Seven‑Year Fate: The Alpha Begs My Return

The next morning, I placed the medicine warehouse key and the neatly organized inventory list on a tray and handed them to Vera.

She clearly hadn't expected me to act so quickly.

"All of this… for me?" She asked.

"These things have always belonged to you," I said calmly.

Vera lowered her gaze to the emblem. "You're not angry?"

I was sorting through the last few medicine accounts when I heard her question. I looked up at her briefly. "These things belong to Silver Moon's heir. Now that you've returned, it's only natural for me to hand them over."

Vera watched me cautiously, her voice softening. "My father said that Obsidian hasn't been informed about the change yet. Once my father and Obsidian's Alpha finalize everything, it'll be announced publicly."

Vera hesitated for a moment. "Aren't you worried Kenton might misunderstand?"

My hands froze. "It's better that he doesn't know for now."

As I left Silver Moon's main residence, a distant howl of wolves echoed outside.

A group of young warriors sprinted down the snowy slopes, so excited that they couldn't be bothered to fully maintain their human forms—their ears and tails still showing. "The Obsidian's Annual Hunt has begun!"

"I heard Mr. Moran is planning to hunt the legendary silver-horned stag!"

Someone overheard and immediately cursed under their breath, calling him crazy.

The legendary silver-horned stag was one of the fiercest creatures in the northern snowy forests.

Adult stags had hard, sharp antlers that could pierce a wolf's belly when they went berserk.

Every year during Obsidian's Annual Hunt, young warriors would challenge the silver-horned stag, but few ever succeeded.

In the past, hearing this would have sent me rushing off to stop Kenton. But now, whatever Kenton chose to do no longer concerned me.

The Obsidian hunting grounds weren't far from Silver Moon's territory, so even though I didn't go, news trickled back by evening.

As dusk approached, a bloodied Obsidian warrior passed by Silver Moon's territory on horseback.

Someone stopped him to ask, "What about Mr. Moran?"

The warrior, panting heavily, exclaimed in frustration, "He's injured! That stag nearly skewered him through the belly!"

I was in the courtyard collecting laundry when I overheard this.

The Omega helping me paused and turned around. "Norya, aren't you going to check on him? Mr. Moran is injured."

"Obsidian has its own priestess," I said.

"But before, whenever he got hurt, you'd always go to him," the Omega said again.

I didn't respond. Instead, I handed her the clothes in my hands. "Take these outside first. I'll handle the rest myself."

The Omega glanced at me several times before leaving with the laundry.

Just as I was about to continue tidying up, the door was suddenly kicked open from outside.

I turned around and saw Kenton standing in the doorway.

He had clearly just returned from the hunting grounds. His black hunting attire was torn, revealing thick, blood-stained bandages wrapped around his waist.

"Mr. Moran, the priestess said your wound shouldn't reopen..." A warrior said.

"Get out!" Kenton shouted.

In the past, I would have rushed over to pull his hand away and inspect his injuries.

But now I only glanced at it before turning back to continue packing my clothes.

Kenton's breathing grew noticeably heavier. "Norya, I hunted the legendary silver-horned stag today."

"Really? Impressive." I gave a perfunctory compliment.

Kenton took a deep breath and, after a long silence, gritted his teeth and spoke. "When I went hunting today, why didn't you come?"

I looked up at him.

His forehead was still bruised, and a shallow scratch ran along the left side of his face—likely from a tree branch. He was indeed in a sorry state.

"Didn't you always say I was annoying? Now that I'm staying away, isn't that exactly what you wanted?" I said.

Kenton stared at me for a long while before suddenly laughing. "Are you still upset about what happened at the Blood Moon Banquet?"

I looked at the blood beginning to seep through the bandages on his waist and felt an overwhelming fatigue. "Think whatever you want. I still have things to pack. Step aside."

It was only then that Kenton seemed to notice the unusual state of the room. His gaze shifted past me to the bed.

His expression darkened instantly. "Why are you packing? Where are you going?"

I didn't answer.

The news about Silver Moon's plans to change the marriage partner couldn't be revealed to him yet.

Kenton, however, interpreted my silence differently. "You think that ignoring me all of a sudden will make me chase after you, like you used to chase after me?"

I stared, stunned, at his face contorted with rage.

Even now, he thought I was playing hard to get. Looking at the face I had once loved, I spoke softly. "Kenton, that's not what I think of you. I just don't want to make you the center of my world anymore."

Kenton froze instantly. "What did you say?"

"You've always wanted me to keep my distance from you. I'm agreeing now. So whatever you do from now on, you needn't concern yourself with me any longer," I said.

Kenton's brows furrowed tightly as he stared at me for a long time. Then, finally, he sneered. "Norya, you'd better remember what you said today."

With that, he turned sharply, kicking the door open. The warriors waiting outside flinched in surprise. "Mr. Moran?"

Without looking back, Kenton commanded, "Bring Zessia here. She's still recovering from her leg injury from training. Have someone prepare the east wing for her. Starting today, she'll stay in the main den to recuperate."