Chapter 3: Chapter 3
Her eyes widen with shock. The petrified look on her face is all the answer Isaac needs. He sighs and looks up at the ceiling.
"Of course she'd be the princess, wouldn't she?" He directs to the Moon Goddess who he can only assume is chuckling to herself with appeasement. Amelia swallows hard, staring up at him, terrified of what he'll do with this knowledge.
She knew of Alpha Isaac Ward and his pack. How after his brother died, the previous alpha, he pulled out of the war. Amelia remembered how upset her father was when he learned the news. His yelling and anger, throwing objects, breaking items. She had never seen him so angry.
She doesn't know much about him. It was his brother who had made the alliance with her father, and he assumed Isaac would continue that. He did not expect him to pull out completely.
Isaac looks back down at her and his wolf whines at the frightening look in her eyes. He smiles reassuringly, brushing her hair back.
"It's okay, Princess," he says. "You're safe here." There's a hesitation in her eyes as she searches his face. Her instincts tell her to trust this man, her mate, but her mind is screaming at her not to.
"You're not going to turn me into the Veredans?" Isaac shakes his head.
"Most certainly not," he chuckles. "Princess or not, you're still my mate. I'd never put you into harm's way." Her cheeks flush, but relief washes over her.
"Thank you," she says softly and Isaac smiles at her, thumb smoothing over her cheek.
"Your secret is safe with me," he says gently. "But, I do have to ask who hurt you." A dark look crosses over her face. She knows she can trust him. She sighs, taking a deep breath.
"He was my lover. We were returning back to the kingdom when he… Betrayed me." Her eyes burn as her hand touches her stomach. Isaac's wolf growls with anger. How could anyone do such a thing? Betraying someone they said to love? Isaac couldn't fathom it.
"I can only assume he was working with the Veredans," her eyes fill with tears. "He was there after my family was killed and was there for me while I escaped." She shakes her head, wiping her cheeks.
"If I ever meet him," Isaac growls and Amelia stares at him with wide eyes. She had never seen someone filled with so much rage, not even her father when Isaac pulled out of the war. His hands were fisted on his lap, his brown eyes were so dark, nearly black and she realized his wolf was trying to surface. She places a hand on his.
"I know," she says softly. Isaac feels his wolf back down and he stares at her, shocked to not see her afraid.
"I'm sorry," he says, taking her hand with his. "I didn't mean to lose control there." She smiles reassuringly at him.
"You were angry," she says, his breath catching as her free hand comes up, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes. "I'd probably be upset if you hadn't been."
"Of course," he replies. "Someone nearly killed you, someone you trusted. That might make me a little… Murderous." Amelia can't help but smile.
"My father was quite upset with you, when you pulled out of the war," she says.
"I'm not surprised at all," he smiles sadly. "I stand by my decision, though. My pack isn't hurting anymore." Amelia feels a pang in her chest. She knew the war was stupid, a silly disagreement between proud men. She remembered when he did pull out of the war, how furious her father was. She had never seen him that angry.
"I'm so sorry," she apologizes, for what feels like the umpteenth time. "I was going back to the kingdom to take it back, because in the hands of the Veredans, everyone is hurting." Isaac nods. Trade routes were now only available to people in the alliance with the Veredans. The people who aligned themselves with the king were now paying for it, and dearly. Isaac's pack had become self sufficient, but it wasn't always so. The first couple years were horrific. Even he, the alpha, had lost copious amounts of weight due to starvation just so his pack could eat. Those times have passed now, but he still could hear the whispers of some of his members wondering if he was even worthy of being alpha.
"You are nothing like your father," Isaac says and Amelia smiles sadly.
"He was a proud man, an angry one too, but he was strong in his convictions, which I hope to be as well," Isaac takes her hand, squeezing it as their eyes meet.
"I'm sorry for the loss of your family," her eyes burn with tears. "I know how it feels, to lose the ones closest to you." She nods and can't help but wrap her arms around him, her face in his chest. He's surprised by the embrace, but welcomes it. There's a twang of discomfort from her wound, but she ignores it. The warmth she feels in his arms nulls the pain almost immediately.
"What do we do now?" She asks, pulling back to look up at him. He caresses her cheek, her skin soft under the callus of his thumb. Her eyes are filled with worry as she leans into his touch.
"You have to go back to the kingdom," he says and her eyes widen. "Without you, it will only get worse. And the throne belongs to you." Isaacs wolf hisses at him in anger. Don't send her away.
"But… You're my mate," she says, knowing he was right. "Do you plan on rejecting me?" She wasn't sure if she could even take that. She barely knew him, but was already so attached. His eyes widened in panic, his other hand quickly taking her other cheek. If it were anyone else, she would have pushed them away. But this man is her mate, someone who she can trust, she can feel it in her soul. He makes her feel comfortable and safe.
"No, absolutely not," he reassures sternly. "Princess or not, you're my mate for a reason."
