Reclaim

Chapter 2

Althea's heart rate quickened and thudded hard in her chest. Her ears ringing as she felt an unbearable heat take over her body. Althea's eyes darted around her looking for her mate. The forest was still, it was as if even the birds stopped chirping she was so focused on hearing any sign of her mate. The warm breeze carrying her mate's scent was intoxicating as she sniffed at the air trying to pinpoint which direction it came from. Her ears perked up as she heard rustling to her left. She broke out into a sprint, her mate's scent getting stronger and she knew she was getting closer but could still not see him. Her wolf howled letting her mate know where she was as she continued to run and track his scent. Grace was excited to find her mate now that he was so close and howled again. Althea's heart thundered in anticipation.

Why does he not come to us, Grace wondered. Maybe he's running away from us, Althea lamented. He wouldn't do that, Grace growled defending their mate. Althea could feel Grace's hope and desperation increasing with every stride as she increased her pace pushing harder then she'd ever run before to reach her mate. They had run miles away from the palace and were approaching the Blood Moon pack territory. Grace tracked their mate's scent to the edge of a cliff and Grace howled again desperately. Her mate's scent was gone and she wondered if he had jumped the great height into the ocean below. The heat that had coursed through her body suddenly vanished like a bucket of ice water had been splashed onto her once she could no longer smell her mate. Let's go back home, Althea sighed, feeling Grace's reluctance she added, we can come back and look tomorrow it's getting late. Grace let out a soft whimper feeling the loss after being so close to their mate as she scanned the ocean below. On the long run back home, Althea could feel Grace's disappointment so she took a backseat and stayed quiet as she allowed Grace to spread her scent hoping to lure their mate to them.

Back at the palace, Althea went straight to her room and slumped onto her bed with an exasperated sigh. She was exhausted from the long run, hungry, in need of a bath, and emotionally drained. Not bothering to take care of her needs and ready herself for bed, she sank further into the bed and allowed sleep to overtake her. A deep, dreamless sleep that comes only from complete and utter exhaustion.

The next morning Althea awoke with a determination to find her mate. She would become Queen Luna this year as she had believed she would before her father abruptly ordered yesterday that she must first be mated. Her anger at her father's decision had subsided for now only because she knew for sure now that she has a mate. Althea bathed, dressed into her favorite pale blue dress, and went down into the kitchen for breakfast. As soon as she entered the kitchen she saw Kane, she felt a flash of anger rise up in her upon seeing him but she was famished. She strode past Kane pointedly ignoring him as she greeted the others in the palace kitchen with a warm smile on her face. Althea piled fruit, pancakes, and bacon onto her plate. As she inhaled her food, Kane loudly dropped down into the seat beside her despite sitting at an empty table. Annoyed Althea glared at Kane as he turned to her with a smirk on his face, "you'll make a ravishing figurehead on my arm when I'm King" he taunted as his gaze roamed her body settling on her breasts. Disgusted, Althea's eyes darkened and gritted her teeth, "I'll die first" she hissed. Not caring to finish her meal, she rose out of her seat and stormed out of the kitchen, she would not let Kane get to her today. She would find her mate and she'd start by going to the Blood Moon pack where she last tracked his scent at the edge of their territory.