist came to inform her that Beta Valledor was in the guest lounge.
"Thank you!" Miranda got up and headed towards the guest area as the hotel attendant led her. Her heart felt light and more than happy to leave that pit of snakes, where everyone seemed to only feel pity for her and her pack.
Valledor was in the guest lounge with other pack leaders who were lodging in the hotel for the conference. They were all in the lounge, drinking, celebrating, exchanging conversations and laughter. Valledor could not help but boast amongst his peers about the wedding that was about to take place the next day between his Princess and Alpha Walden.
He was tipsy from all the drinking, but words still found their way, "Those of you who look down on the Lotus Pack and say bad things about us, beware! You will eat your words when our Princess will marry the Alpha of Night Shadow Pack tomorrow. Once we join forces with them, you will never dare to say bad words about us again."
"I hope to see that day," one of the Alphas, Alpha Caspian, said. "But for now, that your Princess hasn't joined Alpha Walden in matrimony, the Lotus Pack remains in the mud for anyone to trample on."
Everyone burst out laughing when he said that, but their actions did not offend Beta Valledor. He knew alcohol caused it.
Miranda entered the guest area. Beta Valledor continued to boast to his comrades. When he saw her, he went over to meet her at the entrance and brought her inside.
"Here she comes, the beautiful Princess Miranda. The one who will wipe away all our tears, our sorrows. The one who will bring everlasting victory to the Lotus Pack when she marries tomorrow."
The leaders exchanged murmurs and whispers between themselves.
"Wow, she is really beautiful!"
"Wonder if Luther or Walden will let me take her as a fifth wife?"
She knew she had to tell him before he would embarrass the Lotus Pack any further. If he kept on boasting when there was going to be no wedding, it would further humiliate the Lotus Pack. There could not be a right time to let him know about the situation any time later.
"Valledor." She tugged his arm.
"Yes, my dear?"
"That's what I am here to tell you about. The engagement is called off. There'll be no wedding tomorrow."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the room suddenly became silent. Everyone stopped whispering, as they all heard what the Princess said, and were now staring at Valledor and Miranda.
"What?" Valledor shook his head. "No, this can't be. Walden wouldn't just do that. What happened? Did he reject you?"
She spoke truthfully. "No, he didn't. I was the one who called it off. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't do it anymore."
Her words lit up a flame in the eyes of Valledor. Anger and disgust were clear in his next words.
"You are a very wicked person, Miranda. So, this was your plan all along? To humiliate the Lotus Pack more than it already has been? To bring more shame and disgrace to us? And you intentionally came to tell me this in front of all the pack leaders, so that they would mock and laugh at me?"
Miranda shook her head, "No Valledor. I wanted to carry on with the wedding. I was prepared to come here with him today, but after Walden postponed the marriage to next year, I realized then that he doesn't care about me so much."
Valledor let out an empty laugh, before his voice came a pitch higher, "So this was all about yourself. That's the only thing you cared about all along! Your stupid self! Did you even think or care what would happen to us if you called off this engagement? I'm really disgusted by your actions, Miranda. You're not a princess. You are a disgrace to everything your father has worked for."
Valledor's sharp words brought tears to Miranda's eyes. And when she couldn't take it anymore, she retaliated, "You have no right to speak to me that way, Valledor!"
Before she could say anything more, hot slaps landed on her cheeks, and if it were not for the interruption from one of the Betas, Valledor would have beaten up Miranda badly there. She sat on the ground as she held her face in her hands and cried. All the leaders who were gathered there sat and watched it all with pity written on their faces while Valledor screamed at her.
"I'll speak to you however I please! You disgusting rat! And the next time you dare to talk back to me, I'll make you regret the day you were born!"
Miranda could not wait a second more. Everyone had humiliated her enough for one day. She needed to get out of there. Somewhere far away from that place. She did not know where, but so long as not that place. She got up and ran as fast as she could out of the room. She kept running through the hotel lobby until she was out of the hotel. After she left the surrounding estate and reached the forest bordering the estate, she let her wolf out. Her wolf was a little furry creature with sharp teeth, claws and a bushy tail. The white-colored wolf ran deep into the forest and never looked back.
After Miranda ran away from the scene, Beta Valledor also left and the scene cleared up.The pack leaders continued to gossip amongst themselves.
"She's lying. Alpha Walden must have been the one to call off the wedding."
"Of course, we all know he must have rejected her. She's just saying that to save some dignity. Why would anyone willingly marry the Lotus Princess? And even if he agreed, why would she be the one to call it off?"
"We all know it's a lie. He must have realized that his decision to marry her was a mistake and would have rejected her immediately."
"I feel so much pity for that pack. They've been through so much and now they have no one to stand by their side. This wedding was their only hope and now that is also not happening."