September 9
Ares still refuses to sign a treaty. I had tried to persuade him otherwise, but he will not change his mind. With any other pack I would threaten to take away their privileges unless they complied, however I fear Ares will only become more violent. If this is his behavior when he is given everything he wants I can’t imagine what he would be capable of if we started taking those things away.
September 20
Ares has been quiet recently. He has not attempted to pillage any other packs nor has he come to the palace demanding more. Perhaps I’m now paranoid, but I do worry about his silence as his pack is still growing, constantly getting larger.
October 1
I now wish I had listened to my gut instinct about Ares. I had been right all along. He had been waiting patiently for his pack to grow. In that time he has also trained many of his men and women to become excellent fighters. Yesterday, in broad day light, he attacked the Renegades Pack. He and his men slaughtered over forty werewolves including pregnant women and children. There are only two survivors from the Renegades pack. A warrant has been released for Ares’ arrest.
October 20
Still no sign of Ares. He has not returned home since he raided the Renegades pack. My subjects are restless and concerned; they know he is capable of extreme violence with no cause or reason. My men are searching for him but it’s almost like he has disappeared.
March 17
Ares has returned from hiding. He arrived home last night. I sent out three of my guards the moment the sun rose this morning. None of them have returned and it has been several hours. I can only assume the worst.
March 20
I sent out seven more men this morning. None have returned. We are now dealing with a crisis in Egypt so my men will be unable to pursue this man until we return.
June 9
We have returned from Cairo and have heard nothing from the rogue pack. A report coming from a young shewolf who stumbled onto their lands claims that Ares has become less violent. No attacks were reported while we were away and the concern around the pack has lessened. I have now decided that I will send guards out to surrounding packs to capture Ares rather than send them directly into their territory. Now, we wait
August 2
Adeline is mated to Ares.
All the entries stopped after that and my lower lip began to tremble as I stared down at those words. Those little words that probably killed my dad more than I knew.
But now it was all the other words that were killing me.
I was mated to a monster, there was no denying it. I was mated to a man that had killed beloved lunas, nearly wiped out entire packs, and murdered the guards who protected me daily.
I cried until exhaustion took over and I could no longer bear to keep my eyes open. What was the point of staying awake anyway? Reality was far more bitter than I could handle.
The next morning I was awoken by someone softly moving around my bedroom. When I opened my eyes I saw my stylist floating through my room slowly. After a second she felt my eyes on her and turned to stare. I thought she would giggle and then tsk at my clothing before whirling me into a gown of her choice.
Instead, her eyes looked deeply saddened. She broke eye contact with me to go through my closet and returned with a pair of my old jeans and an old tee shirt. She carefully placed them on the vanity, looking down at my dirty riding boots.
“When I feel awful I do the things I love to remind me that there’s always a little bit of good left in the world. Someone downstairs told me you love riding more than anything so…” she whispered. With that she curtseyed deeply, rose, then left.
I wanted to ignore her words and stay in bed the whole day. I could barely fathom moving to pee, much less get up and be functional for a few hours, but the more I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling the more I thought about it.
I could picture Ryan in wolf form lunging at innocent people as they screamed. I could hear his voice as he shouted at my father, warning him of the awful things that were to come. And I could see the men who watched me closely when I played outside getting torn apart by his men when they went to arrest him.
After another hour, I couldn’t do it anymore. I dragged my aching body out of my bed and went to shower. Normally, a hot shower was all I needed to temporarily forget about my problems. I would lather myself in sweet smelling products and let the water loosen all my tight muscles, but the shower only made me feel worse. I shampooed and conditioned my hair in record time before jumping out of the water, drying off and pulling on my clean clothes.
I didn’t bother looking at myself in the mirror on the way out. I knew I looked terrible. What did it matter anyway? It’s not like I had to pretend everything was fine anymore. Everyone knew everything about my life now. So why not show them this heartbreak too?
I shamelessly walked through the palace, not even looking at the guards who milled through the hallways and I didn’t stop walking when my father called my name. I just went straight for the front door, yanked it open and walked outside.
My new target became the barn, but I paused mid-stride. My eyes moved towards the grass covering the underground cells that Ryan was now being held in. I desperately wanted to talk to him. I wanted to hold onto those bars, have him stroke my hair, and tell me that it was all a lie. And in my denial I would cry delighted tears and believe him because the world couldn’t be that cruel.
I forced myself towards the barns again. I would have to face Ryan eventually, but not yet. I had to face facts first. I had to absorb the information that had been thrust upon me like the soon-to-be queen I needed to be, and then, armed with all the knowledge I needed, I would confront him and listen to him while also searching for signs of lying and deceit instead of falling into any of the pretty lies he created for me.
Once I was inside the barn, I was surprised not see Poison poking his head over his stall door, whinnying in excitement. Confused, I went to the white board, found Poison’s name and saw that someone had moved him into a far back pasture, away from the other horses and away from the barn. Perhaps he had gotten a little stir crazy and started annoying the staff. That horse was too smart for his own good and had a habit of making his boredom everyone else’s problem.
