Chapter 134

Chapter 134: Chapter 134

Ivy’s Point of View

The early morning mist had barely dissolved from the courtyards when the carriage carrying Alpha Alaric clicked to a halt inside our secure perimeter. Vikron and Deyani had already left at the first crack of dawn under the tight protection of our guards.

With the pharmacy evacuated of outsiders, Dominic and I led Alpha Alaric straight to the small courtyard of the Azure Leafs to finally confirm that the true iron box was completely genuine.

Alpha Alaric stood beneath the stone archway, his eyes locked onto the large, round silver disc resting on the wooden table. He stepped forward, his fingertips meticulously tracing the intricate patina lock, checking the ancient alignment seals.

"It is untouched," Alpha Alaric said softly, a wave of victorious relief flaring through him. He drew himself up, turning a look of unyielding admiration straight toward me.

We already told him how we got our hands on this box previously.

"After listening to the process of how the two of you strategically retrieved this artifact from the hands of the Howling Ashes... I am truly in awe, Ivy. Your shamanic wits have saved our entire lineage from an execution."

"I only balanced the ledger, Father," I replied smoothly, as I lowered my posture into a polite bow.

"You did far more than that," Alpha Alaric countered, a brilliant, proud smile breaking across his face. "For your extraordinary service to the throne, I am rewarding you with a grand, premium residential manor in the outer suburbs of our primary pack territory on the spot."

“Thank you.” I bowed my head in gratitude, but my mind instantly refocused on the shifting geopolitical currents. "Father, how do we handle the High Council? If they realizes the box is inside this clinic, the capital will explode."

"We tell them nothing," Alpha Alaric instructed. "I plan to temporarily keep the news of the discovery of this iron box completely confidential. My men will continue to aggressively search for the artifact externally to thoroughly confuse and blindside our enemy country—the Bloodmoon Pack Kingdom. Let their spies waste their resources hunting ghosts while we secure the real deal."

"I am proposing that we bury the iron box directly on the spot, right beneath the limestone pavers of this hidden courtyard garden, infusing the soil with a layer of my shamanic lily resin to mask the internal force," I suggested.

Dominic’s eyes flashed with a smirk touching his lips. "Ivy is right, Father. A vault can be melted from the inside, but the earth carries no records, plus Ivy’s shamanic power. I completely agree with this method."

Without wasting a single second, Dominic and Alpha Alaric used their blades to cleanly pry open the central stone grid, burying our ancestor’s country-winning secret deep within the soil before sealing the masonry shut. I finally sealed it with my shamanic incantation.

*

*

*

After perfectly settling the management lines and inventory ledgers for our newly opened border pharmacy here, the long weeks began to blur into a sprint. I, and Dominic, along with our remaining guards and my loyal maid, Nell, finally set off back toward our primary pack house, our journey precisely coinciding with our children’s highly anticipated first birthday rapidly approaching.

The moment the iron doors swung wide, my heart did a sudden, frantic flutter of anticipation. I rushed through the threshold, and I finally saw my beautiful children who had been away from my care for such a long time, resting safely in Luna Helena’s arms.

"Look who has finally returned from the mountains," Luna Helena laughed softly, her cheeks flushing with warmth as she guided the toddlers toward the rug.

At first, my children were incredibly shy, their tiny ears pinned back as they hid their plump faces against their grandmother’s drapes, entirely unfamiliar with the traveling clothes we wore. But the initial hesitation didn’t last long.

Only our little daughter, Selena, suddenly sniffed the ambient air, her wide eyes locking onto Dominic’s face. With a joyful, bubbling shriek, she quickly got incredibly close to Dominic, crawling across the carpet at a frantic speed before reaching up to clutch his boots.

"D-Da... Da!" she babbled out clearly. "Dada!" Selena called out again, her tiny fingers digging into Dominic’s trousers as she stabilized her balance.

Dominic froze completely, a look of shock and boundless joy violently flaring within his dark eyes. He immediately dropped to his knees on the rug, his hands trembling slightly as he scooped our little princess into his arms, lifting her high against his chest.

She was already remarkably able to walk a few steady steps entirely alone, her balance tightening as she giggled against his shoulder. Dominic turned his head toward me, a rare, relaxed amusement dancing across his rugged face.

"Do not be incredibly jealous, Ivy. It seems the princess knows exactly who her favorite parent is." Dominic teased me.

I let out a hearty, genuine chuckle at the hilarious situation, stepping closer to pinch little Selena’s plump pink cheek. "I carried that little traitor inside my womb for nine grueling months, enduring a midnight siege and the winter freeze, only for her to completely betray her mother and go straight to her father’s arms instead!"

Dominic and Luna Helena laughed uncontrollably alongside me, the sound of our shared amusement filling the space.

The family was finally reunited at the head table, and the tense, paranoid heart that had kept my shoulders locked through months of border warfare finally relaxed completely into a deep sense of peace.

After the servants cleared the court, we had a private, quiet dinner and spent the evening in sweet gist—just I and Dominic sharing the private updates of the pack affairs while the children crawled around our feet. Once it was midnight, we settled our twins down into their double cradle, putting the children to sleep.

I turned back to the mirror, pulling my golden-fox shawl over my nightgown as I prepared to sink into the mattress. "We can finally rest our spirits."

Dominic did not answer with his usual compliance. Instead, his jaw clenched as he stood rigidly by the wardrobe. He reached into the depths of his trunk and slowly pulled out two thick, featureless black masks. He walked silently toward my side of the bed, handing the first mask straight into my hands.

Dominic put on his mask. “Put on the mask, and come with me.” He said.

I put on the mask, and we quietly left the pack house overnight.