Page 51 of Princess Redeemed
He rubs his forehead, growling.“I’m not even sure why we were fighting.”
I drop my jaw.“Then what the hell was all this about?What justified it?”Anger flares through me as I gesture to the carnage.“How do you know if your reasons were virtuous if you don’t even know what they are?”
“Sometimes it’s not about virtue,” he says gently.“Sometimes it’s simply about what each side thinks they must do to survive because of a narrative built on lies.”He grits his teeth.“It has to stop, princess.It has to stop.We need a better world for our child.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying.”I whip my hands to my hips.“I don’t even know this place.Why it exists.How it exists.But I know one thing.My child will never come here.I’ll die first.”
Rogan turns to me, fury in his beautiful eyes.He grips my hand tightly.“As long as there is breath in our bodies, there is a chance to change things, to rebuild, to create a better world for those who come after us.”
I simply nod.
I believe he means it.But I fear what will happen when his true fated mate shows up.
I look again at the results of the chaotic war—the destruction, the devastation, the death—when a sliver of color catches my eye.
I walk forward toward something half-hidden among the corpses.
I kneel and see a small fragile-looking flower, its petals stained crimson by the blood that has seeped into the earth.Despite the destruction, despite the horror of its surroundings, it managed to survive—a tiny beacon of life amidst so much death.
“Even in the darkest places, there can still be beauty,” I say softly, emotion twisting in my gut.“We just have to be willing to look for it.”
“Wise words, princess.”
I jerk to look over my shoulder.Rogan stands behind me.
“I didn’t realize you could hear me.”
“You forget I’m a wolf.I can hear almost anything.”
I’m tempted to pick the flower, save it from this horrid place, but I don’t.I don’t, because once I uproot it, death will come.If I leave it, it has a chance.
I rise and look into Rogan’s eyes.I see love there—so much love.So much love built on my father’s lies.
“Nothing will ever be the same,” I say.
He trails a finger over my lower lip.“But that doesn’t mean it can’t be better.”
I kiss the tip of his finger.“What now?”
“We find my bunker so I can get dressed.Then I figure out how to get us out of here.”
I glance back at the tiny flower, its petals trembling in the breeze but refusing to break.
Then I nod to Rogan.“Let’s go.”
31
The airaround us is heavy as we walk over the bodies on our way back to Rogan’s underground bunker.Rogan scans the area for any signs of danger.Dirt and dust cover his beautiful body, and his hair is a mass of tangles.
Yet his scent…
So thick and musky and still full of wolf.
“Are you sure this is safe?”I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
My heart races from the lingering fear of enemies who may be lurking.
He turns to me, his green eyes filled with a mix of determination and protectiveness.“As safe as it can be.Trust me, princess.If anythingdoeshappen, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you or our child.”
