LUNA: Alpha’s Soulmate from Another World

Markus had just arrived at the imperial palace, gazing at the sky and cursing quietly. He kept blaming the Magic Tower for constantly obstructing his use of long-distance teleportation magic, especially directly to the imperial palace without prior notice, by repeatedly canceling the magic he intended to use. Fortunately, Jaxon was a competent and clever aide in negotiations, so when he was racing against time and panicking about Luna’s situation, the man persuaded the Magic Tower to grant permission for long-distance teleportation.

At times like these, Markus regretted not being born as a magician or at least gifted in magic. If only he were either of those, he could have created a secret teleportation magic circle without being detected by the Magic Tower. He ran swiftly into the imperial palace. Although the sun had already set, he hoped that he wasn’t too late to save Luna.

Markus cursed the Magic Tower again and promised to settle the score once the matter was resolved. For now, his priority was to save his sister from such a low and brutal tradition. His sister was merely a mortal who had not long been in this world, yet she was already faced with a situation that would further traumatize her. How could she want to endure if she kept facing circumstances that made her dislike this world?

It only took a few minutes for him to arrive at the corridor leading to the main throne room. His eyes narrowed sharply, and he growled softly when he saw knights standing guard, lined up neatly along the corridor, with two knights guarding the entrance to the throne room.

The knights wore military uniforms in red and black with gold accents, symbolizing the Royal Pack knight order, with cloaks of the same color embroidered with the unit’s emblem, an eagle, draped over their shoulders. Swords hung at their waists, their postures straight, with both hands crossed behind their backs. Markus had already guessed that Alkrevas would place the Royal Pack knight order there because, unlike other orders, the Royal Pack was specifically composed of werewolves, with some of its best knights in the Royal Pack unit, including the leader of the Royal Pack order-General Almbra.

He pressed his lips together and observed the tense atmosphere of the corridor before striding confidently down it. The knights, aware of his presence, immediately saluted him, but Markus chose to ignore them. His eyes remained fixed on the throne room door, made of gold and engraved with the emblem of the Vasilos Empire and a wolf.

No one stopped his steps. Without an identity or pass card for the imperial palace, everyone in the palace already knew who he was, especially with his position as Chancellor and Prime Minister of the empire. This position granted him the privilege of entering and leaving the palace, which is known for its strict security and regulations. Markus was truly grateful for this, as he didn’t need additional problems like those from the Magic Tower.

He wanted so badly to run quickly, storm in, break down the door, and take Luna away as quickly as possible. Still, if he caused a commotion in front of the throne room door, his chances of getting inside would vanish. So, with that thought, he restrained himself as much as he could, then, upon reaching the throne room door, he stopped walking to take a deep breath, calming himself and his turbulent emotions. He hoped the Moon Goddess would side with him and give him a chance to prevent Alkrevas from making the fatal mistake he was about to commit.

Hopefully, the ceremony hasn’t started yet… Markus thought nervously. He raised his hand, intending to push the door open, but suddenly, he heard the sound of swords clashing. A moment later, two blades crossed before his eyes, causing Markus to step back in surprise and instinctively withdraw his hand. His eyes sharpened, and a warning growl escaped his lips.

He turned to the two Royal Pack knights guarding the door with a murderous look before asking, “What’s the meaning of this? Do you know that your actions could get you stripped of your rank and thrown in jail?”

“Our apologies, Your Grace, Duke. Before you are allowed entry, do you have a pass card from His Majesty the Emperor?”

“A pass card? I am the Prime Minister! Why would I need a pass to enter the throne room? Besides, I just returned from a task ordered by His Majesty. Do you think I would know about that?” Markus asked again, his tone rising in disbelief that Alkrevas had imposed a restriction that only those with a pass card could enter the ritual ceremony. Of course, he had that card.

But it was stored in his desk drawer in Veniam Duchy. He could ask Jaxon, but his aide was surely coming to the capital to follow him. Besides, all of that would be useless if the ritual ceremony ended.

“Once again, forgive us, Your Grace, Duke. We are simply following the Emperor’s orders. We had no intention of offending you.” One of the knights replied in a tone full of regret. Markus’s hands, hanging at his sides, clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His body trembled with suppressed anger.

Damn it! Markus cursed inwardly; even his wolf spirit-Alcander-was starting to get restless in his mind because the only family they had was going through something terrible inside. He stepped back, turning his back to the door. The sound of swords being sheathed echoed in his ears.

Markus closed his eyes slowly, trying to calm Alcander, who became increasingly agitated. The throne room was designed so that sounds from inside couldn’t be heard outside and vice versa, making it soundproof. However, Markus’s keen hearing was sharper than that of other werewolves, allowing him to faintly hear the sound of screams from behind the door.

Suddenly, Markus’s eyes snapped open wide, revealing his green eyes, now transformed into a red-golden hue. A low growl escaped from his lips once more. His clenched fists subtly transformed, and Markus shifted into a Lycan within seconds.

He turned and ran towards the door, intending to break it down and fight the two knights blocking his way. However, in his anger, Markus forgot that the Royal Pack had been prepared for everything, including dealing with a Lycan like him. The two knights guarding the door skillfully and forcefully restrained his body. Then, the knights along the corridor joined in, attempting to subdue Markus.

Unfortunately, their efforts failed because Markus chose to resort to violence, attacking the knights. One by one, the knights fell, wounded by his claws. The knights could have shifted forms and fought back, but their opponent was a Duke and one of Vasilos’s greatest knights, which made them lose their nerve.

“Your Grace, Duke, stop! You are not permitted to harm the knights!” A deep voice suddenly boomed not far from Markus’s position. Markus turned, directing his red-golden eyes toward the source of the voice, and growled, baring his dangerous fangs at a tall, broad-shouldered man who had stopped running and was now standing several meters in front of him-General Almbra.

Immediately, the fallen and wounded knights were assisted by other knights who had arrived with the General and were evacuated to the knights’ healing chamber. “You cannot harm my subordinates, Your Grace.”

“They refused me entry and blocked my way.” Markus, who had transformed into a Lycan, replied in a deeper, more menacing voice. Fortunately, Lycans, unlike werewolves, could still speak in their wolf form-the reason why werewolves rely heavily on mind-link. If not, Markus would have had difficulty communicating with General Almbra because the General was not part of Veniam, which meant he could not mind-link.

“I understand, but Your Grace, Duke, please calm yourself first. You know these are the Emperor’s orders, and…” General Almbra paused, bowing his head in submission when he received a dominant growl from Markus.

“… you are currently unstable. I don’t know what has triggered your anger to this extent, but I implore you to calm yourself first. If you force your way in, I cannot guarantee your safety.” Markus understood what General Almbra meant. Alkrevas must have placed the Royal Pack and other knight orders. He would also become the target of the Emperor’s wrath, but Markus didn’t care about any of that.

“Please don’t make me use force against you and drag you to the prison.”

“I am the Duke of Veniam! Let me in.”

“I cannot do that, Your Grace. The Emperor’s orders leave no room for exceptions. Moreover, you are in your Lycan form. There is a sacred ceremony taking place inside, and your presence in that form would cause a disturbance that would disrupt the ceremony. I cannot allow that to happen.”

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