Chapter 3
1160 Words
Raina's POV
“Hey, you can't fall asleep now,” I snapped, going around the bed to touch his arm.
He had already passed out. I closed my eyes briefly, telling myself to calm down. There was no time to freak out.
I turned back to Samantha, who had been staring at me with her mouth as wide as a saucer.
“What do we do now?” she asked, and I shrugged.
“Assemble the soldiers. "We have to protect what belongs to us,” I said, and by possession, I meant my whole pack—helpless and fragile—and I also meant my mate.
I walked out of the hut and moved toward the fences. No matter what, I wouldn't let them cross.
The wolves had come riding on horses, which was quite ironic. I stepped forward to address them.
“Good day, gentlemen. "To what do I owe this pleasant visit?” I asked. My eyes searched for who would come forward to speak.
A middle-aged man came forward. His beard hung low, woven with linings of gold and beads at the tip. His chest was bare, and his face was firm, unsmiling.
Almost intimidating, except that I wasn't.
“How dare you kidnap the king? "Do you know the crime you've committed?” he shouted. I could feel Samantha tense behind me.
We were nothing compared to the troops that had come looking for their king. We had just twenty soldiers.
And none of them were able to shift.
“You accuse us of a crime we know nothing about.” My voice was firm. It seemed to annoy the man more.
He walked closer to us, and two of the soldiers stepped forward to defend me.
“You think I can't tear you to pieces if I wanted to?” the man asked with a sneer.
“We aren't happy about this,” I said.
“Neither am I. Word was sent that the king is among you. "Let us search,” he said, and I clenched my hands into fists.
They couldn't search. They must not step into the fences. We would be too weak to protect our people if they did. My heart was slamming loudly against my chest, but I tried hard not to show how nervous I was.
I wanted to bite down hard on my lips, but instead, I sucked in a breath.
“We mean no harm, but we can't let you enter. "It is true that I found an injured man in the woods, but he's in critical condition and has not been able to identify himself.
The man frowned at me.
“Why are you talking to me, child? Who is the leader of this—” he waved his hand around, gesturing toward us.
“I am,” I said, and stepped forward. He looked taken aback for a moment and then burst out laughing.
I closed my eyes, unclenching and clenching my fists.
“Do we attack?” I heard Liam whisper. I turned to him immediately and gave him a look of disapproval.
“Do you want to get killed?” I said between gritted teeth, then turned back to the man, who was whispering something into the ear of another. A younger fellow this time. He had a golden bow and arrow around his neck, and his hair was pulled back in a tight knot.
He stepped forward then.
“My name is Cyrus, and I am the king's beta. "My men mean no harm unless you try to force us away,” he said, and I raised my chin.
“I can't let the whole troop join the fence. That would be endangering my pack.”
“I'll go alone then,” he said, and I could hear the older person hiss his name.
“It's fine, Lancelot,” he said, then turned back to me.
“If I confirm that the king is indeed injured, as you say, and is under treatment, we will leave with him. Peacefully.”
“He can't be moved. "He's in critical condition,” I said, more because I couldn't let him be taken away from me so easily, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I still didn't believe that he was the king they were looking for.
“I'll decide when I take a look,” he said, and I exhaled. I couldn't exactly stall them much longer without bringing their wrath upon the pack.
“Our men will stay here then. "Follow me,” I said, and turned away. I could see the hesitation in the warriors' faces, but I assured them it was the best for now.
There was a reason we never let strangers in, and this was it.
When we went in, the women had already hidden the children, and the men—a few of them—were seated outside, ready to defend against any form of danger.
“Your whole pack looks like a camp for refugees,” I could hear the beta say, but I chose to ignore him. I led him into the hut where my mate lay.
“King Xander,” I heard him call, and soon he had moved from behind me and was next to my mate.
Xander.
“This is the king? How can you not know?” There was a sharp edginess in his voice, and I furrowed my brows.
“We are a camp of refugees. "How could we?” I said slowly. He turned back to me, a little taken aback.
“I am sorry. "Not everyone has seen the king,” he said, but that wasn't my problem anymore.
This man who I'd mysteriously crashed into, who I'd found out with shock, was my mate.
Was it not only my mate but the king?
It didn't sit well with me. Not at all.
When the king came back to his senses, he would definitely reject me. I'd only dreamed of being mated to a wolf from a powerful pack.
That was the wildest of my dreams, not being fated to the king…
Just then, the beta turned to me.
“Is this a healing room? ""I guess he cannot be moved just yet,” he said, and I nodded.
He exhaled.
“Fine. I'll send the others away. But I'll stay till His Majesty is strong enough to leave.”
“Will the other members be willing to leave you alone with the king? They still think we are a threat.”
“They will, and if you are indeed a threat to His Majesty, I'm good enough to handle it,” he said, then pinned me with his gaze.
“Plus, I think I have found my mate,” he said, and I furrowed my brows, my breath caught in my throat.
He wasn’t by any chance speaking of me, right?
It couldn't possibly be.
- Writer
