The Alpha's Bride

Chapter 1006: Valerian's anger (1)

Sophia and Isaac stood in the small clearing while observing the people gathered around them and Valerian.          

    

After the cake was served, Cassandra approached Sophia and Isaac to say that Valerian wanted to talk and that they should follow her.     

Sophia didn't want to. She already knew what this would be about. But did she have a choice?     

She thought it would be something in private, but she didn't expect them to walk into a crowd of people, and they were all from the Midnight Guardians pack. Sophia didn't like the audience, but Isaac told her that was a good thing.     

'He won't do anything drastic in front of so many people,' Isaac told Sophia through their mind link.     

Sophia was not so optimistic. Her brother was always a rebel, doing whatever he wanted. Just as he left the pack to explore the world beyond the portal in search of his mate, he was gone for a long time, only to return with a baby and disappear again!     

People formed a circle around Sophia, Isaac, Valerian, and Cassandra and observed the situation from behind bushes and trees, curious to see what would happen next. No one knew the circumstances that caused Valerian's prolonged absence.     

Valerian stood in silence while observing Sophia. He didn't care much about Isaac. Valerian met him two decades ago, and he knew that Isaac was Sophia's mate. Anything beyond that, Valerian found out from Cassandra's stories that told him how his parents left to search for him, and then Sophia took over as the Alpha with Isaac by her side and the isolation that got worse after they gave Talia away.     

Did Sophia and Isaac tighten security out of fear that Talia will return? Cassandra didn't know, but Valerian thought how that was a possibility.     

Cassandra didn't know where Talia was in the human realm. As an Oracle, her duty was to share divinations, deal with ceremonies, and provide guidance to members who were discovering their abilities.     

Damon told Valerian that Talia was placed with a family of humans who were aware of creatures and that Alpha Howard took Talia from there. They had no information about how Alpha Howard found out about Talia and if he knew how special she was, but it all pointed out that he had some awareness because he kept her hidden. The Red Moon pack emphasized warriors, so if he took her as any other orphan, Talia would end up in the barracks and not hidden in the attic.      

The more Valerian thought about it, the more suspicious he became.      

Sophia fidgeted under Valerian's unyielding gaze. She didn't know why he was standing there without a word spoken. He didn't seem to be mind-linking anyone and she had no idea that he could hear the thoughts of everyone around him, Sophia's included.     

Isaac couldn't take it anymore. "Why are we here?"     

"Shouldn't you greet your brother-in-law?" Valerian asked. "Or did you forget who I am?"     

"That…" Isaac was unsure what to say. He and Sophia spoke through the mind link so much this evening that it seemed like it was days since they realized that Valerian was alive and present at the ceremony.     

"We didn't forget," Sophia said. "We are surprised to see you here. Where have you been? Why didn't you come home?"     

"I bet you are surprised, my dear sister," Valerian's words were dripping with sarcasm. "Where have I been? If you used your ability, you would be able to find me."     

Sophia's eyes widened, and then she glared at Cassandra who was standing behind Valerian. Other than Alphas, only Oracle knew about the abilities of the pack members because she was in charge of guiding them on how to discover and perfect their unique traits.     

Valerian sneered. "Instead of searching for me, you decided to restrict usage of the portal. Why? Were you afraid that people would leave? Or were you preventing someone from coming back?"     

Sophia shook her head. "You have no right to judge me. You left. Mom and dad left. I did…" She paused to glance at Isaac. "WE did what we thought was the best of the pack."     

Valerian was about to say something, but then he turned to look to his right with a frown.     

Sophia and Isaac looked in that direction, and a few seconds later, they could see the crowd parting and bowing while creating a path for Talia and Damon.     

"Are we late?" Talia asked Valerian.     

Valerian released a long breath. "I didn't want to interrupt your party."     

"The party is not interrupted," Talia said and turned to look at the people around them. "It seems that the party is here. Please, continue."         

    

"Do we need to do this in front of our people?" Sophia asked.     

"Yes," Talia responded. "The time when you did things in secrecy is gone. Our people deserve to know what happened because this impacts them all. Don't you think so?"     

