Chapter 169
169
Third Person’s POV
The astrologer pointed at the bewildered bartender and scolded, “Who sent you to slander the Frostfang Pack? Alpha Bentley and his six sons sacrificed their lives. Adelaide was made a Golden Claw Gamma and earned honors on the battlefield.
“She assisted Alpha Lance in reclaiming the Southern Border. Any decent citizen of the kingdom would respect Gamma Adelaide. Why are you spreading rumors and defaming her? What is your motive?”
Someone loudly speculated, “They’re likely spies from the Western Tribe, deliberately undermining Gamma Adelaide!”
Another person chimed in, “Right! Have you all forgotten that the she–wolves and pups of the Frostfang Pack were murdered by Western Tribe spies? He might be a spy the Western Tribe planted in the capital! Call the guards!”
The bartender panicked, waving his hands frantically. “N–no, I’m not a Western Tribe spy, I…”
“If you’re not a spy, why would you defame Gamma Adelaide?”
“Yeah, what’s your real intention?”
“Surround him and stop him from escaping!”
With the cries, customers swarmed forward to block the bartender’s escape. Cornered, he faced a barrage of accusations.
Beta Valentine stood at the second–floor restaurant entrance, coldly observing the scene. Only after the bartender was surrounded did he slowly descend the stairs and leave.
The astrologer’s personal intervention and call to the authorities meant Madison would have to spend fortune to silence all the bartenders involved–if she even managed to pin the incident on her.
But the rumors had already spread like wildfire through the city, reaching every bar, café, street corner, and storyteller under the trees, all of whom had been paid off.
If the royal family got involved in a full investigation, it would be a spectacle.
When Valentine returned to the Frostfang Pack to report to Adelaide, she was knitting with Omega Ivy.
Upon hearing the news, she merely offered a faint smile. “It’s good that the truth has come out.”
In reality, Valentine had deliberately arranged for people to confront the bartender at the café–the hecklers were his men.
As for the astrologer, Adelaide had no part in it.
With rumors escalating, the royal astrologer knew something was amiss.
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169
While he usually avoided trouble, this time was different.
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Adelaide and Ulrik’s bonding date had been his choosing. If the rumors persisted, it would cast doubt on his selection.
So he clarified the facts at the café where the rumors originated, even alerting the Frostfang Pack in advance. That was why Valentine had rushed there with backup.
Reporting the incident to the authorities was also crucial–if they didn’t send a strong message, everyone would treat him as a punching bag, plunging the kingdom into chaos.
The capital’s mayor, Mallory Pahari, was the brother of one of Adelaide’s sisters–in–law and the Alpha of the Thunder Wolf Pack.
Since the Frostfang Pack’s incident, ties between the Thunder Wolf Pack and the Frostfang Pack had grown sparse. When the Frostfang Pack’s Alpha family was massacred, it was the capital’s government and the royal guard that responded.
Mallory had mourned over his sister’s mutilated body, while his nephew’s decapitated head had been a sight of unspeakable horror.
The lack of contact now wasn’t out of indifference but a desire to avoid reopening old wounds.
But this incident involved the Frostfang Pack and the astrologer’s report, so Mallory took it very seriously, demanding a thorough investigation.
Coincidentally, Emerson Turner of the Bloodmoon Pack was also involved in the case.
Emerson and his mate Vanya had always been close to Adelaide and were on poor terms with Isaiah and his group.
Eager to uncover the truth and clear Adelaide’s name, Emerson threw himself into the investigation.
He felt the Bloodmoon Pack owed Adelaide a debt, and this was a chance to repay it.
Tracing the matter back to Madison was surprisingly straightforward.
Having bribed so many people, it was only a matter of time before some, intimidated by repeated municipal interrogations, cracked and confessed.
Once Madison was implicated, Mallory halted the investigation and personally visited the Frostfang Pack to speak with Adelaide.
Adelaide and Ulrik’s mating ceremony had been kept low–key.
The Thunder Wolf Pack sent gifts but didn’t attend.
Adelaide had met Mallory only a few times–she’d left the pack at a young age and rarely visited the capital.
After her return from the Shadow Peaks, he’d visited once or twice.
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The last time she saw Mallory was on the day of the Frostfang Pack’s tragedy.
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Returning to the Frostfang Pack from the Bloodmoon Pack, she found him sitting on blood–stained stone steps , cradling his nephew’s severed head, his eyes as heavy with sorrow as a sky about to unleash a storm.
Hearing that Mallory was coming in person, Adelaide’s fingers trembled as she knitted.
Her nails began to elongate involuntarily, and the memory surfaced like a demon from the night–a scene of crimson and despair.
She hadn’t expected him to come himself, thinking at most he’d send a subordinate to inquire.
Adelaide collected herself and whispered, “I’ll change and be right out.”
She sat quietly for a long moment before rising to change.
Since the Frostfang Pack’s incident, she’d severed ties with all her brothers‘ mates‘ families. Even at social events , she deliberately avoided them.
For both sides, it was a powder keg buried deep in the heart–when apart, they could maintain their facades; when together, a tidal wave of pain would crash over them, impossible to suppress.
Adelaide changed into a light gray dress, her hands trembling slightly beneath the wide sleeves.
She couldn’t forget the image of Mallory holding his sister’s son’s lifeless body. That memory was too painful.
Walking into the main hall, she took several deep breaths, but her eyes had already welled with tears.
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