Chapter 6 The Princess at the Border
983 Words
Ronan
Princess Seraphina Valen was not supposed to exist.
At least, not here.
Not in Blackmoor.
Not standing on the edge of a cliff with mud on her face, blood on her sleeve, and assassins at her back.
Ronan stared at her.
For a moment, the rest of the world disappeared.
The frightened assassins.
The bodies scattered through the trees.
The morning fog rolling through the mountains.
Gone.
Because the woman standing before him looked nothing like the princess described in royal rumors.
The kingdom painted her as a jewel.
A beautiful decoration.
A future queen raised in silk and luxury.
But the woman staring back at him wasn't broken.
Wasn't crying.
Wasn't waiting for rescue.
She stood with her shoulders squared and her chin lifted despite the danger surrounding her.
Like she was daring the world to knock her down.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Beside him, Ezra whistled softly.
"Well."
Ronan didn't look away from the princess.
"Don't."
"I haven't said anything."
"You were about to."
Ezra grinned.
That meant Ronan was right.
Caius stepped forward slowly.
The silver-eyed alpha studied Seraphina with unsettling intensity.
Then his gaze shifted toward the assassins.
Recognition flashed across his face.
His expression immediately darkened.
"Those aren't royal soldiers."
Ronan's attention snapped toward the men.
He saw it instantly.
The insignia hidden beneath one assassin's cloak.
A black wolf's skull stitched into dark fabric.
His blood ran cold.
Blood Hunters.
The realization hit like a punch.
That wasn't possible.
The Blood Hunters had been extinct for twenty years.
Or so everyone believed.
"Ronan."
Malek's deep voice rumbled from behind him.
The giant alpha rarely spoke.
When he did, people listened.
Ronan followed Malek's gaze.
The assassins were retreating.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Trying not to trigger a fight.
Smart.
Too bad it wouldn't matter.
The Blood Hunters didn't belong in Blackmoor.
And anyone hunting a princess through rogue territory was carrying trouble Ronan didn't want.
The lead assassin raised his hands.
"We don't have a quarrel with you."
A lie.
Everyone knew it.
Caius smiled.
A dangerous thing.
"Unfortunately for you," he said softly, "we have one with you."
The assassin moved.
Wrong choice.
The next few seconds happened fast.
Even by alpha standards.
Caius vanished.
One moment he stood beside Ronan.
The next he appeared directly in front of the assassin.
A blade flashed.
Blood sprayed.
The man hit the ground before he realized he'd been cut.
The remaining assassins broke immediately.
Running.
Fleeing.
Desperate.
Ezra laughed.
"That's adorable."
Then the rogues gave chase.
The forest swallowed them whole.
Screams followed.
Brief.
Violent.
Final.
Silence returned.
Ronan remained where he was.
Watching the princess.
Watching the woman who should have been miles away inside a palace.
She looked back.
Neither spoke.
The tension stretched.
Curious.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Then the blonde woman beside the princess stepped forward.
Protective.
Nervous.
Fear radiated from her.
Unlike the princess.
The princess looked cautious.
But not afraid.
That intrigued him more than it should.
"Are you going to kill us?"
The question came from the friend.
Ronan blinked.
Then laughed.
Once.
Short and surprised.
The princess didn't.
She simply watched him.
Studied him.
Evaluated him.
The same way he evaluated threats.
The realization made something in his chest tighten unexpectedly.
"We just saved you."
The friend didn't seem reassured.
Fair.
Most stories about Blackmoor ended badly.
Ronan understood that.
The kingdom had spent generations teaching its citizens to fear rogues.
Some days he couldn't even blame them.
Footsteps approached behind him.
Ezra returned first.
Then Caius.
Then Malek.
Blood stained their clothes.
No surprise there.
Ezra's grin appeared the moment he noticed the princess still standing.
"Oh."
Ronan already hated that tone.
"Oh what?" the princess asked.
Ezra looked directly at her.
Then at Ronan.
Then back to her.
His grin widened.
"Oh, this is going to be a problem."
Ronan sighed.
Caius pinched the bridge of his nose.
Malek growled.
The princess frowned.
Clearly confused.
Smart woman.
She should stay confused.
Because Ronan had noticed it too.
The second he stepped into the clearing.
The second he looked at her.
The second the wind carried her scent.
Ancient blood.
Royal blood.
Alpha blood.
Old blood.
The kind whispered about in forgotten stories.
The kind that hadn't appeared in generations.
The kind capable of changing everything.
The kind that would make every powerful pack in the continent interested in Princess Seraphina Valen.
And if the Blood Hunters were hunting her...
Then someone else already knew.
A cold feeling settled in Ronan's stomach.
Because that meant this wasn't just a princess fleeing the crown.
This was the beginning of something much worse.
The princess finally broke the silence.
"You're Ronan Blackthorne."
Not a question.
A statement.
He arched an eyebrow.
"You know who I am."
"Everyone knows who you are."
Ezra looked delighted.
"See? We're famous."
"No," Seraphina replied.
Her eyes never left Ronan's.
"You're feared."
Silence followed.
Then, unexpectedly—
Ronan smiled.
Not because she insulted him.
Because she told the truth.
And in his experience, truth was far rarer than kindness.
Especially where royalty was concerned.
The smile faded quickly.
His gaze shifted toward the distant mountains.
Toward Blackmoor.
Toward home.
Then back to the princess.
A decision formed.
One he already suspected he'd regret.
"You can't stay here."
The friend immediately nodded.
"We know."
"You can't go back to the kingdom either."
That wiped the relief from her face.
The princess remained silent.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Good.
She wasn't foolish.
Finally, Ronan looked directly at Seraphina.
"There is only one place Cedric won't immediately look for you."
The princess already knew the answer.
He saw it in her eyes.
Blackmoor.
The moment stretched.
Then Seraphina lifted her chin.
The same way a queen might.
"Then I suppose you're about to tell me whether I'm welcome there."
And for the first time in years...
Ronan Blackthorne didn't know what the right answer was.
- Writer
