The Clawless Luna 3

"W-what?" Usher blinked. "Breaking our pairing?"

"Why? Don't you want to?"

Usher did not answer, and Mireya immediately freed herself. She stood up while Usher looked puzzled.

"It seems that what Vione said is true. In your eyes I'm nothing more than a mistress."

"Mireya."

Usher stood quickly and grabbed Mireya's hand. He held it tightly, preventing her from moving any further.

"Usher, let me go."

Usher shook his head. "No."

"Don't be selfish, Usher. You won't let me go, but you won't let Vione go either? Do you want to have both of us?"

Mireya's accusation left Usher speechless. He remained silent while Mireya tried to pull her hand away.

"I'm not selfish, but..."

Usher's words hung in the air. He took a breath, and confusion creased his forehead.

Something was not right here. Something was wrong and Usher could sense it. But what?

"But what, Usher?"

In one swift movement, Mireya managed to free her hand from Usher's grip. But instead of walking away, as Usher had expected, she turned to face him.

"Tell me. But what?" Mireya pressed passionately. "But you won't let go of Vione?"

Usher shook his head. "It's not like that, Mireya."

"Then what is it?" Mireya took a step back as Usher approached. She brushed Usher's hand away as it tried to reach her. "Do you really love Vione?"

Usher's eyes widened. His mouth opened, but he felt something strange as he tried to refute Mireya's accusation.

No. I don't love Vione. I don't—argh!

Usher closed his eyes. Suddenly, an invisible, heavy weight seemed to fall on his head. He was dizzy with a throbbing pain.

Usher's painful moan startled Mireya. Concerned, she approached Usher.

"Usher, what's wrong?"

Usher endured the pain, holding his head with one hand and growling. "My head, Mireya. My head hurts."

Mireya's eyes widened. Panic was written all over her face and she quickly urged Usher to sit down.

"Wait, Usher. I'll get you some medicine."

Usher ignored Mireya. He fought the increasing pain and squeezed his hair with both hands.

"Hold on, Usher."

Mireya quickly prepared tea and grabbed a painkiller from the bedside table. She helped Usher take the medicine.

"Relax. The pain will be gone soon."

Mireya placed the empty cup on the table and led Usher to the bed. She covered him with a blanket and said,

"Rest. I'll stay here and take care of you. If you need anything, just let me know."

Usher nodded once and Mireya said nothing more. The atmosphere fell into silence. The only sound for the next few moments was Usher's moaning as the pain continued.

Mireya remained patient. She did not move, proving her words that she would take care of Usher. Motionless, she sat without moving an inch.

Time passed, not insignificantly. Usher's moaning finally stopped. He no longer moaned in pain and now seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Mireya sighed with relief. "I'm glad I wasn't too late."

*

Usher was not sure how long he'd been asleep. In a brief moment of regained consciousness, he remembered that he had come home early that day because his business at the plantation didn't take much time. He had probably arrived around eleven in the morning.

The quarrel between Vione and Mireya welcomed Usher's return. They argued so much that he had to warn Vione. Then the pain hit him. Right after Mireya pushed him to break the pairing with Vione, the pain came, almost splitting his head.

Vione.

Usher blinked. He turned around to find Mireya sleeping nearby. Mireya had really taken care of him and had not even let go of his hand.

"Mireya."

Usher's hand moved, landing on Mireya's head. His thumb moved and stroked Mireya gently.

Mireya's sleep was disturbed. Her eyelids moved several times before she woke up completely.

"Usher," Mireya whispered happily. "Are you awake?"

Usher nodded.

"How are you feeling?"

Usher stood up and Mireya helped him sit up, leaning against the bed. "No more pain," he replied, cupping Mireya's face with one hand. "Thank you."

"Thank God. I feel relieved now. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Usher."

"I'm fine. It was just a normal headache."

A regular headache with an extraordinary amount of pain. Frankly, Usher was not sure of his words. He had never had a headache this bad before. It was so painful that he thought his head would explode. Luckily, Mireya gave him the medicine in time.

"You still need to rest, Usher. I'll have the servants prepare meal for you."

Mireya's words made Usher turn around. He looked at the wall clock and opened his eyes wide. It could not be that he had slept so long, could it?

Mireya chuckled softly when she realized Usher's train of thought. "Indeed. You slept almost five hours. Aren't you hungry?"

"Oh! Now that I think about it," Usher said, rubbing his stomach. His forehead creased and he nodded. "It seems I am hungry."

"Wait a moment. The servants will bring your meal, and in the meantime, it looks as if I must go home."

Reflexively, Usher took Mireya's hand. "You want to go home?"

"Yes, Usher. I don't want to disturb your rest."

"You are not disturbing my rest. In fact, you're taking care of me."

Mireya smiled. "Thank you for thinking that way, but I think I need to rest as well."

Usher narrowed his eyes. He looked at Mireya with an uncertain look. Didn't Mireya often rest in The Palace? More precisely, in his room?

"Today has been exhausting for me, Usher. I need time to think about everything."

Usher's face changed. "Mireya, you don't mean—"

"I love you, Usher. You know that, but I can't stand being put down by Vione all the time. I just can't."

Usher could see the implicit wounds in Mireya's eyes. The serene look that Mireya always radiated was gone, and he knew exactly why.

"Forgive me, Mireya. I know that my words must have hurt you."

Mireya took a deep breath. She smiled, but it was obvious that she was in pain. "It's okay, Usher. I am wise enough to realize my position. I shouldn't expect something that will never be my destiny. I don't deserve to be at your side. I—"

"Who said that?" Usher interrupted quickly; his eyes fixed on Mireya. "Who said you don't deserve to be at my side?"

"Usher."

"You must know, Mireya. You are the woman I dream of. You are beautiful and you are strong."

