Leighton

46. A Disastrous Return

Estelle

I woke up lying in a hospital bed surrounded by concerned faces. For a moment I didn’t recall how I ended up there and then the memories came flooding back.

Reaching up to my neck I couldn’t feel the ugly mark that had marred my skin.

“Oh goddess. He did it.” I breathed out.

The pains that I remembered feeling were all gone. In fact I hadn’t felt this good for ages.

I jumped from the bed, clearly to everyone’s shock.

“Why are you staring at me like I’ve grown an extra head.” I asked.

They looked uncomfortably between each other before finally Iris spoke.

“Are you sure you feel okay?”

“Yes. Why ?”

“What do you remembered?”

“I was in the garden.” I purposely left out my conversation with Piper.” Then I felt the tightness in my chest getting worse, to the point it hurt. Then my chest felt like it was going to explode. “ I couldn’t quite remember where else felt sore because I gave up trying not to pass out because I couldn’t take the pain anymore”

My hand moved to my leg, it must have hurt there and my muscles remembered even if my brain was blocking it out.

“What did I miss?” I asked when they looked worried.

“We haven’t heard from Leighton…”

“He is fine.” I told them confidently. I would feel if he wasn’t.

“Do you feel him.”

I couldn’t but we weren’t marked so I didn’t expect to be able to. But they way they were all watching my for reaction made me think there was more to this.

“Raine. What’s going on?” I reached out to my wolf.

“I don’t know. I’ve not quite recovered yet. Let me rest.”

“What happened to me?” I fought to keep my voice strong, I couldn’t afford to show any weakness even if I felt some right now.

“Leighton…”

“We don’t know sweetheart.” Greer interrupted. “We need to wait for Leighton to return and find out what happened at the Abaddon.”

Iris pursed her lips but kept quiet. There was more she wanted to say. I made a mental note to speak with her alone. I had a feeling she wasn’t the secret keeping type.

“You have more guests arriving your highness.” Seamus reached out through the pack link.

“Looks like Oliver is here.” I told Iris, watching as her face lit up.

Heading out to meet them, Iris rushed forward, launching herself into the arms of a very angry looking Oliver. To my surprise he caught her mid air and their lips crashed together. Without even acknowledging anyone else he carried her off.

Ashton had left the plane behind him.

“Where is she ?” He asked me. Clearly protocol wasn’t happening today. I found I didn’t mind so much but I could imagine my father’s face if he had been here.

“Care to explain what’s going on?” His voice boomed across the yard.

Ashton shrank a little under my father’s royal presence. “I’m here to see my mate.”

My father turned to me.

“Ashton, this is my father King Louis.”

“Father this is Ashton, Leighton’s brother and the alpha of Emerald Lake .”

“Good… morning your majesty. Apologies for early arrival. I believe my mate is here..”

His voice trailed of as Felicity came running in his view.

“Excuse me.” He walked past us to meet her. “What the f*** did you think you were playing at ?” He stopped in front of her.

“He’s like my brother too Ash. He needed us. I wanted to help him and you would have made me stay. This is big, we can’t let him to this alone.”

I watched as he pulled her close, taking a deep breath of her hair. With my wolf hearing I could hear him mutter.

“I’d never let him go alone I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

“None of us are safe if we don’t help him. Don’t ask me how I know, I need you to trust me.”

“I trust you baby.” He signed into he hair, holding her close. “Where is my brother?” He turned to look at me.

I found myself unable to answer. What if I was wrong as he wasn’t okay and on his way home to me.

Surprisingly my father stepped forward. “Leighton went to Abaddon yesterday to challenge Prince Alonso. As you can see he appears to have been successful.”

“Appears, you mean you don’t know?” Ashton looked concerned again. Glancing at me for confirmation.

“There is no direct communication between here and Adbadon. By the time he is communicable he will be landing.” Again my father answered.

“So we just wait?”

“Seamus, please can you escort Estelle’s guests inside. She and I need to have a conversation.”

To the others it may have seemed a simple request but I knew that tone and from the look of pity Seamus sent me he knew I was in trouble too.

To give him his due he waited until we were alone. “Let’s take this to my office.”

I followed him silently to his office, his calmness a sign that he was beyond pissed at me. Once inside he stood behind his desk looking at the wall.

“Care to explain why we have a valued member of this pack in the dungeon?”

“Father …”

“This better be good Estelle. You owe..”

“I owe what father. What is it that Ara has over you that merits her treatment to be any different to that of any other witch ?”

He turned to face me. I couldn’t read anything in his face. He remained impassive. I knew he wasn’t going to tell me anything. Whatever their special secret was he wasn’t going to tell me.

It was times like this that made me question why I was here. I had never had any relationship with him. Despite never feeling so before, I was suddenly jealous of whatever relationship they had. Jealous he he seemed to care.

“She gave a sleeping draught to Alpha Jackson and spent the night. His mate found her in his bed. I’m not sure you know but there is a story there..”

“Was anyone harmed?”

“Well maybe not physically but …”

His cheek ticked and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Don’t be obtuse Estelle”

“No.”

“See to it she is released immediately. You will need her. If you intend to rule Estelle you need to stop letting your emotions get in the way. I won’t aways be here to fix things.”

“There might not have been anything to fix if anyone had bothered to tell me what was going on. Hell father I’ve spend my life in the dark, about everything.”

“Because that was best for you. You were too reckless to be trusted with the truth. Goddess only knows what you would have before now. I thought you had grown up enough to deal with this but once again you prove me wrong.”

I bit back at how unfair his statement was. I maybe hadn’t been the model princess but I certainly had tried and certainly never disgraced them. I was starting to realise that I was never going to be able to please him. Just when I thought he was showing me he actually cared about me, here we were back to me being a perpetual disappointment.

“You can’t let Ara out while the others are here if you want them to help.”

“They are Leighton’s friends too are they not, surely they can put their feeling aside to help a future King.”

“I’m not quite sure you understand.”

“I understand fine.” He bellowed, pausing before muttering. “These half breeds are so short sighted.”

“Half breeds?” I questioned.

“None of your new friends are purebred silver wolves. Even the royal wolf is so diluted her royal presence is barely there.”

He hadn’t so much as glanced at Greer down in the yard, I didn’t think he had noticed her.

“I’m still the King Estelle, don’t be fooled into thinking anything happens here which I am not aware of.”

“Why are you accepting of Leighton, he isn’t a royal.”

“I haven’t accepted Leighton, but we needed him to remove that mark from your neck.”

When I looked confused he continued.

“When I found out what they wanted you for, war was inevitable. However despite how much the Prince wanted you it wouldn’t be enough to rebel against his father. I wasn’t about to let my only heir be sacrificed. Maybe if he had been your mate he would have protected you, but you met Leighton, so with him around that wasn’t about to happen.”

“So you just used him ?”

“No I helped him move down the path he chose. If he had failed I would have ensured the Prince’s mate met the same fate, and we might have avoided war.”

“But he didn’t fail.”

“Enough,” He turned back to the wall. “Just get Ara out of the dungeon. I need to prepare for an attack. You are dismissed. Don’t let me down again.”

Meanwhile …

Leighton

The closer I got to Estelle’s home the larger the knot in my chest grew. Peter remained quiet and Rhiannon knew better than to even look at me.

I didn’t know how long it would take for the mark on Estelle’s neck to fade. I hoped it was instant, I wanted to mark her myself, straight away. I cast a sly glance at the shelf sat at the opposite end of the plane. Would it be wrong to ignore her and what happened completely?

Did I really have to tell the Princess? I half wondered if it was worth striking up conversation to establish if she would just hand over the medallion and quietly leave.

“No.” Peter said. From nowhere.

“No?”

“Whatever you are thinking, i don’t know what’s going but I can’t lie to the Princess, the King made me take an oath before I left. Needless to say after Izzy he trusts no- one.”

“What if there isn’t really anything to tell.”

Titan growled in my head at my lies.

“If there wasn’t you wouldn’t keep looking at her like you are going to throw up.”

I wasn’t that bad. Surely.

“Nothing is going on.”

“I believe you, but she was naked in your room, even if you weren’t. I’m not quite sure how you would explain that to the princess.”

I didn’t know what sort of oath he has taken. If the King was involved I imagined it would be a pretty powerful one.

I rubbed my temples, somehow I was going to have to explain why I brought this shewolf home and hope Estelle understood.

I didn’t converse with Peter again and soon I could feel the plane coming in to descend.

My phone started to ping with notifications, not wanting to read anything from Estelle I turned it off.

The wheels touched down and Peter leapt from his seat.

“Piper, she is is here.” He said excitingly. I didn’t think she would be too happy right now but I didn’t want to ruin the grin that attached across his face.

I let him exit the plan first, anything to delay having to look into the princess’s beautiful eyes.

The first thing that hit me was her scent as the door opened. As clear as the night sky it soothed my soul as I took a deep breath. I had only made it to the bottom of the steps when I she rushed into my arms. All protocol forgotten.

I hugged her tight as the sparks zapped through my body. For a moment I choose to forget everything and just claim her lips. Losing myself in the taste of her until I could taste the salty sting of her tears.

Pulling her to my chest I could feel my heart thudding in my chest as she buried her face.

“Please don’t cry sweetheart, I’m back.” I spoke softly to her hair.

“I’m not.” She whispered into my chest, composing herself once more. “I’m just so glad you are back.”

Her eyes look up at me, shining with love and adoration. I committed those eyes to my memory, because I wondered if she would ever look at me like this again.

“Please make me yours, before anything else goes wrong. I love you so much.”

I looked her neck, the evidence of her previous mark obliterated completely. I licked my lips automatically and I could feel Titan fight me for control. He wants to mark his mate. Again that selfish thought crossed my mind that I really could make her mine first, making sure I couldn’t lose her completely.

I couldn’t bring myself to do that to her. I swore to always be true to her to I needed to uphold that promise, despite the consequences. Titan resisted but I knew deep down he agreed, even if he didn’t want to.

As though she picked up on my mood change she pulled away slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

Before I could answer Rhiannon chose that moment to exit the plan, Estelle catching sight of her over my shoulder.

I saw Pipers gaze move on our direction. She had her hands up in front of her as she blocked Peter from approaching her.

“What the f*** is she doing here ?”

“Piper.” I almost pleaded but she was so upset she didn’t register me. “She has something we need.”

“Please, don’t tell me you believe her. You nearly died Leighton.”

I needed her to stop speaking before I had a chance to explain to Estelle.

“Piper please, I can explain.”

The hurt look on her face stopped me from reaching out. She shook her head.

“I’m done Leighton, if you get rejected this time someone else can save your a**.”

“What is she talking about Leighton.” Estelle trembled slightly in my arms, before pulling away to study Rhiannon.