The Escape of the Lycan Princess

I was standing under the old big tree, the symbol of our pack. The Full Moon festivities were over. One of the most beautiful ceremonies, The Vow of Love, was performed for nine couples under the old oak. And I was not among them again. That was the wish of the Moon Goddess. I turned my back on the now deserted oak and headed home when I heard a familiar voice of my younger sister „ Hey Ra...wait!“ „It`s Raul please...“ I said sullenly. She looked surprised at my tone. Then she glanced furtively at the oak and said seriously „Father sent me to find you. He wants to talk to you.“ „Now? It's well past midnight.“ „Now. He actually told me to wake you up if you fell asleep.“ I suddenly felt alarmed. Our pack is one of the largest in the region and at peace with the others but if the alpha calls in the middle of the night then something is definitely wrong. „Did he say anything else?“ „No but he'll obviously tell you.“ „That's right, thank you little sister.“ “I am almost eighteen years old.” she protested but her eyes smiled. “Of course you are” I laughed “Do you want to stand here and wait for me to come of age, or will you hurry to Dad's?” So I hurried. It didn't take me more than five minutes to get to the big log cabin where my father lives. He was sitting on the porch with glass of red wine in front of him. For a moment I felt less worried. Surely nothing can be so serious if he is siting and drinking wine on the porch. But when I saw his face, my level of anxiety rose again. I approached him just for a moment thinking about how to address him. He is my father, but also the alpha of our pack. "Alpha" I said. At this point, it seemed more appropriate. "Come and sit, we need to talk.” I did as I was told and waited. He took a sip of wine and was silent for a minute or two. Then he looked at me and said “I have a mission for you.” “Whatever you order” I said. My father just nodded. He seemed to expect just such an answer. That filled me with pride. We both knew I was the best warrior in the whole pack. In addition, I was the natural heir to the title of alpha of our pack. So who would be a better person than me for difficult tasks. I was already impatient to find out what kind of mission it was, and fortunately, my father immediately continued to talk. „You must escort the Lycan princess Patricia to her home on the White Rock. She will soon turn twenty-one, and she should be home by then. She has so far been held hostage in the Southern Kingdom as a pledge of peace. But according to the provisions of the peace agreement, she can return home on the day of her coming of age. It is, of course, the twenty-first birthday for the Lycans.“ „To escort the princess?“ I asked bluntly. „And to protect her.“ my father added. I began to feel anger build up inside me, but I spoke with respect „The protocol escort of the princess is a diplomatic matter. Our beta has better manners for such a mission.“ My answer was flawless but not honest. In the depths of my soul, I hated lycans because of their arrogance and sense of superiority. Being an escort to the Lycan princess seemed like a servant's job to me. My father looked at me as if he had read those hidden thoughts of mine. He sighed softly and continued to speak as if he hadn't even heard my answer. „I have information that she probably doesn't want to come back“. Oh better than better, I thought. This time I couldn't get a slight irritation out of my voice. „So what should I do? Should I drag her by the hair to the White Rock?“ „You will receive a letter from her father to hand over to her. That should help.“ said my father, completely ignoring my frustration. "I also have information that someone might try to prevent her from returning. That's why I need a capable warrior.“ „I understand“ „At last“ my father nodded with relief. Well, this mission was certainly not the fulfillment of all my dreams, but at least it didn't look like a job for a servant. So I just asked "When should I leave?" "Immediately. Just a few more instructions. You must get to the White Rock before the next full moon. Avoid roads, better go through the woods. I will give you the locations of a few friendly reliable packs where you can rest, avoid all the others.“ He handed me a sealed letter and said „If that girl does not return home alive or if she stays in the Southern Kingdom, King Elrond will have no heir. The whole territory will belong to the Southern Kingdom, which means the territory of our pack as well.“ „I will do everything in my power father“. „Raul, you have to protect her with your own life.“ „I will.“ ..... As I hurried toward the pack house I felt my wolf Rufus sigh in my mind. „I wonder why she doesn't want to come back.“ „What?“ I asked briefly. I wasn't in the mood to talk about Rufus' doubts, but I was sure from experience that he would talk about them, whether I wanted to or not. “Doesn't it seem to you that Alpha got over her possible refusal to return too quickly? “Well I got the letter for her.” I said in a slightly defensive tone. “Oh sorry that will definitely solve the problem.” “I hate it when you're ironic. After all, I have a goal in front of me that I need to achieve and that is all I need to think about.” “And I hate it when you're stupid!” he snapped at me. “What if the letter doesn't help? What if she found a mate there? Or she just likes being there rather than in her father’s kingdom. She has been there since she was eleven. Maybe she likes those people.” “We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.” “Oh great …. the best plan is not to have a plan at all, right?” “And what else can I do?” Rufus didn't answer me. He was also silent as I prepared for the trip. Already completely ready to go, I couldn't bear not to ask him "Why did you stop talking?" "Because maybe you're right. We've been given a task and we have to complete it, everything else is irrelevant." "Finally a little common sense." "Ah, I was talking about duty, not common sense. If it was reason, King Elrond would send his own messenger with a letter or his best Lycan warrior to bring back the princess. Instead, the king is asking for a warrior from a pack of werewolves to be sent." "There must be a reason." "Sure. I'm just wondering which one."