When Liam And Harriet First Met
In agreement with the Old Duke, Harriet composed an official story to share with the Northern peoples and the Lycan families about the arrival of their new 'relatives'. Harriet used her appearance in the city centre to tell the story of the Amaryllis Lycan Pack and the cruel Prince from Central Hyacinth.
Harriet succeeded in throwing everyone's anger at the West Continent, and at the same time, making the Northern people more receptive to the new Lycan Pack that had arrived.
However, of course, since they were enemies before, even if they were forced to, there were still those from the Almandine Pack family whose relatives were killed in the war. It would be hard for them to accept Amaryllis.
Old Duke promised to settle the matter and asked Harriet not to worry. In that war, there was misunderstanding and confusion.
The honorarium and remuneration had already been paid, but the Old Duke also reminded all of his Family Pack that the opposing party, Amaryllis, was suffering as well.
On their way home, Harriet and the Old Duke sat in a carriage discussing Harriet's departure to the capital. They were discussing it so seriously that they didn't realize the carriage had stopped in front of Almandine Castle.
The Old Duke got off the carriage and reached out his hand to help Harriet down. They parted ways, with the Old Duke planning to sort things out, while Harriet preparing for the evening's events.
The day went by so fast, and that night, Harriet was ready in her best dress for the party. It was only a small-scale party, and since Harriet was used to attending parties in the capital, she didn't have to prepare much.
Moreover, it turned out that Harriet was quite accepted in the North as the new Luna. Harriet felt a little confused. Had everyone accepted that anyone could be Luna? Why didn't anyone protest the Old Duke's decision to choose her as Luna?
Harriet was just an ordinary noblewoman to be found anywhere. When it came to skills, there were plenty of good women out there.
However, Harriet felt lucky.
While Harriet was entertaining guests and leading the party as Luna, the Old Duke walked through the castle halls towards his room. He was home after solving various internal problems of Almandine Pack, and it was the problems related to the reception of Amaryllis Pack.
He planned to speak to Miriam and Heath, summoning them to his room. As he turned down the hall, he was surprised to feel something he hadn't felt in quite a while. The presence of a strong Alpha, stronger than himself.
The Old Duke turned to the balcony of the hallway and saw Liam, his grandson, leaning leisurely on the balcony railing.
For a moment, the Old Duke couldn't believe his own eyes. Today was not a full moon night!
"Liam?" called the old man.
Liam looked back and raised an eyebrow at his grandfather.
"Hi, Grandpa," Liam said flatly.
The Old Duke looked at him in confusion as he was very surprised. How many decades had it been since his grandson couldn't wake up except during the full moon?
"You-"
Old Duke had become speechless.
"Don't be surprised, Grandpa. I've woken up four times without the help of the full moon. Three times during the day, even. And this is the fifth," Liam explained casually.
The old man drew closer to his grandson and touched his shoulder, confirming that the figure before him was real.
"Crazy brat," muttered the old man.
Liam smiled faintly at that. "It's thanks to grandpa."
Old Duke blinked. Thanks to him?
"Thanks to Harriet," Liam continued.
Hearing Liam, the Old Duke widened his eyes. Harriet Goldlane.
"She is the right woman who came at the right time."
On the full moon when Liam met Harriet for the first time, he was bathing at his favourite place in the west. There, the nights were not too cold, and the weather was very comfortable. Moreover, since spring had started, Liam wanted to get out of the tower and ventured out overnight.
He was planning to relax his body alone when suddenly he heard a commotion below the waterfall.
The first thing he saw was an Alpha on a rampage.
"Heath!"
The giant wolf jumped over the river to escape from a group of knights. Among them was a woman in a beautiful dress, sitting on a black horse.
The screams of the woman who tried to awaken the wolf were desperate, but there was no fear. After listening to the few words the woman shouted at the giant wolf, Liam knew that she was the Alpha's older sister.
Liam watched the giant wolf, which seemed to be out of control.
Was he currently on a rut? he thought.
But how could an Alpha be born without his knowledge? Was that new Alpha someone who had recently been affected by Lycanthropy?
Liam decided to intervene. He was also an Alpha, and he was a member of the Almandine Pack family who was in charge of all the Lycans on the Euclase Continent.
So he jumped down, stopping the Alpha. He stepped on the giant wolf's neck and stopped it for a moment. That was when their eyes met.
The moonlight shone on the young woman's pale skin and made her wet body gleam. The torn skirt of her dress, her messy hair, and the worried expression on her beautiful face looked so dazzling, facing the giant wolf lying beneath Liam's feet.
The young woman's lips trembled, and her gaze wavered. Her eyelashes were pale, long and sparkly. Moreover, her long pale lavender hair and purplish lavender irises made Liam think of the moon.
The woman swam through the river and ran straight after her brother who had become a monster, trying to call him and sincerely wake him up.
Many families of a Lycan abandoned those who turned into monsters after being exposed to Lycanthropy. That was why the spread of Lycanthropy was strictly restricted in this Empire.
Silence still enveloped them, as slowly the giant wolf began to try again to free itself from Liam's restraints. He stepped back and allowed the giant wolf to focus its fury on him.
Liam just smiled, the wolf in front of him was still young though very strong. And he saw the wolf hesitated to attack him. Perhaps, the wolf knew that he was also an Alpha and that he was stronger than him?
GRRRRRRRRAAWRR!
The grey wolf leaped forward to pounce on him.
"Run!" Liam heard the woman yelling at him, warning him.
But he stood in place. He raised one hand, and with a flick of his middle finger;
FLICK!
The grey wolf got flown away, landing several meters away from him.
Liam flicked the wolf's snout with his middle finger.
"Alright, don't fight it anymore," Liam said calmly and walked casually over to the giant wolf lying on the ground.
"Do you want me to flick your forehead this time?" he asked, but then he realized the wolf had passed out.
"Eh...?" Liam was slightly surprised when the giant wolf began to return to its human form in an unconscious state. Liam looked down at his own hands and felt a little guilty. Maybe he was flicking it too hard?
He turned to the woman in the river, who was transfixed by them. Liam saw her shock, which almost made the woman slip and fall. The current was indeed very heavy, but apparently, when Liam was about to run over to her to help her, the young woman was able to straighten herself up again.
"Heath!"
The woman called her brother's name and threw herself into the river, swimming skillfully across.
Liam blinked in confusion and didn't know how to react. He had just been ignored, but somehow he felt relieved instead?
Liam was relieved that Harriet wasn't afraid of him after seeing his terrifying strength.
And on their first night, Liam saw her again.
Harriet Goldlane at her best.