Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 5 - War is brewing!

Luke

Arora needed to pick someone that her father wanted for her. She would have a good life. She just had to see it that way. I didn’t have to reject her. Once she picked a mate, it would all be over. Our bond would be gone the moment she was marked by someone else. It was the only option I could see for both of us. I had to convince Arora to pick someone.

Arora

My ladies left my room after helping me change. I stood in front of the window and looked out at the gardens. The lights were so pretty. I wished I could go out there and just walk until I found the answers! I wished I could run in the forest like normal wolves. I sighed as my thoughts turned to Luke. He has been my friend.

I couldn’t break his heart by rejecting him. If my father found out … My head was starting to ache. I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over my head. Maybe if I hid under them … I sighed as Luke’s face came to mind. NOOOO! I threw my pillow off the bed. It knocked the vase from my desk. The sound of the shattering vase in my quiet room was almost overwhelming.

I couldn’t think about my father’s best friend the way I was! He was old! He was a friend! What on earth was the moon goddess thinking?! I breathed in deeply. I wasn’t going to clean up the vase. The ladies could do it when they came in. I eventually fell asleep just as the sun started to shine through my windows. My dream had come true. At the same time, it had been completely shattered. I was woken an hour later by my father bursting into my room.

“Arora, now that you are of age, I expect you to choose someone as your mate. I need to start training the future king. You can’t keep saying no to everyone!” I sighed and sat up.

“Father, I can’t accept someone just so you can find a new king.” The sting of his slap surprised me. My father had never gotten violent with me before. I blinked. My hand slowly moved to rub my cheek. My ladies came in and my father glared at me one more time before leaving. Tears stung the back of my eyes and I blinked them away.

Ordering one of the ladies to get me some ice, I sat down in front of my dresser. They could do whatever the hell it was they did to me in the mornings! I could care less! The ice arrived quickly but my cheek had already healed by the time they showed up. One thing was clear. My father wasn’t going to let me get off as easily as I had been until now. When they finished getting me ready, I left my room and went straight to my father’s office.

I was going to tell my father that I wanted to lead our army in the war. I was going to tell him I would lead my kingdom myself. I wanted to rule! I didn’t need a damn mate …

“Arora!” I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn’t see Luke leaving my father’s office. I walked right into him! My hand rested on his chest. I could feel his heart race. I jumped away from him just as my father walked out and glared at us.

“Father, uhm …” I looked at Luke. I was fighting the urge to run into his arms.

“Arora. I have three alphas coming to meet you this morning and I expect you to choose one of them. Luke, we have to talk strategy. We have a meeting with the generals.” Luke nodded. They left me alone. Standing there gaping, I blinked at the empty passage. My heart felt as if it was being torn into pieces. I had dreamed of finding my mate. I dreamed of showing my father I could rule our kingdom. It seemed neither actually cared that I was totally capable of taking care of my damn people!

I was making my way to the living room when the alarm in the castle sounded. Guards started to run down the passages and I could feel the tension in the air! It hit me like a ton of bricks. We had been looking for people who wanted to attack our kingdom for weeks with raids. We couldn’t find them. Now they were coming for us. I ducked into one of the secret passages and made my way downstairs where my team was ready and waiting.

Jumping out of my dress, I quickly changed into my battle gear and grabbed my weapons. At least, if I died today, I wouldn’t have to mate some ridiculous male my father chose for me! He could then choose his heir and forget I ever existed!

As we reached the border, I could hear the fight. My dear father had been unable to find out anything about these damn attacks! He was so busy trying to find me a mate that he completely neglected the fact that there were people trying to kill us! I dug into the fight as soon as we saw the first attackers. When I caught a glimpse of Luke in the distance, my heart both jumped and sank to my damn shoes!

Bodies were strewn all over the place. The air was thick with the scent of blood. The sound of bones breaking echoed in my ears. If Luke was here, it meant so was my father. I wasn’t ready yet to tell him I was fighting with his army. I scanned the battle field and it seemed as if most of the enemies had been taken care of. I ducked behind one of the guards who knew who I was. I nodded in the direction of Luke and he nodded the moment he saw him.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter