The Amorous Mate

Chapter 35: Royal Hunters

Chelsea grunted as she held her severely painful head. She whimpered as she felt a stinging wound on her feet, which she does not know where she have got. She slowly opened her eyes to find out where she was, currently.

“Where am I?” she asked herself. The moment that she opened her eyes, the first things she saw was a man. At first, he looked unfamiliar, yet, seconds after, she realized he was someone she already met. She only could not remember where it was.

“Oh, you are awake, your highness,” said the man.

She shook her head to get away from the dizziness she felt, and then she asked the man, “where am I, sir?”

Her painful head was saying something—as if it was telling she must remember something too important to be forgotten. However, she could not recall what it was.

“Can you not, remember, Princess?” asked the man.

“Remember what? s**t, my head’s f*****g aching,” Chelsea replied.

“Wow, your highness, that was bold words there,” said the man, and then he chuckled. “But what a pity, for you cannot remember what has happened.”

“I’m sorry, can you help me orient what happened earlier? I’m totally lost right now. Also, where am I? This was not my room, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, this was not your room,” said the man. “But this is your cage.”

Hearing the man’s answer, Chelsea felt something different. A chill in her spine. “What do you mean cage?”

The man shrugged femininely. “A cage for someone who deserves to be caged. A place to imprison you until Miss Kress do whatever she wanted to do with you.”

In a quick, piercing splash in her mind, the events that happened earlier came back to her. She remembered what was the reason she was in an unfamiliar place.

Sorcery. Miss Kress. Betrayal. Wolf. Abduction.

These were the words that helped Chelsea remembered the events that happened earlier. Now that she remembered everything, she could not help herself but feel not just a chill on her spine, but a frightened shaking of her body.

With a terrified eyes, she looked at the man. “H-Help me, please. I’m afraid Miss Kress will do something to me.”

The man straightly looked at her. At first, her made a suppressed chuckling. Then, slowly, his laughing started to become louder, little by little. “Are you perhaps humoring me, your highness?”

“I am not. And even though you were working at your Miss Kress, and you were the one who put me to sleep earlier, I can forgive you. Just . . . just help me out of here,” Chelsea desperately said.

Hearing her desperations, the man once again laughed, with him femininely covering his mouth. “You are funny!” he said, “do you really think I would help you in exchange of betraying young lady Kress? Stupid!”

Chelsea hissed as she endured the mocking laugh of the man. She was about to run towards him and give him a heavy punch when she noticed that chains and locks where covering her body. On her arms, her feet, and her chest, chains wrapped her as she sat on a metal chair. It was perhaps good thing that she can still move her hands, for two separate locks and chains restricted her, but it was worthless for she could not do anything to get out of the binding metals.

Realizing that the princess was attempting to escape, he raised his eyebrow with a smirk painting his red-stained lips. “Sorry honey,” he said, then raised a group of keys clanking with each other. “I’ve got the keys, and no matter what you did right there, it has no effect. Not unless if you’re a big bad wolf.” To mock the princess more, the feminine man imitated the sound of a howling wolf. Then, he laughed.

Chelsea was wasting her energy, forcing the chains out from her. “Get me out of here!” she shouted.

“Ohh, scary,” the man said, holding his chest, acting as if she was indeed scared. “Honey, before you can bite, Miss Kress unfortunately told me that you have to sleep again, for she has to do something first,” the man pouted with a well-pretend sadness. “Do not worry however, once she finished whatever she was doing . . . she will deal with you.” He laughed.

“Get me out of here, now!” Chelsea again attempted to scare the man, but still, he kept on laughing.

He again grabbed a white kerchief from his coat. As he laughed, he went near the Princess, and covered her mouth with the cloth.

“Ahh! Heavens!” the man screamed.

As Chelsea took the opportunity, she bit the man’s hand while he was attempting to cover the cloth on her mouth. She managed to cause him a wound, but unfortunate it was, for she was able to inhale the chemical in the cloth. Slowly, she felt dizzy. Her eyelids started to become heavier every second that passed. Until . . . she fell asleep once again.

*********

“But what must be the reason why a wolf would abduct the princess? That has been baffling me.” From sitting at Lord Matthew’s table, Beatrix asked, wondering.

“Perhaps it was because Miss Kress knew she was related to us,” the Gamma Gio concluded, answering Beatrix’s question.

“I doubt that,” Jullian disagreed.

From sitting at his chair, Lord Matthew glanced at Jullian. Playing with his fingers, he asked, “why did you say so, Jullian?”

His Beta Jullian also looked back at him. “We were known as one of the strongest pack in the Kingdom. Even outside of the Nightingale Kingdom, the Silver Feather pack’s name was dominantly powerful, all because they knew that Lord Matthew was our Alpha. That is why, even the foolest pack would not think of having any quarrel or do anything against us, for they knew they will only lose. What more of a mere group of unorganized rogues?” he explained.

The people inside the Alpha’s room all turned quite. They assessed Jullian’s explains, and they think the Beta has the point.

“Then why?” Beatrix again asked, wondering about the reason of Princess Demeter’s abduction.

Another silence billowed the surrounding, for they were all busy thinking of the possible reason of Miss Kress’ abducting of the princess. That minute-lasting silence was broken when from the door, series of knocks came.

From it, Gwyneth came and barged the room.

Lord Matthew stood. “Aunt, did you find anything?” he nervously asked.

