But in the end, Fenrir stopped me from doing something that stupid.
"Alpha, the ceremony is about to begin." Herman approached. "If Miss Liv doesn't appear soon, she'll be late."
I nodded and kept my expression neutral while suppressing my irritation at not knowing where Liv had gone.
I really didn't want to blame my savior. But ever since Liv returned, I had noticed my patience with her wearing thin. I couldn't help thinking that if Serenity had agreed to come back for the ceremony, she never would have handled things this badly. She was always so meticulous and gentle. She managed so many things better and more perfectly than I could… But dwelling on that was pointless now.
Moon Goddess above, I still couldn't believe Serenity had refused me.
Liv had only agreed to take on this important responsibility because of me. I couldn't put more pressure on her… I kept telling myself that when I found Liv, I absolutely must not lose my temper.
But time was running out. I couldn't sit still any longer. Just as I was about to go search for her myself, she finally appeared.
"Elias!"
Liv lifted her white skirts and hurried toward me, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry. I almost ran late."
"Where were you, Liv?" I asked.
"I—I was checking the placement of the ceremonial items." She lowered her eyes, her voice vague. "Lizzie and her group weren't careful enough. I was worried it would affect the ceremony."
Hearing that she had been working on the ceremony softened my tone. "I wasn't blaming you… What's this?"
I stopped midsentence. A strand of golden hair was caught behind one of the jeweled decorations on Liv's gown. Its color was similar to Liv's, easy to miss. But when I compared it to the hair by her ear, I could see the difference—this wasn't Liv's hair. I had to ask where it came from.
"The color looks like Serenity's…" Had Liv seen her?
"You're seeing things!" Liv's expression changed instantly. She snatched the hair from my hand and threw it aside. "Plenty of people have blonde hair. It probably fell on me from some pack member. Elias, the ceremony's about to start. We shouldn't waste any more time!"
She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the altar. A flicker of doubt rose in me, but the imminent ceremony left no room for further questions.
Just then, a commotion broke out in the distance. Someone seemed to be trying to break through the warrior guards' perimeter. I could hear shouting: "I need to see… the Alpha… someone's missing…"
I frowned and stopped. "What's going on?"
A warrior hurried over. "A pack member wants to see you, Alpha. They say someone's missing and want you to send a search party."
Liv's grip on my arm suddenly tightened. She cut off the warrior. "The ceremony is about to start! There's no time to look for anyone! Get rid of them. If the ceremony is disrupted, can you take responsibility?"
Fenrir let out another impatient howl. I took several deep breaths. Ignoring her overstepping, I told the warrior, "Bring them here. Find out who's missing."
"Yes, sir!" The warrior turned to fetch the person.
Liv stared at me in shock and hurt. Under her gaze, my head felt ready to split open. I couldn't help comparing her to Serenity again. If Serenity were standing beside me, she would have understood immediately. A missing pack member could mean a hunter attack. She would have taken it seriously.
The Moon Ceremony, no matter how important, couldn't outweigh a member's life or the pack's safety.
Before the attack, she had always been a responsible Luna.
Only now, at this moment, did I realize that deep down, I had never truly believed Serenity was the traitor who'd betrayed me.
The shouting pack member was brought over.
She looked unexpectedly familiar. It was the personal maid who had always attended to Serenity.
"Why is it you, Lizzie?" I asked in surprise. "What are you looking for?"
"The Luna!" Lizzie bowed quickly, then answered immediately. "Alpha, she was just with me preparing the ceremonial items, but now she's gone!"