Usher's unwavering gaze left Mireya astonished. Especially the words Usher spoke enchanted her for a moment.

"You love me, Usher. Yes, of course you love me. I am always at your side, I accompany you. I am valuable, unlike Vione, who doesn't even have claws."

A hint of a smile appeared on Usher's stern face and he nodded. "True. You know I love you very much, and I will prove it."

"Prove it?" Mireya blinked with a slowly increasing heartbeat. "How will you prove your love, Usher?"

"I will break my pairing with Vione."

*

Garth Morris had just finished his work five minutes ago. There was a proposal for the purchase of plantation goods that he had to review, followed by checking several messages that had piled up in Usher's email. A busy day, but it seemed he could not rest for a few hours.

His phone rang. Garth took the phone out of his pocket and answered it immediately.

"Hello, Alpha Usher."

"Come to The Palace immediately."

An order without hesitation. Garth did not even have time to express his compliance when the call was immediately ended on the other end.

It seemed to be something important.

Garth did not waste any time. He left the office immediately and drove to The Palace.

Fortunately, the road was not as busy as usual. Garth arrived at the palace about 40 minutes later and went straight to Usher's office.

"What's up, Alpha?"

Usher looked at the Beta standing at attention in front of him. "Go get Vione."

Garth had not expected Usher's order to have anything to do with Vione. He thought it had something to do with work or the problems of the pack.

"There's something important I need to tell Vione, but it turns out she left without telling me. It seems she went to her parents' house because she obviously has nowhere else to go."

Garth nodded with an uneasy feeling. Usher's behavior seemed unusual, so he furrowed his brow. "Understood, Alpha."

"Don't forget. After you pick her up, tell her to meet me immediately."

Garth gave one last obedient nod before leaving. Usher was left alone and decided to work on some tasks while waiting for Vione's arrival. Occasionally Usher glanced at his watch. Trying to immerse himself in work while waiting did not help at all. Waiting was still waiting, and he did not like it.

"Such childish behavior. After causing a ruckus, she's the one who leaves, pretending to be the victim," Usher grumbled, remembering Vione's attitude. He twirled the pen in his hand with an uncertain expression. "Is she going to complain to her adoptive parents?"

It would not make any difference, but Usher would not forget the fact that Vione's adoptive parents—Hilary Russell and Addy Roberto Munest—had a good relationship with his parents—Jemma Lumina Vale and the late Kendrick Thorne. They had worked at the Palace, and everyone liked them. So, he realized it was not strange that his parents had accepted Ayla's prophecy without a second thought.

Despite her obscure origins and lack of claws, Vione had been a popular shewolf. She had been bullied, especially during her childhood and adolescence, but that did not change the fact that she had a good relationship with everyone.

This made Usher uneasy. He wondered if Vione would complain to Jemma as well.

Hopefully not.

Usher might be an Alpha, but he never thought about getting into a fight with his own birth mother. Especially after the death of the previous Alpha, he just wanted to see Jemma live in peace. Losing a mate was not an easy thing, and Jemma had gone through unimaginably hard times. Now it was time for Jemma to find happiness in solitude.

The faint sound of the door opening caught Usher's attention. All his thoughts vanished as he saw Vione enter with an expressionless face.

Vione walked and Usher rose from his seat. They walked toward each other until they met in the middle of the room.

Both footsteps stopped. Both pairs of eyes locked on each other.

"Why did you go back to your parents' house?"

"I just didn't want to be a spectator of the indecent acts in this palace."

"Vione!"

Vione clenched her fists and tried to hold her ground. "Besides, isn't it a good thing? You and Mireya can be intimate without my interference."

Usher clenched his jaw. His eyes narrowed and his jaw hardened with each passing moment.

"Are you mocking me, Vione?"

"Are you offended?" Vione replied with a mocking expression. "Good, if you're offended. Besides, it seems that it's only you, the Alpha, who openly allows his affair to come to The Palace."

"Watch your words, Vione."

"I'll watch my words the day you watch your behavior, Usher. Do you know? I'm disgusted with you."

Usher's eyes widened. "What did you say? You're disgusted with me?"

"Yes. I'm disgusted with you. You're really disgusting."

"You're really disgusting, Vione. Don't you consider me your Alpha anymore?"

"Alpha?"

Vione repeated that one word and she grimaced. A moment later she burst into laughter, but her eyes showed pain. The laughter intensified, and the pain she felt became even more unbearable.

"I have always thought of you as my Alpha, Usher. I promised to devote myself to you, but I never thought this would happen to me."

Usher's anger was disturbed. The emotions caused by Vione's attitude were hindered by something he did not understand.

"V-Vione."

"To be honest, I've been wondering about that for a long time, Usher. Why?" Vione raised her chin as high as she could. She challenged Usher even though her eyes were starting to get hot. "Why did you accept me as your mate if you love Mireya?"

Damn it. The pain returned and Usher frowned, trying to bear it.

"You should have rejected the prophecy, Usher. You know that, right? What you're doing hurts me."

The pain rebelled. Usher growled, but Vione was unyielding.

"You really are heartless to me, Usher. Of all people, you're the one who understands my fears the best. Then you use them to hurt me."

Usher closed his eyes. Vione's words echoed in his head, intensifying the pain.

No. Something is wrong here.

Usher took a deep breath. He tried to calm himself and when he opened his eyes, he saw tears streaming down Vione's face.

Vione blinked. She tried to stop herself, but she could not. The tears welled up and flowed down her cheeks.

"You know I love you and you're hurting me."

Usher's growl exploded. His body lost control and he collapsed to the floor. His hand rose, trying to reach Vione. But Vione chose to walk away, wiping away the tears that continued to fall.

"V-Vione."

*