No, Sophia didn't think so!     

"You will kick us when we are down?" Sophia asked Talia. "You are Alpha, and we are outcasts. Isn't that enough?"     

"ENOUGH!?" Valerian shouted, and Sophia and Isaac jumped in fright.     

"It will be enough when you return my daughter two decades of life she lost!"     

By now, almost everyone from the Midnight Guardians pack was gathered there, and some other werewolves were in attendance also, curious to find out what was going on.     

Axel and Yasmin also came, and so did Evanora and Edgar, carrying Valeria and Edgar (the babies) in their arms.     

Sophia knew that begging for mercy won't work. If anything, it will only infuriate Valerian further. Besides, she would never beg, no matter the circumstances. She had Alpha blood running in her veins, and Alphas don't apologize or beg.     

"I did what was best at that time," Sophia said. "You left. Mom and dad left. Our people needed guidance, and there was no one else to take over that role, so I stepped up. I admit. I was not ready, but whose fault was that? Why were you the only one with training? I had no idea how to lead a pack, and I focused on preserving what we had. I restricted the use of the portal because it was the only way to keep our people safe. You would do the same."     

"Maybe I would," Valerian said. "But after some time, I would see that my people were not happy. That they were suffering and that they needed their mates."     

Sophia shook her head. "It was not safe. What's the point of letting them go out to find mates if they don't come back? Our scouts reported that our people were hunted, and we knew that others coveted our abilities. It was better to stay unmated and safe than to give them hope only to be captured and used for who-knows-what!"     

Valerian turned to Talia. "Yet my daughter managed to do it. She found a way for our people to seek mates and stay safe, and she didn't use her lack of training as an excuse."     

Valerian shook his head and narrowed his eyes at Sophia. "But that's not why I brought you here. Since I heard what you've done to Natalia, I was trying to come up with the right punishment for you two and everyone involved."     

Cassandra took a step back from Valerian. She knew she couldn't flee, but this little distance gave her a tiny dose of security.     

Sophia was staring at Valerian. "What will you do?"     

"I thought of sealing your abilities, but Natalia already did that."     

The crowd stirred. They didn't know that Sophia and Isaac were stripped of their abilities. That was the worst punishment for a member of the Midnight Guardians pack.     

In order to have their abilities, they refrained from carnal pleasures until they found their mates. It might not sound like a big deal, but as werewolves, they were licentious, and celibacy went against their nature. In a way, it was torture. After they found their mates and gained abilities, it took a long time to discover and master its uses. Everyone was proud of their ability, no matter how small or useful it was.     

Valerian sneered as he could hear the thoughts of the pack members. His sister always had a knack for talking so that she tells the truth, yet in a way that paints her as the victim. "You think that's a harsh punishment? It's exactly what they were planning to do to Natalia."     

Gasps mixed with 'Ohs' and 'Ahs' were heard from the crowd.     

Valerian raised his hand to get them to quiet down. "And not only to Natalia, but to her mate as well."     

Another wave of murmurs swelled through the crowd.     

"Alpha Valerian," Cassandra called. "Can I tell them what happened?"     

Valerian responded with a small nod, and Cassandra started with her prophecy related to Talia.         

    

Cassandra shrunk under Sophia's gaze, but she found strength in Valerian's presence. She knew that she had a role in this, and she thought that this was a way to come out clean.     

"The baby girl you left us for safekeeping had a strong spirit, and we knew she was the one from the prophecy. Alpha Sophia and Alpha Isaac decided to take her away to prevent calamity. Everyone knows that my prophecies are vague and open to interpretation, but Alpha Sophia and Alpha Isaac were convinced that the child would bring downfall to the Midnight Guardians pack," Cassandra said. "I found out about what happened after the baby was gone, and they said that with her not knowing about her heritage, she won't save herself for her mate, which meant that her abilities won't awaken. Our next Alpha grew up as an Omega in the Red Moon pack, hiding and starving."     

"I didn't know that Alpha Howard would take her!" Sophia hissed.     

'She is lying,' Liseli spoke in Talia's head, and Talia gasped.     

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