I set off to find my horse without another thought. I wove through the other paddocks, occasionally stopping to give some of my horses little ear scratches or a quick kiss on the nose. They all sensed something was wrong but with each nicker and rub I began to feel a little stronger.
My stylist had been right, there was still a little bit of good in the world.
I drifted further and further away from the main barn until I made it to Poison’s pasture. He looked up when he smelt me, but he didn’t come over to greet me like I expected. Instead, he stayed away and his ear went flat against his head.
“What is it boy?” I asked.
Then I felt something thick and rough slip between my teeth. But before I could try to scream I smelt something sickly sweet and a moist cloth was pressed against my nose and mouth.
Then my eyes began to burn and water. Each breath I sucked into my lungs was tainted, making me more dizzy and faint. Tiredness washed over me instantly and I felt like I lost control of my muscles. My legs gave out, my body falling backwards onto a strong figure. I tried to swing my arms outward in a punch, but I was even certain that I moved at all.
After a few seconds I felt like I was drifting towards a deep sleep.
Chapter 42
I woke up this time to the sound of my name being screamed out. I groggily lifted my head, moaning as the movement caused an intense wave of nausea to hit me. I felt awful. Sore, confused, and so, so tired. All I wanted to do was lie down and hold my head in my hands. At least until this headache went away and I didn’t feel an intense need to vomit. So I bobbed my head forward and kept my eyes shut.
“Oh God, Adeline!” someone screamed.
I knew that voice. I knew that voice well. It w
as Ryan. I smiled to myself, still half asleep. Then, my brain began working again and I jerked my head up while I opened my eyes.
Horror ran through me instantly.
I tried to yank my arms down by my sides, but it wouldn’t work. My arms wouldn’t budge despite the throbbing sensation that raced through them. I attempted to grit my teeth in effort but I couldn’t, I only bit down on something thick, dry and coarse between my teeth.
My fingers felt mostly numb, but they curled, grasping at something rough and irregular in shape. Tree bark? My blurry eyes processed what they could from my surroundings, and with effort I could make out a leafy canopy and tall, narrow structure.
What on Earth was I doing here? And how long had I been here? I gave my head a small shake in an effort to reorganize myself, but it was no use. I yanked my arms again they didn’t budge an inch. I tried to scream, but the rope in my mouth prevented many sounds from leaving my mouth.
“Addy, oh thank god, I thought you were dead,” Ryan babbled, suddenly very close to me.
“What the hell happened to you? What are you doing all the way out here?” he demanded.
His eyes were wide with fright, his chest heaving as if he had been running for a long time.
He looked so different from the last time I had seen him. He still had the same dark hair, wild blue eyes, and intricate tattoo. Hell, he was even wearing the same clothes I had seen him in the prison, but he had lost weight. And I could no longer view him as a soft, kind man. I now knew him as a cold blooded killer.
I couldn’t help but flinch when his finger came towards my head, worried about what he might do. Ryan didn’t seem to notice, his slender fingers just went to work untying a knot on the back of my head. The second the rope was loose I spat it out, letting it fall to the forest floor. Immediately, I snaked my head around and snapped my teeth at Ryan’s fingers.
“Get away from me!” I screamed, “What the hell is this anyway? Kidnapping me then tying me to a fucking tree?”
“What are you talking about, Addy?” Ryan murmured, ignoring me to untie the thick rope that held my body firmly against a tree.
The instant that rope was discarded, I could feel blood rush into my arms, making them ache and tingle all at once but I didn’t care. The second I was able to move away from the tree I lunged towards Ryan and began swinging my fists at him, furious, confused, and deeply hurt. I wanted him to feel all the pain that my heart was holding, feel the devastation that I couldn’t contain any longer because he had done this to me.
Unfortunately, my brief lessons with my mother hadn’t taught me much because Ryan easily grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them above my head. He held them tightly against the tree while he stared at me, those blue eyes moving quickly, desperately trying to read my expression, or perhaps, my thoughts, but he was muddling my thoughts, turning them to complete and utter mush with only his proximity.
He leaned down, softly pressing his lips to mine, all I could think about was how good he tasted and how much I missed this. His lips were so gentle against mine and his tight hold on my wrists loosened more with every second. Not that I could move anyway. Not only was I completely immobile because of his kiss but his body was pressed against mine, keeping me pinned against the tree.
He pulled away too soon and I made a soft noise of disappointment before reality came surging back to me.
“I thought you were dead,” Ryan rasped out. “The guard was off duty, but I could hear them all yelling. You were gone and no one knew where you went. It seemed like you just vanished into thin air, and then, when I saw you tied to the tree like that, all limp, I thought… I thought I was already too late.”
He pressed his mouth to mine again, rough and quick. So desperate and so loving all at once.
“I don’t want you to kiss me,” I whispered, my voice weak.
