434 CH 420: LIGHT AND SHADOW
[The Great Wolves]
Morning was approaching and the members of the Great Wolf gang were tirelessly moving around, working on their individual sets of work and duties. They were all tangled in one big event— the preparation for the incoming birthday of the princess that would transpire in two days.
While many of the high-ranked wolves knew that this day might also become the anniversary of the princess's death, for the low-ranked members, this was just a day like any other that would be filled with joy and celebration for the entire household. That's why… they were all the more enthusiastic about their work for the day.
"Mhm. How stupid, don't you think so?"
The manor they were currently residing in was the property belonging to Natasha in the Beverly Hills of LA— the property he had visited or rather was transported into during Natasha's assassination attempt incident. In a way, this was their showing respect to Natasha in advance… since, if she were to survive through this ordeal then she would be considered a full-fledged Alpha, a natural one on top, and would thus create her own official pack eventually.
Elmira, Natasha's big sister, found this whole charade to be nothing more than a waste of her time as he looked coldly at the people moving below them with not a care of the world nor the knowledge of the truth. Her blue eyes shone quietly with an eerie light in the darkness of the room, as her black hair fluttered behind her.
"Close the windows. I want to sleep with peace."
Alexei, the twin brother of Elmira and the heir of the family blinked his eyes a little, his eyes already sleepy. He had been training all night prior and now he simply wished to sleep at ease for some time. To take a rest and forget about it all.
"Sorry."
Sighing, Elmira closed the window, thereby blocking all incoming sounds, and approached him before starting to help him undress. From his shoes to his pants and even his jacket.
Only after he was down to his underwear did she stand up and gather everything before flicking a finger at his forehead.
"Seriously, you are like a big baby. What would you do without me?"
Alexei laughed to himself at those words, "I would most likely die of starvation since no one is going to feed me."
"Hah…"
She chuckled and shook her head before gazing at her twin brother. In the past, the two of them had been so similar that they were hardly different without actually looking at what was below. Even their scent was similar in nature.
But as they grew up, physical differences between men and women started to appear between the two. Furthermore, Alexei's hair started to become silver. It was the sign that he had inherited the Alpha factor from their parents and now, with him slowly inheriting the power, even one of his blue eyes had turned completely red.
"We were so similar in the past."
She spoke with a voice full of reminiscence and nostalgia as she gazed into his eyes. Her hands cupped his face and inched towards his eyes, gently caressing his face and her eyes shining with emotions.
Alexei chuckled at her actions, "True. We were a mirror to each other."
This was the truth of the distant past. In fact, the two of them were always together, and because of how similar they were, their sense of individuality did not develop before a few years had passed.
"Now though… I am merely your shadow. Nothing more…"
She took his face between her two hands and sat on his lap. "So tell me, dear Alpha, what will be the first thing you do once you take the throne?"
"I am not the Alpha, yet."
"It's only a question of time."
"True. Father doesn't really care about his throne so he is already sharing his power. But I think it will still take a few years before I absorb everything."
"—Yet, our dear sister will become an Alpha in two days."
Her voice lowered a little as she caressed his hair and massaged his scalp. Though Alexei was only in his shorts, he showed no particular reaction to her actions. This was a given between the two of them. After all, she was his shadow. His second half, his other part, his sense of self. Someone more precious to him than anyone else in the whole world.
"Do you think she can survive?"
Alexei thought about Natasha. Being a natural born Alpha should have been a blessing for his little sister. But because of the meddling of their ancestors, it became something akin to a curse.
"I do not know. But I hope she does. Even though we didn't spend much time together, she is still our adorable little sister after all. Furthermore, if she does survive, the power of our family will grow considerably."
"You are worried about the vampires?"
"Yes. Most Werewolves know better than to piss us off but those fucking vampires move everywhere without any hint of restraints. Fucking nosy bloodsuckers."
"Shhh! Don't curse with those lips of yours. I won't stand it."
She placed a finger on his lips, making Alexei explode in laughter, "Sometimes you act like you are our mom."
"Well. I am more of a tomboy than her. But I will take that as a compliment."
She sighed as she leaned forward and placed her head on his shoulder, inhaling his scent as if she were sniffing some potent drug. A drug that could make her feel alive and relaxed. Make her feel… that she had a purpose to her existence.
"Being close to you always helps me calm down."
"Pfft~! You should really grow out of your bro-con phase already. Your husband will find you a handful to deal with, you know?"
She hugged him tight, causing him to choke a little then showed him a grinning face,
"Why do you think my husband will find me a handful?"
"Haha… Whistle~ I was just joking. JOKING, OK? How could anyone not love our cute El?"
"Heh. Not a nice save there. But I will not take this transgression into account. I am very magnanimous after all."
Sighing, she stood up after patting his head for some time, "By the way, it seems like there might be a traitor in our midst?"
Alexei's eyes twitched a little at the mention of the word, all the joking and funny expressions he had donned instantly melting away from his face. His eyes were now colored with a cold light as he looked at Elmira with clear apathy on his face.
"Is it really confirmed?"
She gently bit his collarbone, her eyes filled with even more light.
14:40
[1]: Mikhail is the name while Mischa is the endearing nickname. I hope I am not mistaken. But you get "Not really. But it's a speculation from Natasha and Aleksandra. Fedora was nearly attacked today too. Though the attack was blocked by Natasha's boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?"
He frowned a little at the mention of this new piece of information. His memory had failed him. There were many things he had to think about and this was definitely not one of his priorities.
"I am talking about the man who protected Natasha when she was attacked the last time around."
"Ah! I remember now."
He mused, "So let me get it clear. The man who was somehow present the two times, with members of our family, when an attack transpired is free of any doubts but Natasha thinks that there is a traitor in our group?"
He did not find this situation acceptable. The loyalty of the pack was clear. An outsider like that man who was not even a werewolf had far higher chances of being the one in the wrong than a member of their pack.
"I want a full report on him. I will not let some random man create tension in our family."
Elmira grinned, as she took a tablet and showed it to him, "Already done. If I have to be honest, I have my doubts about two people. The highest suspect is obviously the one called Adam."
She showed him the picture of Adam while recounting what happened during the attack on Natasha.
"Meanwhile, The second suspect is—"
"Mischa?"
Alexei grimaced when he saw the picture of their little brother in the folder. Mikhail or simply Mischa was the middle child so to speak. He did not inherit the power of the Alpha and was not particularly talented as a fighter either. [1]
Though he had very good skills as a negotiator and was generally taking care of some of the dark dealings of the gang.
"Mikhail is very suspicious."
"You know well that Mischa is like this because of all the work he does. He could have chosen to live in indolence but he wanted to be useful for the family."
"I know and this is why I am all the more suspicious about his intentions. Mikhail has many connections. A bit too much even. One would think that he wants to lead the family and, in fact, you should know that many of our subordinates actually trust him more than they do you."
"El…"
"Don't look at me like a puppy. I know you don't want to see the bad side of our siblings. This is your strength but also your weakness. This is why I exist. I am your shadow and I will take care of all the darkness for you so that you can always bathe in the light."
She hugged him tightly once again,
"All you have to do is shine as brightly as you are now. Let me take care of all the stain and filth in your stead."
She gently bit his collarbone, her eyes filled with even more light.
[1]: Mikhail is the name while Mischa is the endearing nickname. I hope I am not mistaken. But you get the gist.
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