The Crown's Entrapment



At Hindman Manor, Lock Heart Pack Kingdom of Cordon

Bartos and Bella exchanged meaningful glances as they waited for comments from their parents. They went silent as soon as Bartos finished his narration. It was agreed beforehand that Bartos would explain the situation because Bella had no patience in doing so. She tended to summarize or cut things short.

Chancellor Talon, their father, spoke first, his voice tinged with disbelief. "This is… too much to handle. Osman is alive and is now the King of Helion, his true name being Amon. And you," he continued, turning his attention to Bella. 

"You're telling me that your sister's Ritual of Marking will take place tomorrow? Are you two playing some kind of a joke on us right now? Because this is not funny at all!" their mother, Livia, interrupted with a dark expression.

Bella gulped and said, "We don't need anything extravagant, Mother. A simple feast for the pack will be held after the ritual of marking. I'm sure you and Father can make it happen tomorrow late noon. Amon and I will leave immediately after the ritual is done. Bartos and the other guests from Helion have to go back to the Global Summit too. "

Her mother shifted her gaze to Bartos who was quick to explain himself, "We have all seen how much she suffered when we believed that Osman had died. Now, he's back, and it seems like the two of them are fated given how they got another chance to be together. He's Bella's mate, so who am I to not agree with this? I wholeheartedly support Bella in this, Mother."

Bella couldn't help but smile, deeply moved by her brother's unwavering support.

"Milord, there are visitors outside…" the servant whose face was pale suddenly informed in the dining room.

"Visitors? Who are they?" Chancellor Talon asked.

"That… H-he said he's King Amon from Helion but M-master he… he… the Great Admiral O-osman, h-he looks exactly like him…" The servant's voice trembled. 

Bella, feeling sympathy for the shaken servant, reassured her, "You're not seeing a ghost. That man is indeed Osman, now known as Amon, the King of Helion. Father will provide an explanation for everyone tomorrow."

Curiosity piqued, Bella wondered aloud, "I wonder why he came here today. We agreed that they would arrive tomorrow, didn't we?" She glanced at Bartos for confirmation.

"He talked to me before we left the camp. He was quite adamant about arriving promptly at the location of the ritual of marking. He said he wanted to formally meet our parents and ask for your hand in marriage tonight. I forgot to mention it to you," Bartos informed with a grin.

"I must see him for myself," his father said making Bella panic as she watched them rush out of their seats and walk toward the greeting area.

"Look at them. Go ask for a handkerchief, because those two will probably cry a river once they see Osman," Bartos told her and Bella couldn't agree less. Their parents loved Osman not only because he wooed her but he made sure that he also wooed her family as well.

"Oh heavens! It's indeed Osman! Oh, praise the Almighty! You're really alive!" her mother exclaimed and without a second thought rushed towards Amon and gave him a hug while sobbing. Her father also did the same and Bella could only offer an awkward smile and a polite greeting to Queen Mother Mona, who was accompanying them.

Amon was accompanied by the Queen Mother, Casimir, Commander Lucia, and two men clad in the uniform of an Ebodian Royal Mage. She had heard that King Ezekiel generously assigned some of Ebodia's mages to Amon, so Bella assumed that the two mages transported Amon and the rest here.

"Why do I suddenly feel like an outcast," her sister-in-law whispered. She had joined Amon's group to lead the Ebodia mages to the manor who she honestly thought were scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

"Oh, right, they must know about the good news too!" Bella excitedly murmured but Jayra quickly signaled her to zip her mouth.

"Bartos and I decided that we would inform Mother and Father about Aquarius later… after the Ritual of Marking tomorrow. For now, let's all focus on your special day hmm?" Jayra explained with a wink.

"Hmm, alright then. I'll go ahead while they are busy and instruct the servants to arrange the chambers and dinner for our guests," Jayra murmured, and Bella nodded. She watched her sister-in-law quietly leave and do her chosen work.

