Chapter 24
Since Alpha had given his words, this drama was forced to come to an end.
Janet was curious as of why Daran helped her this time.
But there were too many people present. She didnât want to confront him here.
So she went to get another two clean plates for Kass and herself and grabbed some foods from the table.
They found a quiet corner to sit down, away from all other people.
Kass still seemed angry about what happened earlier.
He leant close to her and whispered, âGamma, you should go to the soldierâs dining hall to have breakfast next time. The food might not be as good, but you donât have to dine with these hypocrites.â
Janet smiled and rubbed his hair, âGood idea. Thanks for inviting me.â
Kass beamed at her brightly.
Those bystanders had dispersed. And Daran had walked up to his seat at the top and sat down.
He didnât spare Harper a single glance the entire time.
Harper was still kneeling on the ground with tears on her face. She was baffled and overwhelmed.
She couldnât figure out why Daran suddenly became so harsh on her.
âQuick,â Hellen nudged at her and hissed. âGo to him. Now.â
Harper bit her lips reluctantly.
She didnât want to face his wrath.
But she had to figure out his sudden change of attitude.
Struggling to pull herself up from the floor, Harper first to grab a plate of food: shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, spring salad, and a glass of iced tea, all of which Daranâs favorite.
Then she carefully came to sit with Daran. And pushed the plate over to him.
âAlphaâ¦â
Harper peeked at his reaction.
âI
get you some breakfast. Please have some.â
Daran averted his head and gave Harper a cold glare, causing her heart to jump up to her throat.
He didnât say anything harsh.
But simply dragged the plate to himself and started eating. Harper quietly let out a long sigh of relief.
She knew Daran couldnât be mad at her for too long.
Nevertheless, she was a beloved princess in Daranâs heart.
âAlpha, have you asked Janet about her room yet?â
Harper gently tugged at the corner of his sleeves and asked with a pitiful voice:
âI know Janet is an important guest, and I respect her very much. But she didnât have to use her power to toss me out of the room! She is such a bullyâ¦â
CRACK.
The silver in Daranâs hands were dropped back to the plate.
He turned to face her with an unreadable look on his face.
âWhat else to you want to say?â he asked.
Harper gulped down nervously.
She had sensed a hint of danger behind Daranâs voice. But she still decided to take the risk and said:
âI just think she shouldnât be such a tyrant all the time. I get itâshe is a Gamma now. But it doesnât hurt to show some respect to your rule from time to time. She is in our territory, for Christâs sake.â
Harper pouted in fume and added:
ââ¦Janet really doesnât take you seriously, Alpha.â
Daran narrowed his eyes at her.
After a short pause, he spoke up slowly, âYou said Janet didnât take me seriouslyâbut what about you, Harper?â
Harperâs heart suddenly skipped a beat in panic.
âWâWhat about me?â she stuttered.
Her chin was grabbed by a large hand the next second.
âDo you take me seriously, Harper?â Daran stared at her, asking with a dark tone. âIf you do, then why did you dare lie to me? Why didnât you tell meâit was you who put Janet in the basement in the first place!â
All blood was drained from Harperâs face.
Her lips twitched.
No word could come out of her mouth.
âThinking of a way to defend yourself?â Daran asked murkily. âIâve talked to the maid and concierge. Saye your breath now.â
âIâ¦I donât know what you are talking aboutâ¦â
âDonât you?â Daran snorted, âWho gave you the power to disrespect Janet? Do you seriously believe that Iâll pardon all your behaviors just because you saved me once in the past? Well you couldnât be more wrong about that!â
Harper shivered in fear.
She always thought Daran could tolerate all her mistakes.
He was a cruel Alpha.
But he always had a soft spot for her.
This was the first time he intimidated her with his Alpha aura.
âAlphaâ¦â Harper twitched her lips and tears streamed down her cheek. âIâIâm sorry. I really am! I didnât know what got into me, so I lied to you. Can you forgive me for this time?â
Daran released her chin.
âIâll give you one last chance,â he said icily. âNow leave me alone.â
Harper didnât need him to ask again before quickly getting up on her feet and escaping the scene.
When she was gone, Daran closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.
His heart was filled with rage when he heard Harper admitted to her lies.
How could Harper use his tolerance to bully Janet like that?
And what else had Harper done before?
Daran suddenly remembered what those maids had said about Janet working as a maid when she was Lunaâ¦
He clenched his fists till his knuckles turned white.
Were those also Harper and Hellenâs doing as well?
Daran raised up his head and searched for Janet in the dining hall.
He found her in the corner.
She was sitting with a handsome young man.
That man just fed her a grape and she was giving him the brightest smile Daran hadnât seen in ages.
Then they stood up and left the dining hall together.
A strong feeling suddenly surged up in Daranâs heart as he jumped up and rushed towards them.
***
Janet and Kass left the dining hall and were going back to the training field.
They just stepped through the door when a series of heavy footsteps came behind them.
âJanet!â
Daran had caught up with them.
He came to block their way and stared at Janet, âCan I talk to you for a moment?â
Janet raised an eyebrow, âWe have nothing to talk about.â
She had calmed down now. She didnât care anymore why Daran had taken her side
this time.
Daranâs jaw tensed.
âPlease,â he said abruptly while taking a step forward. âItâs about-â
âHey!â
Kass stretched out an arm and stopped him, âYou heard her. She didnât want to talk to you!â
Daran narrowed his eyes at this young man, âWho the fu ck are you? Get the hell out of here before I rip you apart.â
Daran found this young man very annoying.
He wanted to gouge his eye out when Janet smiled at him before!
Kass faced him bravely, âIâm Gamma Janetâs soldier. Itâs my duty to protect her.â
Clear tension was building between these two large men.
âMove aside, kid.â Daran hissed coldly, âDonât force me to dirty my hand with your filthy blood.â
âAre you seriously threatening my soldier in front of me?â Janet raised her eyes to stare at Daran, âYouâll have to go through me if you want to touch him.â
Daran froze.
A flaming rage flickered across his face before he said, âI just want to talk about youâ¦about Harper and everything in the past. Maybe thereâs some misunderstanding between you and me.
âBut Iâm done with all those stuffs already.â Janet said aloofly. âIf you want to talk, come to the training field and we can talk business. Besides that, weâre done.â
She took Kassâs hand, and they walked way.
Daran stood on his spot motionlessly and watched their backs disappeared into the outdoor sunshine.
***
A week later.
More and more people had poured into the Riverside Pack for this unpresidential united training during this time.
The hotel was packed with officials.
And the training field become more and more hectic.
On the last day of this week, at the first strike of dawn, a loud and resonate bell sound woke everyone in Riverside from their sleeps.
The training officially began today.