Chapter 109: THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK

ASTON/ VIVIAN

"Vivian? What’s wrong, sweetheart?"

Aston’s voice was gentle.

Caelan, who stood nearby, stared at him as though he had just witnessed something unbelievable.

Was this the same man who had been mocking him moments ago?

Before Caelan could say anything, Aston’s expression suddenly changed.

His pupils contracted.

The hand holding the communicator tightened until the device creaked.

Then... BOOM!

A terrifying wave of spiritual energy exploded from his body.

"Your Majesty!"

Luigi’s expression changed drastically.

Aston’s eyes turned blood-red. His breathing grew ragged, and dark spiritual pollution surged around him like black smoke.

The next second, his clothes tore as his body transformed.

A gigantic white wolf appeared in the room.

His claws gouged deep marks into the floor, and his enormous tail lashed violently behind him.

ROOOOAR!The entire mansion trembled.

The guards outside immediately dropped to their knees.

"Your Majesty has gone berserk!"

"Call the royal doctor!"

"Shut up!"

Luigi rushed forward, grabbing the wolf’s thick fur before Aston could charge through the wall.

"Your Majesty! Calm down!"

The white wolf snarled at him.

His sharp fangs gleamed dangerously.

Luigi swallowed. He had served Aston for years. He had seen him injured, furious, and covered in blood.

But this?

This was different.

Aston was no longer reacting like a king.

He was reacting like a beast whose mate had suddenly disappeared.

"Your Majesty, where are you going?" Luigi shouted.

The wolf tried to shake him off.

"VIVIAN!"

The name emerged as a furious, distorted growl.

Luigi’s heart nearly stopped.

Oh, no.

He knew that voice.

He knew exactly who had called.

And he knew that if Aston couldn’t find Vivian, the entire forest might not survive his search.

"Your Majesty, listen to me!" Luigi tightened his grip. "We don’t know where she is!"

The wolf turned his blood-red eyes toward him.

For one terrifying moment, Luigi thought he was about to be torn apart.

Then Aston abruptly stopped struggling.

His ears twitched. His claws slowly retracted.

A moment later, his enormous body shrank, and the white fur disappeared beneath his skin.

Aston returned to his human form, breathing heavily.

His hair was disheveled, and his eyes remained bloodshot.

"Where is she?"

Luigi quickly retrieved a robe and threw it over his shoulders.

"We are trying to find her location."

Aston’s jaw tightened. "Starry Forest."

Luigi blinked.

"What?"

"The recruits are in Starry Forest." Aston’s voice was dangerously low. "They go there to hunt beasts and earn merit points."

He turned toward the door. "Prepare the Grav Ship."

"Immediately!"

Luigi rushed away to carry out the order.

Aston stood motionless for a moment.

His hands curled into fists.

He could still hear Vivian’s voice in his head.

That sweet, familiar voice.

The same voice that had made his heart settle after months of darkness.

Yet, somehow, hearing it now had filled him with an unbearable rage.

Not because she had called him.

But because she sounded weak. He could hear something in her voice that he couldn’t explain.

And because he wasn’t beside her.

What happened to you, Vivian?

His eyes darkened.

Who dared to hurt you?

He would find them.

And whoever had laid a finger on her would pay.

Every single one of them.

Caelan had barely recovered from the shock of Aston’s transformation when he rushed after Luigi.

"Where is Vivian?"

Neither Aston nor Luigi answered him.

Caelan’s expression darkened.

"I’m talking to you!"

Aston didn’t even glance at him.

He boarded the waiting Grav Ship, followed by Luigi and several royal guards.

The entrance began closing.

Caelan’s eyes widened.

"Wait!"

He sprinted forward, but the ship lifted off before he could reach it.

The powerful engines roared.

Within seconds, the Grav Ship disappeared into the sky. Leaving him behind.

Caelan stood frozen.

Then his face turned murderous.

"Good. Very good."

He immediately summoned his communicator.

"Prepare my Grav Ship."

His adjutant Ronan answered almost instantly.

"Commander?"

"Track Aston Fenrir’s Grav Ship. Find out where he’s going."

"Understood."

Caelan ended the call and stared into the distance.

Aston thought he could ignore him?

Fine. He would follow them.

He didn’t care what that bastard intended to do.

He was going to find Vivian.

And this time, no one would stop him from seeing her.

The Grav Ship landed near the entrance to Starry Forest.

Before the engines had completely shut down, Aston was already on his feet.

"Your Majesty, wait for the guards!" Luigi called.

Aston didn’t listen. His body transformed in midair.

The enormous white wolf landed on the ground with a thunderous impact.

Then he charged into the forest.

Branches snapped beneath his paws.