“What?”
“I don’t want you to kiss me anymore, Ry…Ares,” I said, sounding stronger this time.
“Ares?”
“Yes, I know that your real name is Ares, and I know all the awful things you’ve done,”
“Addy–”
“Don’t call me by my first name anymore, either. You can only refer to me as Princess,” I announced, feeling my heart break. “I need to go back to the palace now. They’ll be concerned for my well-being,”
“What the hell are you even talking about?!” Ryan shouted, startling me. “Do you even realise what has happened to you? Do you? Do you even know where you are?”
At his words I looked around. The forest, though beautiful, looking nothing like the forest surrounding my home. I took a deep breath, trying to find distant smells of pack members or the palace but I was greeted with nothing but my own scent and Ryan’s. I just stared at Ryan in horror.
“What have you done?” I demanded.
“What have I done? I broke out of my fucking cell underground when I heard that you had been kidnapped and I’ve run for nearly two hours just to find you when all of your beloved guards were going in the wrong direction and you greet me by calling me Ares! What the hell is going on Addy? How the hell did you get out here?”
I looked up at Ryan, searching for any lies in his eyes, but found nothing except concern and worry.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“How about I tell you?” someone suggested.
Ryan and I both spun around to see Preston nearing slowly, a cocky grin on his lips.
Chapter 43
I merely stared at Preston in confusion. My head still spinning madly and all of this was just making it worse. I just wanted to be let go so I could amble back home and leave this disgusting mess of confusion and dizziness behind, but I couldn’t exactly do that and though I couldn’t really judge the situation too thoroughly, I could definitely see the fury and concern etched on Ryan’s face.
“What have you done?” Ryan hissed out.
Preston chuckled softly to himself, the same way he laughed when my dad said something that wasn’t truly all that funny.
“Adeline, you’ve always known that I’ve hated you,” Preston answered sweetly, “Unless you are too foolish to realize that as well.”
“Oh I know,” I spat out, my head still foggy.
“Where is the rest of the search party?” Ryan barked. Despite his strong voice, I could see a brief flash of fear in his eyes. He knew my parents or the guards would not be impressed to see that he had escaped from the prison and would certainly lock him up more intensely if they found out.
“Going in the other direction, getting further and further away from the princess by the second. The poor, ignorant king and queen didn’t even bother to find a scent trail when we left the palace, they just believed me wholeheartedly when I told them to go towards that silly cabin you two hid in. They think that Ryan’s beta dragged you away for something awful,”
“Tell me you didn’t involve Ivan in this!” Ryan snapped, the worry for his beta clear on his face.
“We didn’t have to. The king and queen believe everything I tell them,”
A brief pause came as someone neared from the surrounding forest.
When I saw who it was my heart soared. It wasn’t the guards who were going to lock Ryan away forever, nor was it one of Ryan’s pack members who terrified me. It was Lucas. Someone who was quite unbiased in the situation and would surely get me out of this mess.
I was about to call out to him excitedly, but Preston cut me off.
“Ah, Princess you seem to remember my son Lucas quite well. Rightfully so, I suppose, as he will be the future king,” he mused.
“What?” I snapped out, “He is your son?”
“You think tying Adeline to a tree is going to make her want to marry him instead of me?” Ryan growled out.
His blue eyes flashed with fury and I knew he was close to shifting, barely holding on to his human side.
“Oh, no Ares, it’s much more complex than that and I would never want my only son married to such a�
��girl,” Preston chided.
“Then what the fuck is this?” Ryan snarled.
Preston looked like he wasn’t going to say a word. His mouth was shut tightly and he took a very confident step towards Ryan. I watched in horror as his teeth slowly elongated and hair started sprouting out of more pores. I was frozen for a brief second, just watching this arrogant man shift as he neared myself and my mate, but when I heard his bones crack my silence was broken.
“Stop!” I commanded, mustering up my Royal Tone.
Preston didn’t even flinch, he continued forward, gradually turning into a beast despite my orders.
“I order you to halt at once!” I shrieked.
Preston shuddered, dropping to his knees and I thought I had won; my royal tone had come through, even if it was a little late. Unfortunately, I realized rather quickly that there was no reason for celebrating. Preston had not stopped pursuing me; instead his body was so far into the shift that it couldn’t support itself on two legs anymore. He was on the forest floor for less than a second before he had fully shifted into his wolf, a stocky grey creature with bloodlust in its eyes.
“Run!” Ryan shouted, grabbing my wrist.
Whatever I had inhaled was still taking its toll on me, despite Ryan essentially dragging me behind him as he ran. I tried to coordinate my legs as best as I could, but my attempts seemed pathetic. Every time my foot hit the ground my legs would tremble from weakness and I would nearly topple over. And, if by some godly means, I didn’t stumble from weakness my legs would then become uncoordinated and I felt and looked like a toddler just learning how to walk in the most dire time.
The Princess and the Alpha: A Shifter Romance Page 17
