Chapter 67: Your fate is far too extraordinary

"Sit," Viktor ordered both of them in a flat voice.

Cassian and Liliana nodded and immediately sat down in front of Viktor.

"You’ve been marked by three Alpha candidates?" Viktor asked without preamble, staring at Liliana.

"F-Father..." Liliana stammered.

"Father," Cassian cut in. "Liliana couldn’t choose. This is the Moon Goddess’s choice for her."

Viktor exhaled roughly before looking at Liliana again.

He never expected that the woman Cassian had long desired would have more than one mate—something he clearly found hard to accept.

"Liliana..."

"Yes, Father," Liliana answered, lifting her head.

"Which of them knows about your power and your true form?"

"Vincent Ardent knows everything. As for Xavier... he only knows my true form."

"Lucien doesn’t know yet?"

"Not yet, Father."

"What about the Crown Prince?"

"He hasn’t marked me, and he shouldn’t know about my ability or my true form either."

Viktor leaned back in his seat. His hand reached for his coffee cup and took a slow sip.

"Father, have you found a way to cancel Liliana’s mate marks?" Cassian asked after a while.

Viktor set the coffee cup down on the table and looked at Cassian. He gave a flat smile, then turned to Liliana.

"When you tried to sever the bond with Xavier, was there any reaction?"

"No, Father. We’ve tried every method we know to cancel those mate marks, but it was all useless. My mate marks with them are different from the one the Moon Goddess gave me and the Alpha candidate of Pack Beaumont."

Viktor tapped the table slowly.

"That’s the key," Viktor said. "Your mate marks are different. Mega and I have been working together to gather information on canceling your marks beyond what you already know."

"Then... is it possible, Father?" Liliana asked eagerly.

Viktor shook his head. "No. Those mate marks will bind you to the four of them until death."

Liliana froze, and so did Cassian.

Under the table, Cassian clenched his fingers tightly.

Viktor noticed, but said nothing.

"Father, but... I can’t accept these mate marks," Liliana said after a moment of silence. "Is there really no way? Please... help me."

"Liliana, do you think I’ve just been playing around this past week after hearing about your problem?"

"That’s not what I meant..."

Viktor waved his hand.

"For now, Mega and I still haven’t found anything. But that doesn’t mean I won’t keep looking for another way."

"Then what should we do now? Should..."

"Just stay quiet. Cassian will try to cover this up so it doesn’t spread to the other packs," Viktor cut in. "As for the Crown Prince, let him mark you for the time being."

"Father!" Cassian shouted without realizing it.

Viktor fixed a sharp gaze on Cassian.

"Lower your voice. Even though I’ve cleared this place out, that doesn’t mean there are no eyes watching us. This is not Pack Draven territory."

Cassian clenched his fingers tightly once more before finally nodding.

"I’m sorry, Father."

Viktor shifted his gaze to Liliana.

"Liliana... there’s actually one thing I haven’t told you before."

Liliana looked up at Viktor carefully.

"Back then, I agreed to accept you as family. First, because Cassian wanted you. He had already wanted you even when you and Valeri were still living in Pack Forst."

Liliana’s eyes widened, then she turned to look at Cassian.

"At first I refused, but seeing your unyielding ability, and the fact that you even managed to reach my Pack Draven with Mega’s help, I began considering Cassian’s proposal."

"I didn’t want Cassian to take you as his mate, so I agreed to adopt you as my daughter. And to prevent anything from happening, I bound you to me, Olive, and Cassian with a blood pact."

"I began acknowledging you as my daughter and fully accepted you from that moment on. But..."

Liliana clenched her fingers tightly, afraid of hearing something she no longer wanted to hear.

"Before I acknowledged you as my daughter back then, do you remember that I wanted to give you a mission?"

"Yes, Father." Liliana answered after a moment.

"Originally, I wanted you to infiltrate one of the Alpha families ranked in the top ten at Mirena Academy. I wanted you to steal one of their secrets and render them powerless so they wouldn’t be able to corner the Draven family in front of Emperor Morovela in the future. Or at least, make them stop slandering Pack Draven in front of the Emperor later on."

"Father..."

"You know the condition of my Pack Draven yourself, Liliana. Even though we’re a little stronger than the other packs, the Emperor is far too cautious toward Pack Draven. It’s disadvantageous for me and my pack."

"The only way is to avoid the Emperor’s eyes for now. At the very least, don’t let the Emperor increase his surveillance over us."

"Father... may I know why the Emperor’s family is suspicious of your pack?"

Viktor gave a low smile.

"There are many reasons that made the Emperor act that way. But one of them is the death of the current Emperor’s mother."

Liliana’s brow furrowed. She had never heard of this matter before.

"You don’t need to know the details for now. So don’t think about it."

Viktor took another slow sip of his coffee.

"But you moved beyond my expectations. Your fate is far too extraordinary. Besides having a rare wolf power, you also share a destined bond with three Alpha candidates and the heir to the throne of the Morovela Empire."

"So, Liliana..." Viktor said in a lower voice.

"I want you to carry out the mission I canceled back then. Are you willing? I won’t force you if you refuse. You are still my daughter, and that blood bond is real."

Liliana looked up at Viktor again, then turned toward Cassian.

"Father, I’ll do it. I’ll do my best to protect Pack Draven. You are my family. My only family," Liliana declared firmly.

Viktor exhaled and nodded.

"Cassian, keep your promise. Take good care of Liliana. She is your sister and also my daughter."

"You don’t need to worry, Father," Cassian replied.

Viktor nodded in satisfaction. He took a box from the pocket of his robe and placed it in front of Liliana.

"This is something I obtained together with Mega and the other elders."

"Your hair will become permanently black after using this, and your power won’t be able to leak even if all four of your mates mark you."

Liliana accepted it and slowly opened the box. There were several bottles of medicine inside.

"Did you obtain a treasure that can control your power in the Secret Realm?" Viktor asked.

"I did."

"Study it carefully. Even if it’s only a portion, it should help you control half of your power."

"Yes, Father."

"I won’t stay here long. I’ll return this evening. The two of you must look after each other, understand?"

"Yes, Father," Liliana and Cassian answered together.

"In that case..."

Creak...

The sound of the door opening made Viktor stop mid-sentence. His brow furrowed when he realized someone was trying to interrupt him in the room he had fully rented.

Viktor looked at the man who was now walking casually toward the three of them.

Viktor’s expression stiffened slightly before he rose from his chair.

Liliana and Cassian immediately turned and looked at the person.

"This Alpha greets the Crown Prince of the Morovela Empire," Viktor said respectfully.