Chapter 288: Episode 288.

The letter arrived shortly after midday.

Alpha Rowanfall was in his study when one of his guards entered, carrying a sealed envelope.

"An unusual delivery, Alpha."

Rowanfall glanced up from the documents on his desk. "What is it?"

"A letter. It came through one of the couriers returning from the eastern territories."

The guard approached and placed it before him.

Rowanfall’s attention shifted to the seal. He recognised it immediately. For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he picked up the envelope, turning it between his fingers.

Mabel.

He hadn’t expected to hear from her so soon. In fact, he hadn’t expected her to find a way to contact him at all, considering the distance between the Wolf Realm and the Human Realm.

"Leave us."

The guard bowed and withdrew.

Rowanfall broke the seal. The letter was brief.

"Father,

I have managed to find a way to send this to you without drawing unnecessary attention. I hope it reaches you.

There is something you should have told me before sending me here. Fitzgerald has a wife and children.

I have met Queen Charlotte, and she is very much part of his life, regardless of how he chooses to describe their relationship.

I still don’t understand why you and Alpha Ashmere sent me here with him. He has shown no indication that he intends to betray his kingdom, your agreements, or his people, and I have yet to discover what either of you expected me to accomplish.

I would appreciate an explanation. Find a way to reach me."

Mabel.

Rowanfall lowered the letter. His expression had changed. "His wife?"

He read that portion again, his fingers tightening around the paper. Fitzgerald had a wife. Children.

And Mabel had been sent into his household without being informed of something so significant?

His jaw tightened. He rose from his chair and walked towards the window. This was not what they had discussed.

He would never subject his daughter to be second choice.

He and Ashmere had agreed that Mabel would accompany Fitzgerald to the Human Realm. They had considered the arrangement carefully, weighing what it could offer them and what they stood to gain from having her in his company.

Yet neither of them had anticipated this complication. Or perhaps someone had known and chosen not to mention it.

Surely, Ashmere had knowledge of it.

Rowanfall looked down at the letter again.

He wasn’t particularly concerned about Fitzgerald’s marriage. What infuriated him was that Mabel had been placed in a situation without being given all the information she needed.

She was his daughter, not some inexperienced girl who could be sent across realms and expected to figure things out without understanding the purpose of her assignment.

And Mabel wasn’t foolish.

If she was questioning their decision, she had likely already begun examining the circumstances herself.

He returned to his desk and rang the small bell beside his papers.

A servant appeared moments later.

"Bring me fresh parchment and ink."

The servant obeyed.

Rowanfall sat down when the servant provided it, dipped his pen and began writing.

"Alpha Ashmere,

Mabel has managed to contact me from the Human Realm.

She has informed me that Fitzgerald has a wife and children. Apparently, this was information neither of us considered necessary to share with her before sending her there.

I am not pleased.

More importantly, she has begun questioning the purpose of her presence in the Human Realm. She claims Fitzgerald has shown no indication of betraying his kingdom and wants to know what we expected her to accomplish."

He paused, tapping the end of his pen against the parchment.

Mabel was not someone who would remain occupied with a task simply because she had been instructed to do so. If she couldn’t understand the reason behind her presence, she would begin looking for one herself.

And that could become a problem.

He continued.

"I want to know if you were aware of his marriage before we agreed to send her with him. We need to discuss this before Mabel decides there is nothing left for her to do there."

Rowanfall.

He read through the letter once before folding it. Then he pressed his seal into the wax.

The arrangement with Ashmere had been made for a reason. Rowanfall had no intention of abandoning it because of an unexpected complication.

But he needed to know exactly what they were dealing with. And he needed Ashmere to understand that Mabel would not be left in the dark indefinitely.

He called for the guard. "Have this delivered to Alpha Ashmere personally."

"Yes, Alpha."

Rowanfall handed him the sealed letter.

As the guard left, his gaze returned to Mabel’s handwriting on the desk. She had asked a reasonable question.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure he liked what the answer might reveal. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze settling on the empty doorway.

There had been a reason they chose Fitzgerald. His position in the Human Realm, his influence and the agreements he had made with them were all part of the larger arrangement.

Mabel’s presence was not accidental.

Rowanfall had trusted Ashmere’s judgement when they agreed to send her. He still did, to an extent. But trust did not mean he would accept being kept uninformed.

He reached for Mabel’s letter again, reading her final request.

"Find a way to reach me."

A faint smile touched his lips.

His daughter hadn’t asked to come home. She hadn’t complained about the inconvenience of her situation or demanded that he intervene.

That was Mabel. He could never ask for a better daughter. She always saw the bigger picture, and aimed higher.

He placed the letter inside his desk drawer and closed it.

Whatever Ashmere had to say, Rowanfall expected a proper explanation. And if there was something they had overlooked, they would need to decide how to proceed before Mabel uncovered it herself.

He had no intention of underestimating his daughter.

Nor would he allow their plans to fall apart because Ashmere had failed to tell him something important.