Smaller beasts fled at the sight of him, while those unfortunate enough to block his path were sent flying.

One beast barely had time to turn around before Aston kicked it into a tree.

Another leaped from the bushes.

Aston struck it aside without slowing down.

He didn’t care what stood in his way.

He had only one objective.

Find Vivian.

He had spent too much time with her not to recognize her scent.

It had become engraved in his mind.

In his instincts. In his heart.

Even if the entire forest were covered in the scent of blood, he would find her.

Because she was Vivian. His Vivian.

The female who had unknowingly dragged him back from the edge of madness.

The female who could make him smile with a single sentence.

The female who had looked at him as though he were nothing more than an ordinary wolf instead of the Alpha King.

His paws struck the ground faster.

Suddenly, he caught another scent.

Blood. A beast’s blood. A human’s blood.

Aston turned his head.

Nearby, a young male was fighting a massive beast with a sword.

Serial.

The recruit was struggling so badly that he nearly tripped over his own feet.

The beast swung its claws.

Serial barely dodged, stumbling backward before slashing at its leg.

Aston stopped for half a second.

Then he smirked.

Pathetic.

He could tell Serial was deliberately holding back.

The recruit’s movements were too controlled whenever he thought no one was watching. His weakness was an act.

An assassin hiding among academy recruits. Interesting!

But Aston had no time to watch his weak show.

He turned away and continued running.

Serial, who had sensed the terrifying presence passing nearby, glanced over his shoulder.

His eyes widened when he recognized the enormous white wolf.

What the hell is that monster doing here?

Before he could think further, the beast in front of him roared.

Serial immediately turned back to the fight. "Damn it! Can you at least let me breathe?"

The wolf had already disappeared into the forest.

Aston ran deeper. The trees grew thicker, and the sunlight barely penetrated the canopy.

The smell of damp earth mixed with blood and the unpleasant stench of Orcs.

His ears twitched.

There! Beneath the overpowering scents, he caught something familiar.

A delicate fragrance.

The scent that lingered on his clothes whenever Vivian stood too close to him.

The scent he had secretly memorized during all those days he spent pretending to be her harmless little Husky Mimi.

His heart pounded.

He followed it toward a narrow cave hidden between enormous rocks.

Several Orcs stood outside.

One held a weapon while another dragged something toward the entrance. They had carried Vivian as they saw she was powerless.

Aston’s eyes turned crimson.

The next instant, the white wolf lunged.

The first Orc barely managed to turn before a powerful paw sent him crashing into the rocks.

The second raised his weapon.

Aston tore it from his hands and flung him aside.

The remaining Orcs roared and charged together.

They didn’t stand a chance.

Aston moved with terrifying speed, his claws flashing through the dim light.

Within moments, every Orc lay scattered across the ground.

He didn’t bother checking whether they were alive.

His attention was already fixed on the cave.

Vivian. He rushed inside.

The cave was dim, illuminated by a few glowing crystals embedded in the walls.

And there she was. Vivian lay against the cold stone, her face pale, her breathing shallow.

Several Orcs had been standing around her before he arrived.

Now, she was alone. For the first time since entering the forest, Aston hesitated.

The rage inside him faltered.

He had seen battlefields soaked in blood. He had watched soldiers die without blinking.

But seeing Vivian lying helplessly on the ground made something inside his chest twist painfully.

He approached her slowly.

Vivian!

He wanted to call her name. He wanted to pick her up and carry her away.

He wanted to ask who had hurt her and why she had been alone.

Instead, he forced himself to remain calm.

His body shifted back into human form.

He crouched beside her. His face was exposed.

No mask. No disguise. Just Aston Fenrir.

The Alpha King.

The man who had spent so long hiding his identity from her.

He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"Vivian?"

She didn’t respond..His heart tightened.

He leaned closer. "Vivian, wake up."

Her eyelashes trembled..Slowly, her eyes opened.

For a moment, she seemed unable to focus.

Then her gaze settled on the handsome male kneeling beside her.

She stared at him blankly.

Her lips parted. "Aston?"

His entire body stiffened.

Vivian slowly raised her trembling hand.

Her fingers touched his cheek. It was Warm and Real.

She traced the outline of his face as though she needed to confirm that he was actually there.

Then she whispered, her voice weak and confused.

"Aston... are you here to kill me?"

The world stopped. Aston stared at her.

His blood ran cold. Only then did he remember. He had no mask on.

Vivian was looking directly at his face.

The face of the man she had known as Lucien.

The face of the Alpha King she had never expected to see beside her. And never dreamed he would.come.to Ignora.

His lips trembled. "I... I... I..."

For the first time in his life, Aston Fenrir....the man who could make an entire empire tremble with a single command...couldn’t find a single word to say.