Return of The Alpha Heiress-Chapter 76: Richard – Meeting Larry

Summer was approaching. The wind was no longer as chilling as it had been when I first set foot in the Centrum Great Forest several months ago.

Moreover, this forest, which was still within the capital’s territory, lay closer to the North Region, the warmest region in the Wolefine Empire.

The enforcers assigned to accompany our team had been telling us to prepare for summer for weeks now.

Unfortunately, the people here were all alpha’s sons. They had never lived a hard life, let alone prepared necessities for themselves.

They had no idea what needed to be prepared for summer. To be honest, neither did I.

Being labeled a failed firstborn did not mean my needs were neglected. No matter what, I was still Alpha Black’s son.

That was why, when we were given half a day off, I planned to look for Noah, my team’s proctor, to ask for advice and then buy what I needed at the trade center in the nearest pack.

As I got up from my makeshift bed, a lazy voice came from the bed beside mine.

"Richard, aren’t you tired? We finally get half a day off after months of training like madmen."

"If you want to suffer later during summer, feel free to keep lying there," I replied flatly.

He groaned but still sat up. "I don’t want to suffer more than this."

I glanced at the dark-brown-haired man putting on his boots.

His name was Oliver Blooms, the fourth son of Alpha Bloom from the South Region. Accustomed to having no responsibilities, he was the most spoiled member of my team.

The moment he found out I was the son of Alpha Black, he latched onto me immediately. According to him, Alpha Bloom had ordered him to befriend the sons of alphas from central packs. Black Pack, being the center pack of the West Region, was naturally on that list.

Over the past few months, I had tried everything to shake him off. Ignoring him. Even using force.

But this spoiled brat was frighteningly obedient to his father. He kept clinging to me regardless.

Exhausted, I eventually let him follow me. I had no intention of accommodating his spoiled behavior anyway. Thankfully, he was sensible enough. He complained a lot, but he still trained properly.

After putting on his boots, we left the tent.

In this forest, we lived in tents and survived on jerky. A lifestyle that could break these privileged sons in less than a week.

Months ago, the situation had been chaotic. The medical teams were overwhelmed. Enforcers from the capital flooded in because many participants tried to escape.

But no one managed to step even a single foot out of the forest.

The Lycan King candidate selection was sacred. It affected the interests of the entire empire.

One person had already died, and several others were crippled after trying to flee and running into wild beasts deep in the forest.

Despite all that, the selection continued.

"When will all of this end?" Oliver muttered after exhaling heavily several times.

I didn’t answer. It was a rhetorical question, and he already knew the answer himself.

This training would only end when The Healer appeared. Whether that would be in a few months or a few years, no one knew.

"Why didn’t they just start the training after The Healer appeared? Right now, who even knows where that person is?" Oliver complained again, huffing.

I remained silent.

The reason was simple. The children born exactly one thousand years after the death of the former Lycan King had officially come of age this year.

Oliver’s complaints finally stopped when we reached the medical personnel’s tents.

Noah slept in the same tent as us, but during breaks, he always went to the medical tents to see his mate, who worked as a nurse.

"Richard?!"

A familiar voice filled with shock and anger came from the side. Oliver and I reflexively turned our heads.

There, Larry Green stared at me with sharp eyes.

Without warning, Larry lunged at me, throwing a punch straight at my face. I stepped back and dodged. When the first punch missed, he threw another.

"What’s your problem, Larry Green?" I tried to speak calmly while avoiding his attacks.

I didn’t intend to strike back. After all, this man was the older brother of the woman I loved.

They shared a resemblance that instantly brought her face to my mind. The longing I had been suppressing for months surged violently in my chest.

That moment of distraction cost me.

THUD!

Larry’s fist connected with my face, sending me staggering backward. I quickly steadied myself, shifted to the side, and threw a punch back at him.

He clearly had no intention of talking. If that was the case, I had no choice but to fight back.

Even if he was Clarissa’s brother, I wasn’t a pushover who would let himself be beaten without resistance.

Larry snarled, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at me. I braced myself for another attack.

"WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU’RE DOING?!"

Before the next round could begin, a voice thundered through the air.

An overwhelming pressure slammed down on us. Larry dropped to his knees and Oliver collapsed to the ground.