"But I am the princess," her eyes burn with unshed tears. "And because I'm the princess, you'll be aligned with me. You pulled out of the war for a reason, and I would not ask you to join again."
"There has to be another way," he says, searching her brilliant eyes. "We'll find one." She nods and looks down at her hands as he kisses her forehead, the warmth of his touch seeping down into her core.
"You should probably rest," he says and she looks up at him. "You're going to need your strength to make the long journey back to the kingdom." A tawng of pain hits her heart and Isaac's wolf growls at him again, don't send her away!
"Yes," she whispers. "I probably should." Isaac assists her in getting back into bed, and assuring her comfort. He kneels down beside the cot, his fingers brushing her hair back as she stares at him with longing. His soothing touch brings a drowsiness to her body and she struggles to keep her eyes open. He smiles at her, watching her fight.
"It's okay," he says gently. "I'll be here when you wake up." That seems to be enough reassurance for her because after a few minutes, her breathing deepens, signifying her now being asleep. Isaac stays for a while, unable to pull himself away from her. Watching her sleep, her features relaxed and not in pain makes his heart burn with need. He sighs, his fingers brushing back her hair along the side of her head.
He had always imagined findinging his mate. She would be part of another pack and they would meet during a treaty signing. He never even imagined her being human, nearly past death's door, and being the princess. Their worlds had only collided due to the war and he had pulled out from that, hoping to never have to return to it again. But here she was. The heir to the throne, the princess. His mate.
His pack will be furious.
~*~
Whispers of the alpha finding his mate have spread through the pack like wildfire. The mysterious human girl was brought in bloody and nearly dead. Some empathize with their alpha, saying how they could never handle seeing their mate in such a state. Others wonder why she's so weak and how someone like her could be their luna. A vast majority of his pack respected and loved Alpha Isaac. He took them out of the war, bringing back their loved ones and preventing more deaths. He fought alongside them as they starved and suffered. They thought the pack was the strongest it had ever been, stronger than when Isaac's grandfather was alpha.
Others looked at Isaac like a child. How could he pull out of the war knowing his pack was going to suffer? They viewed their alpha as the weakest of them all, putting them in more danger by starvation than they ever were when they were in the war. They missed his brother, Alpha Jackson, who commanded his pack with a power not even his father could produce.
When he died and Isaac took command, there was a change in the pack dynamic. There were fights between people who supported Isaac and who supported replacing him. Isaac had never even had the thought that he would become alpha because he had his brother. His brother was supposed to be alpha and his child after that.
Isaac was never supposed to be the alpha. So when the time came, he didn't know what to do. He had just lost his brother, someone he looked up to, and his father from illness. His mother had passed many years prior, before she could see the death of her son. He was grieving and in pain, yet everyone was now looking to him.
The elders of the pack had little faith in him, remembering the shy child who barely spoke. How could that boy be their alpha now? When he pulled out of the war, everyone was shocked. They expected their alpha to proceed with his brother's alliance, but to Isaac, it was causing his people more pain. Their loved ones were being brought back in, dead from the war and fighting for a cause they didn't believe in.
And Isaac had had enough.
That war killed his brother, he wasn't going to let anyone else have to feel that pain. He knew the consequences: no access to the trade routes. He knew he had to come up with a plan, something to keep his people fed and happy. Before he pulled out of the war, he arranged for a shipment of seeds and goods to be delivered to his pack instead of financial compensation. Once it arrived, he doubled up his patrols, beefed up his borders, and sent word to the king that their alliance was over.
At first, no one but his beta helped him begin growing their fields, planting the seeds. No one understood what was happening, even after holding a pack meeting and explaining everything in detail. His people were angry, he knew, at him, at the Moon Goddess. At his brother. He gave them time, and slowly but surely, they came to help, realizing that this was their new reality, and they were glad to have their alpha by their side.
Even though they were doing everything right, the Moon Goddess sent them a drought. The river dried up and there were no rains for nearly a year. They rationed what food they had, Isaac giving away his dinner portions to mother's and children, or even to his Enforcer's who had to protect their borders.
The seeds could not grow without water and the work they put had been for nothing. He sent men on hunting trips and women on foraging excursions, looking for food for his pack. He knew his territory inside and out, where the deer lived, where fruit trees and berry bushes resided.
But due to the drought, many of the trees and bushes shriveled up and died. The deer moved on, finding greener grass somewhere else. He was running out of options. People were leaving the pack and fighting for food was common. He maintained hope and prayed to the Moon Goddess to give them some relief.
Then one day, a heavy rainstorm came through, filling the river and saturating the fields. Isaac cried that day and cried and cried. He had been so busy trying to keep his pack together, he hadn't had the chance to mourn the loss of his brother.
Over time, the fields grew. The deer came back and the trees and brushes grew their fruit. Things were looking up for him and his pack. The king and the Veredans left him and his pack alone, but still restricted access to their trade routes.
By that time, he didn't even need those routes anymore.
Because now, his pack was thriving.
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