4-No Way Back

Daisy tries to dash over to him the moment she saw him. Her paws stamping anxiously as she urges Mia: “Go to him! To him!”

“Stop the barking!” Mia has to roar back at her reckless wolf. Did Daisy not learn anything from that night a year ago?

She can’t go to him. She can’t let him see them. To him, she is dead. But there is little Mia is able to do besides yelling at Daisy. She herself is also freezing where they are. Her knees shivering as are her hands. It takes all her strength to just remain standing.

Scanning the room, Bruce bows lightly before he nods a little: “Welcome, everyone, to today’s celebration. I know you are all excited about our latest results, which has been announced through all channels, so I won’t bore you with the details here.”

Saying so, he raises a hand and leads everyone’s eyes to a man standing on the left of the stairs: “Thanks to Ivan Osborn and his research team, who managed this great accomplishment with decent time and budget.”

Applause raises as he continues: “Look no further if you are interested in cooperation. Ella Potts and her team provides the best business ideas and service spirit.”

As Bruce delivers the opening speech in an elegant posture, Mia is using all her will power to gain back control of her stiffen body.

Her limbs finally move, and she shifts her position uneasily, trying to sneak out as Bruce is attracting everyone’s attention.

“Stand by!” Robert suddenly warns, “Wait for him to finish!”

Mia stops her legs by instinct, even though confused. She dare not to ask now, but it’s too hard for her to stay in the same room with him so she discreetly backs two steps and leans against the wall.

“The room is too still and your movement would be too obvious. He WILL notice you before anyone else. He is an Alpha,” Robert explains, “Stay there if you don’t want him to see you. You can move when the crowd scatters.”

Telling herself to shield out Bruce’s voice, Mia taps her microphone twice lightly -- meaning she rogers.

The moment Bruce’s rough voice stops at “May you all have a happy evening” Mia moves. With the crowd gathering around Bruce and his teams, Mia sneaks out of the door.

Daisy is upset. “Don’t you miss him? We have been parted from him for a year! It’s our mate! Mate!”

He was.

“Stop it!” Mia scolds, finally able to breathe freely after she is out in the open.

Making her way on the escape ladder Mia asks, trying to not make her voice too sour and wronged: “He was our mate, so what? He wasn’t there a year ago, and he wouldn’t be in the future. Our goal is against his interest, so what do you expect to happen even if we meet with him? To demand why he didn’t answer our call for help? To ask where he was? Do you think he would even feel guilty? Does any of these even matter now?”

Daisy whimpers with a wronged look, her ears drop.

Daisy is not the only one against Mia on this decision.

“Aren’t you curious what it would be like if you show yourself in front of them?” Robert lures. He also wants Mia to go to Bruce. To talk, at least.

Mia doesn’t want to answer. She is not curious about her enemies reaction. Suppressing Daisy with her will power, Mia tries to just get on the second floor.

Robert takes the time on the ladder his best window to chat.

“I thought you two were close before? I think he will protect you if you go to him. Easier to do what you want as the Luna, rather than this rogue assassin you are now.”

“Imagine going into the ballroom and calls his name right in front of him. You will shock everyone! The return of the queen! Aren’t that spicy?!” Mia’s ignorant stimulates Robert even more, “You have no idea how abhorrent Elena is! Thinking she is already the Luna and she--”

“I know how she is,” Mia says calmly. She knows that more than anyone. Sighing, Mia continues in a low mood: “I can’t go back because he won’t take my side. She wouldn’t be alive now if he cares about what happened at all. He might protect me, but that’s all he would do. I can’t settle for that. I need my revenge.”

In the ballroom, Alpha Bruce walks down the stairs, blends into the crowd elegantly as he greets one or two familiars, stopping occasionally for a few words. Even to acquaintances, his attitude is restrained, having the demeanor of a traditional aristocrat.

Didn’t know since when, Bruce realizes his wolf has been faintly restless, and has been pushing him in a certain direction: “There! Over there!”

Maneuvering among the guests, Bruce can’t just ignore everyone as the host. He could only greet people as he slowly moving in that direction.

“Hurry up or it would be gone!” Aspen, his wolf, urges with utter anxiety.

There is nothing in that corner. But only a moment ago, Mia was leaning there as she stares at Bruce with cold limbs and pounding hearts. Where her wolf, too, wanted to go to him at all cost.