[Margaretâs Perspective]
I nodded at Elizabeth and said firmly, âIâll go now. He canât refuse you, Elizabeth. Perhaps youâll help me prepare my clothes and makeup for tonight? I might need your help when I get back later. I have a date with Donald. Youâve always been the best at this.â
Elizabethâs eyes lit up at my words, and she nodded quickly.
âIâd love to do it. Thank you so much, Margaret. Youâve always been the best sister.â
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around my neck. I felt her thin arms and my heart ached.
It was still drizzling outside. I didnât find an umbrella, so, full of fury, I went straight to Armstrongâs office.
This was one of the places I used to come often. But the last few times I came, my frame of mind was completely different each time.
Standing at the office door, I took a deep breath and thought about what I was going to say to Armstrong when I saw him.
The door was quiet, which meant that Armstrong wasnât discussing matters with others. It was a good time for me to go in. But maybe Armstrong wasnât there either. If that happened, I would sit there and wait for him. I would catch him off guard when he came in.
Making up my mind, I pushed open the door and entered.
Armstrong was sitting at the desk I knew so well. There was a stack of documents in front of him, but he didnât open them. He was leaning his head on one hand and staring at the ashtray on the table.
He heard me come in, but he didnât look up or even move. He just said, âWhat happened now? Didnât I tell you not to come in and disturb me unless itâs important?â
He sounded tired. It was a heartbreaking sight.
......
But I told myself that these things shouldnât be a reason for him to neglect Elizabeth.
âItâs me.â
I slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
I stood in front of Armstrongâs desk and looked at him with a straight face.
âMargaret?â Armstrong looked up with a puzzled expression.
Armstrong looked as bad as his voice. Although he was dressed appropriately and his hair had been carefully styled, it was obvious that this was just an image that he had to maintain as an Alpha.
There were dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he hadnât had a good nightâs sleep in a long time. Moreover, his eyebrows were almost knitted together, and he looked bitter.
âWhy are you here?â Armstrong asked.
I made a fist to avoid focusing on anything else.
âIâm here about Elizabeth,â I said. âWhat did you do to her? Why did she come home instead of staying in your house? Did you ever really care about her?
Sheâs your Mate now. You should focus on her instead of caring about me for no reason. I have my Mate. Donât do anything stupid again!ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Armstrong looked up and met my eyes. He said nothing.
I took a step forward and slapped his desk with both hands. âArmstrong, did you hear me?â I shouted.
Armstrong looked at my hands and extended his as well. I thought he was trying to pull me, and instinctively pulled back, but Armstrong only gathered the papers on the desk that I had shaken loose.
He glanced up at me and said in a weak voice, âI understand, Margaret.â
âThen go settle it,â I said. âI donât want to see Elizabeth like that again.â
âI canât resolve it,â Armstrong said.
âWhat? How? No way,â I shouted at Armstrong angrily.
âElizabeth is your Mate. She can give you power, and you can give her power. Everything between you is mutual. If she canât be happy, you wonât be in a good state. Look at you now. Doesnât that explain everything?
You have to deal with the problem of the pack. Youâre Alpha, and your pack is Luna. You can only lead the pack to do better if youâre together.â
I simply did not understand why I had to tell Armstrong these reasons.
âItâs because Iâm an Alpha that I canât.â Armstrong let out a long sigh and said, âWhen I was with Elizabeth in the beginning, I thought she was great. But Iâm an Alpha, and she canât help me. Thatâs why we became like this.â
âWhy canât she help youâ¦?â My voice trailed off.
âYou know what Iâm talking about, donât you?â Armstrong said. âNormally, I would have taken my time with her. I wouldnât need her to do anything. But things are different now. I need a Mate who can keep up with me, not a little girl who needs me to teach her everything. I donât have the time for that.â