I was still able to stand after Obby, my inner wolf, helped me suppress the pressure.

Enforcer Milton, the leader of this training and the one fully responsible for everything that happened here, looked back and forth between Larry and me.

His gaze lingered on me far longer than on Larry, likely because I had managed to withstand his pressure.

"Do not bring your personal matters into this sacred training," he said, his voice heavy with warning.

He then turned to Noah, who was standing behind him. "Give them an appropriate punishment." Milton looked at me once more before turning away.

Noah’s expression was serious. "You are the last person I expected to be involved in trouble, Richard."

I said nothing.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Larry already back on his feet. His hands were clenched, his sharp glare still fixed on me.

"Your half-day break is canceled. All three of you," Noah ordered firmly. "Go fetch water from the river to the medical tents. Make sure every tank there is filled."

Oliver, who was brushing mud off his clothes, whipped his head toward Noah. "All three?"

"Yes. You too, Oliver," Noah replied, leaving no room for argument.

"I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t hit anyone," Oliver protested immediately, but Noah had already started walking away.

Oliver chased after him, complaining nonstop. Noah shot him a glare, and Oliver finally fell silent. Though only for a few steps. Soon enough, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut again.

I followed behind them. Larry had already walked ahead on his own. I quickened my pace and caught up to him, walking at his side.

This second son of Alpha Green had been my classmate in the best class. Quiet, intelligent, and popular. He didn’t need to speak. People gathered around him naturally.

Unlike me. I was quiet too, but alone. Other students were afraid to even talk to me.

Given his calm nature, it was strange to see him suddenly attack me like that. "What’s wrong with you?" I asked bluntly, not bothering with pleasantries.

He clenched his teeth, looking at me as if I were something filthy beneath his feet. "Don’t think I can forget what you did to Clarissa just because I punched you once."

At the mention of Clarissa’s name, my heart lurched.

"I admit I like Clarissa," I said. "But I already gave up. I gave her my blessing to be with the man she loves, Adrian."

Larry stopped walking.

I turned to look at him and saw pure confusion on his face.

"What are you talking about?" His brows knitted together. "Blessing her to be with the man she loves? Adrian?"

He genuinely didn’t understand. Worse, it looked like he had no idea what I was talking about.

A bad feeling crept into my chest, my heart pounding faster. "Aren’t Adrian and Clarissa in love? Aren’t they about to get engaged?"

Larry stared at me like I was an idiot. "Explain everything. Why do you think that?"

I didn’t know how Larry could be unaware of Adrian and Clarissa’s relationship, but I explained everything anyway. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

During winter break, I tried to contact Clarissa through com-orb. She didn’t respond.

The first day. The second. The third. Still nothing.

On the fourth day, I went directly to Alpha Green’s mansion. I met Shannon, who told me Clarissa had gone out shopping for the holidays. I left empty-handed.

On the fifth day, I went straight to Clarissa’s balcony. I knocked several times and even waited there, but there was no sound from inside her room.

After nearly two weeks of trying to contact her and visiting the Green mansion, I finally met Adrian. He said there was something he wanted to tell me.

I still remembered his words clearly.

"Richard, I know you have feelings for Clarissa. She told me everything that happened between you two. And the reason she told me is because... Clarissa and I are actually fated mates"

"Shannon isn’t my real fated mate. We made that lie because I knew Shannon wasn’t Alpha Will’s biological daughter. I respected our long-standing engagement. It would have been strange to replace my fiancée just because the biological daughter showed up."

"But everything changed once I felt the connection between my inner wolf and Clarissa. I can’t let my fated mate lose the mate standing right in front of her. Besides, Clarissa and I truly love each other."

That day, I was completely devastated. I lost my direction. I lost my purpose. Even though my eyes had been healed, they felt meaningless.

Clarissa was my reason for living. I had to be with her.

But after thinking it over, I realized the thing I wanted most was to see Clarissa happy. That was why I chose to disappear.

At the same time, I entrusted everything related to Shifter’s Aide and FrostAe to Adrian, who would become Clarissa’s official mate.

...

When I finished telling him everything, I turned to Larry.

His face was red with fury, then he snapped, "You idiot!"

...