Aunt Gwyneth grimly nodded. She was holding a huge paper sheet, and without any second thoughts, she placed the paper on Lord Matthew’s table.

“The tracker found the place where the rogues were hiding. But this would be hard, Matthew,” said Aunt Gwyneth. “Their hideout was a hard to access place, which means it would take us time to enter, and at the same time, would also take us time to get out alive.”

“At the Black Valley, you say, honey?” Gio asked to her wife Gwyneth.

“Indeed,” Gwyneth answered.

“As far as I remember, the Black Valley is known to that name, all because living entities could not survive from the place for a long time. Aside from the scarcity of food, the place has less air to breath, and it was always covered with darkness,” Beatrix said.

“Why would they want to set their hideout on that place, if it was risky for them? Were they fools?” Jullian asked.

“But it was a perfect place for a hideout, I must say,” Lord Matthew, the Alpha, said. “If one would try finding their place, then perhaps it is one less suspicious zone, for one would believe that living in the zone was impossible—all because of the fact that Black Valley was uninhabitable. How they were able to live in that place, I am uncertain. Now, if by any chance someone would discover their place, the rogues would still not feel frightened because they knew their place was hard to access, and if perhaps we’re but just a simple pack, or a simple group of wolves, we would hesitate entering the area to save the princess.”

“But we’re not just a just,” said Beatrix, smirking.

“Indeed.” Lord Matthew nodded. “No matter what happens, wherever that place would be, we will still go and save the princess.”

He looked at Gio and Gwyneth. “Aunt, Uncle, where the warriors prepared?”

“They were just waiting for your instruction, Alpha. They were already outside, ready for action,” Gio answered.

“Then let us go. We need to save the princess soon as we can.”

“One thing, Alpha, before we go,” Gwyneth stopped the Alpha who was about to get out of the room.

“What was it, Aunt?” Lord Matthew asked.

“I am certain that you too know that the palace would also act from this scandal.”

Lord Matthew nodded. “I am aware.”

“And you too know that the Royal Soldiers would also be able to track that savage rogues. That means . . . the specialized group of soldiers, the human Werewolf Hunters would also wear its shoes.”

“I know. And I understand, Aunt that their strength should not be underestimated, for their strength was more than how we are expecting it. You have already told me of that thing already, aunt. For a lot of time,” Lord Matthew answered.

“I was hoping that we let the palace solve the problem on their own, but, since I know that each of us here knew how important the Princess was, or of the woman inside her body, then I would only but needing one favor from all of you,” Gwyneth said.

None of them answered, for they were waiting for the Gamma’s she-wolf to spill her favor.

She heaved a deep sigh, “Let us just save the princess quick as we can, before the palace arrives. In that way, we will be able to avoid their presences.”

*****

At the palace, Queen Cordelia was walking back and forth at the throne room. She was biting her finger nail as her worried stares were in void.

“Mama, I ask you to stop tiring yourself. You must sit down and calm your worries,” from down the elevated place for the throne, First Princess Andromeda said, worried of her mama.

“But how could I, Andromeda. Your sister was gone missing. You know that we have lost our king and Prince Henry, and I could not take anymore pain from losing either anyone of you!” The Queen exclaimed, frustrated. Tears was formed on her eyes, and it rapidly rolled on her cheeks. She was worried over the fact that one of her daughter was missing and its life was at risk.

Suddenly, as the Queen continued its back-and-forth walking, the huge door of the room opened.

Loud and forceful thumping of metallic footsteps echoed at the Queen’s ears. From the door, a group of fully-geared, silver-armored soldiers entered the room. The man at the front, perhaps the leader, was the only who wore no helm, was leading the soldier’s march. Soon they stopped and bowed at the presence of the Queen.

“Thank heavens, you are here, General Cedric.” said the Queen.

The man in the front raised its head and smiled. He saluted to the queen and asked for his permission to speak.

“Your Majesty, we have already found the place where the abductors hid the princess,” said General Cedric.

“I-Is it true that the one who abducted my sister was a wolf?” from beside Princess Andromeda, Princess Cassiopeia asked.

“Indeed, your highness,” General Cedric politely answered.

Queen Cordelia exclaimed, “Almighty Lord of Heaven, please save my daughter!” Another batch of tears rolled on her cheeks.

“Do not worry, your highness,” General Cedric interrupted. “We have an intel that the Princess is safe, and the wolf—or group of wolves—was not doing anything bad at her, this very moment. And, our group was about to go to the place, and save the princess.”

“Very well, General Cedric. I am giving you permission to leave. No matter what happens, please, save my daughter.”

“We will, your majesty,” said General Cedric and then bowed once again.

“M-May I ask, General Cedric,” Princess Andromeda randomly interrupted. “Where was this place that my sister was hidden? I want to know.”

“It was at the Black Valley, your highness,” answered General Cedric.

“B-Black Valley?!” Princess Andromeda exclaimed, frightened. “Cedric, I think you must not—” she was still about to say something, but, when she saw the General’s meaningful stare, Andromeda could not do anything but zip her mouth. She swallowed the lump of fear and worry forming on her throat, and instead, she said, “may the God guide you through your mission. T-Take care, Royal Hunters.”

General Cedric bowed at the Princess. He turned at the Queen once again and made another bow. “We will now be leaving, your majesty. Do not fear and worry, for we will bring back the princess alive—just like what we did, fifteen years ago.”