Meanwhile, Bella gave her parents more time to compose themselves and calm their own emotions. Bartos on the other hand, took it upon himself to entertain the other guests, Lucia, Casimir, and the two Ebodian mages.

Bella approached Queen Mother Mona as she explained, "My parents loved him very much when he was still Osman. I apologize if their behavior offended you; they are just too overwhelmed, Queen Mother."

"I'm honestly glad and grateful, Bella. I can feel the warm treatment your parents extend to my son as if they've really known him for a long time. I can sense their love and care for him, Bella, and for that, I really feel at ease that Amon chose you. Also, please address me as Mother from now on because you're already my daughter, just as Amon is a son to your parents," Mona commented, her eyes welling up as she observed the warm and genuine interaction between Bella's parents and her son Amon.

"Oh, I'm really sorry, Son. You're probably really stunned right now. Bartos and Bella have already explained everything to us, including how you still can't recall us. We're just really happy to see you alive and well," Livia explained as she finally gathered her bearings.

Bella quickly stepped forward to call the attention of her parents and formally introduced Amon and Queen Mother Mona to them, and vice versa.

They all exchanged pleasant and courteous greetings with each other. Just in time, Jayra arrived and said, "The table is ready. Everyone, please, let's have dinner first."

They all followed suit, and dinner was enjoyed in a comfortable silence. Bartos and Jayra took care of assisting the guests to their respective chambers. 

Meanwhile, her parents invited Amon and his Mother to have some tea and drinks by the fireplace. Bartos and Jayra soon joined them.

"Osman here is-" her father halted and then quickly corrected, "I mean Amon. Goodness, it may take some time for me to use your real name, Son. But anyway, like I said, Amon here is very good at playing chess, he's the only one who can actually beat me to it."

Bella was really happy right now, seeing her parents were interacting well with Amon and his mother.

"Daughter, you should let Amon see your workplace," Livia suddenly suggested. Bella's eyes sparked as she quickly stood up and pulled Amon to his feet. "Come, I'll show you my paintings." Bella excitedly stated. She looked at Queen Mother Mona and courteously excused herself and Amon.

She held Amon's hand as they walked through the hallways of their house. "Does it look familiar to you?" she asked, but Amon shook his head.

"Did I visit you in your house often?" Amon asked.

"Yes, you did. At one point I even thought it was not me you wanted but my parents. You always brought something for my parents whenever you visited. You were quite good at bribing them, you know, even though I've always pushed you away before."

Amon stopped walking and asked, "You were pushing me away?"

Bella chuckled as she scoffed, "I did. I even turned you down at first."

"You did?" Amon burst, rapidly blinking at her as if he couldn't believe such a revelation.

"Ah, it might seem hard to believe right now because I'm obviously the one chasing after you currently. Back then, I was scared of falling in love, not until I reached the age of twenty-eight, which is the maximum age for us werewolves to know if we'll be blessed with the Mate Pull. Actually, I had this first love whose parents suffered in the past. His mother suddenly felt the Mate Pull towards someone else and ran away with that man leaving him and his father behind…" Bella narrated with a sigh. The story of Calypso's parents was really tragic.

"Because of that, I thought it was best to engage in a romantic relationship once I reached the age of twenty-eight. I didn't want to be with you back then since I hadn't felt the Mate Pull around you. I had this fear of what would happen if I experienced the Mate Pull with another man. It was really messed up." Bella continued. Then a wide smile lingered on her lips as she added, "But you were quite persistent!"

"Wait, you said you had a first love? Who?" he asked with a frown. 

"Huh? Why are you interested? You knew him too. He was Calypso. Oh, wait, I actually have a painting of him. Come and see it, maybe you can recognize him," Bella hummed as she excitedly took Amon's hand and led him towards her workplace. She failed to see how Amon's face became sour…

"Calypso?" Amon murmured which Bella heard. 

"Yes, he's our Great Justiciar! The Alpha of Midnight Pack," Bella answered as she opened the door to her workplace and led Amon inside.

"And you painted him?!" Amon burst out.

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