The Ruthless Alpha’s Mute Wife (The Last Guardian)

Keeping You Away

Marisol

‘Do not show your fears. Do not show your weakness’ Those were the words that I said inside of me as I walked down the stairs in the company of my mother-in-law and Elora.

Dressed in a crimson dress that clung to my figure, a bright smile spread across my face even though it killed me inside.

I never wanted to wear this shade of red, but what could I do? Julian's mum had insisted on it because it was his favorite color.

This was my life— A life where I was caged.

My mother-in-law and Elora left my side while the anger subsided as I moved to the center of the hall in a bid to address the guests. My interpreter, Claudia, caught up with me, exchanging fleeting glances with me while I offered her a small smile.

I sucked in a deep breath in a bid to quash the thoughts about Julian that flooded through my mind and focus on the people who lowered their heads in reverence for me. “People of the Wolffe Solstice pack, it is with great joy that I bring to you the wonderful news about my husband, Alpha Julian’s return from the war that has brought fear into our minds,”

“With Alpha Julian’s perseverance and strength, we won the war, and now he is back,” I signed with a smile on my face, even though every hand gesture shattered my heart into pieces.

I exchanged fleeting glances with Claudia, who in turn interpreted my words to the people.

As she interpreted my words, my mind drifted back to Julian, and the thought of him being alive made my heart twist painfully in my chest. I would have left this sham of a marriage if I had the chance, but the issue was that leaving wasn’t even easy.

According to the laws of the moon goddess, a divorce between me and Julian could only happen if he cheated, found his mate since we were never mates, or worse, if he died.

Now the moon goddess had shattered my only hope of leaving this hellhole. Maybe I shouldn’t blame her. Perhaps I should blame myself for still making rituals for her when she decided to make my life a living hell.

Aside from that, the court elders would never agree to it.

As I tugged at the pendant around my neck, a thought of regret flashed through my mind. “Why didn’t I send an assassin after him?”

I hated that I was doing all of this for the man who never cared about me in the first place. While he was away, Julian would get in touch with his mum and sister, but he had never called me.

In three years, he never even sent a text.

I sucked in a deep breath in a bid to soothe the tightening in my chest, and the applause of the crowd thundered around me as soon as she was done with her interpretation.

Claudia gave me a smile of approval, and while everyone in the pack house treated me with disdain, Claudia treated me with so much honor and respect.

She was the best friend that I never had.

Just as I was about to turn on my heel and allow that witch, Elora take over, I froze. My heart turned cold in my chest when someone raised a question. A question that caused anxiety to claw at the back of my neck.

“Luna Marisol, according to the prophecy, your marriage with Alpha Julian is supposed to bring good tidings to our pack. But since you have gotten married, it has been one calamity after the other. All the rivers have dried up.”

My heart slammed against my ribcage, blood rushing to my ears as my breath came in ragged gasps. I turned, forcing out a smile that didn’t reach my eyes.

I raised my trembling fingers in a bid to sign when Elora suddenly appeared next to my side, slipping a hand above my waist as she smiled at me, even though the glint in those gray eyes was malicious.

I hated her and that fake smile of hers.

Underneath the smile was her burning hate towards me, and that was because she had lost her older sister, who was in labor on the day that Julian and I had gotten married.

She had called me a scam, a bad omen who deceived my way into marrying their family despite knowing how hard the divorce conditions were.

It was truly ironic because Julian was the one who chased after me. Not me.

I tried to steady my breathing while Elora stepped forward. “This welcome banquet isn’t to raise issues about what has been happening in the pack. How could you blame my sister-in-law? It is not like she is the moon goddess—” She cast a glance at me.

“—or are you?” She raised a brow, staring at me for what seemed like an eternity.

Elora smirked, fixing her gaze back on the guests. “Let’s focus on Alpha Julian. My brother is the reason we are…”

Just before she could complete her words, the massive doors opened, and there was this strange air that swirled around me and caused unease to rise to choke me.

The air stilled, and everyone turned to the entrance.

Right at the entrance was Julian. I swallowed, my fingers curling around my dress as gasps echoed through the entire place.

He still looked the same as before. Those dull, cold gray eyes, his brown hair now falling in a wavy mullet, with a scar running underneath his jaw.

Standing next to him was his Beta, Andre, who looked different from ever. It seemed more like the war between him and the Lycans had shaped me for the worse. Attractively, though.

Now fiddling with my fingers as the guests parted to make way for Julian, my heart almost leaped into my throat when our eyes met.

It was brief, though, because before I could process the emotion that surged through me, the woman who suddenly appeared at the entrance made me freeze.

Time stopped.

My heart stopped as the world tilted around me, and the only sound that I could hear was that of my heart pounding in my ears.

She strutted into the hall, glancing around cluelessly, and with every step she took, my heart pounded hard against my chest.

Jolene.

Julian’s first love.

Gasps echoed through the entire hall, while I stared at her, at a loss for words to say. Then, she had suddenly disappeared in this suspicious manner that made people conclude that she had been abducted, but later on, her clothes were found soiled with blood, and we finally settled with the fact that she was dead.

Burial processions were made for her, so how could she be here? No! That wasn’t the right question. What happened to her?

Julian’s mum rushed towards Jolene and pulled her into a hug. “What happened to you…” Her words trailed, and she darted her eyes to Julian. “Is she truly Jolene. Where did you find her? Her eyes shone with tears.

Julian responded. “She was being held as a slave by some bandits that she was sold to…”

Gasps echoed through the hall again, and my hands flew over my mouth while Julian’s mum broke down in tears.

“Who could have done such a thing?”

Before Julian could speak, my eyes clashed with those of Jolene’s, and her eyes darkened, her brows furrowing as she pointed to me. “Her!”

An icy chill raked over me, my brows knitting in confusion, while everyone fixed their eyes on me as murmurs echoed through the entire hall.

What!

Was she okay? Was she having a problem recognizing people, or what was going on?

She squinted her eyes at me, taking tiny steps towards me. “My memory is a bit distorted, and I can’t remember faces, but I remember you. Your name is Marisol, and you sold me to the bandits who sexually assaulted me.”

Gasps filled the air, a scoff of disbelief escaping me as I stared at her in shock while she continued with her baseless accusations. “She told me she had been planning it for a long time. She had always wanted Julian, but because we were in love, she had to get rid of him.”

Julian thundered— the first word he had ever spoken to me since he arrived. “What! How dare you, Marisol?”

Another scoff escaped me because what was this s**t show? She had disappeared a year before I married Julian, and despite my growing feelings towards him, I never approached him.

He was the one who came for me.

How could he act surprised?

Anger flared in my chest, threatening to consume me like a wildfire as I stepped forward and signed. “Welcome back, Jolene, but you are highly mistaken. I have never considered you a threat, and the trauma is the reason you are making baseless accusations against me.”

“I would suggest that you heal first before throwing lies around.”

Jolene muttered. “What is she doing?”

I quickly glanced at Claudia for her to interpret and for me to clear my name already, because an accusation like this could result in my death.

Claudia cleared her throat and stepped forward while I exhaled sharply, closing my eyes. “I would convey Luna’s words. Jolene, welcome back, but instead of bringing up what had happened in the past, why not take a chill pill and focus on the banquet?” My eyes shot open immediately.

What was Claudia interpreting?

“I agree that I sold you to the bandits because I was in love with Julian, and if I could do that again, I would do it. As long as it means keeping you away from Julian.”