Page 12 of Becoming the Alpha

I glanced at Dean, who’s face mirrored my look of horror. I didn’t bother to excuse myself or wait for my father’s next comment. I turned on my heel and sprinted into the forest, Dean hot on my heels. My father’s laughter rang in my ears as we ran. My wolf lent me his hearing and smelling abilities, willing to do whatever it took to find his mate. The trees whipped by me, wacking me in the face, but I barely felt it.

We made our way down the main trial and my horror grew as I realized Dean was right - Lily’s scent was everywhere. It was like she had run back and forth throughout the entire area, brushing up against trees and bushes, leaving her delicious scent all over the place. Her cherry blossom scent went straight to my head, causing my wolf to let a whine loose. I rubbed the heel of my hand over my chest, trying to give him some comfort while we looked.

Dean threw a hand across my chest as I turned. I narrowed my eyes at him. He didn’t bother even looking in my direction, instead jerking his chin at something ahead of us. “Check it out. Have you noticed the Royal Guards are out in force right now?”

I glanced around us, realizing he was right. I could hear Davis and Shaun speaking in low tones a few hundred yards away. I could hear even more guards searching farther away. Then, almost as if it was waiting for me to notice it, a barrage of other shifter scents hit me, overwhelming my nose and causing Lily’s scent to fade.

Dean’s jaw clenched as he turned to look at me. “What do you think their orders are?”

I shrugged. I turned toward where I could hear Davis and Shaun speaking. “Let’s find the fuck out.” I saw Dean nod out of the corner of my eye and we made our way over to the two guards. We found them standing in the middle of the forest, talking to each other, their hands lazily placed on the butt of their swords.

“Your Highness,” Shaun snapped to attention first, bowing as he greeted me. Davis was quick to follow, although I caught the amusement twinkling in his eye. “What are your orders?”

Davis and Shaun glanced at each other in confusion. “Our orders, sire?”

“Don’t play stupid with us, Shaun. What has the Royal Guard been ordered to do by the King?” Dean snarled. Shaun swallowed thickly, clearing his throat.

“Some of us have been ordered to enter the forest and stand here until told otherwise. A few others were ordered to wander around the forest, leaving our scents everywhere we could.”

“Is that it?” I pressed, eyeing him. Davis stepped closer to me, leaning in. I leaned toward him. “I know aselectfew have been ordered to find your mate and her best friend.”

My wolf roared in my chest and the shift I had been trying to hold off burst out of me. I swiped a paw at Davis, catching his chest and causing him to gasp in pain. Dean jumped in and snapped Davis’s neck. My wolf howled and went on the hunt for his mate.

He put on a burst of speed and we flew through the forest. The need to find our mate was all we cared about. It was all that we could think about. My wolf inhaled and cataloged the scents he encountered as we ran through the area. It wasn’t until we heard some of the Royal Guards laughing that we screeched to a halt. Dean crashed into my side and I blinked at him, not having realized he was following me the whole time.

“Aren’t we a pretty little Prince’s whore?”

13

Lily

I stepped in front of Sarah, Elle, and Amara, pushing them back. The five Royal Guards stepped further into the clearing, each one of them sneering at us. I held back the shudder at their leering faces, my wolf ready to tear some throats out. Elle stepped up beside me, a growl erupting from her throat. I clenched my hands, happy to have someone by my side. I wasn’t confident I could take on five guards by myself, but Elle evened the odds considerably.

“Who is this new whore? A present for me? Oh look, there’s another one behind her. She must be the younger sister, right? I think I’ll take her instead and leave you to the fellas,” The guard in front sneered, his smirk and confidence growing. The guards behind him frowned, glancing at each other. “Why do you get her? Maybe we want her?” One of the smaller guards in the back whined. His face was full of acne and he looked slimy.

“You want her? Try to take her from me.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course the Royal Guards would be arguing amongst themselves over who had the right to kidnap and attack a defenseless girl. My mind whirled as they continued to argue. I glanced at Elle, who was looking at me with her eyebrows raised. She was definitely confused and seriously pissed off. I couldn’t blame her. I took a small step closer to her, trying to keep from drawing the Guards’ attention. As quietly as I could, I leaned toward her and out of the corner of my mouth, I said, “When I go, grab the girls and run toward the castle. Ask for Jason, Dean, or Shaun. They will protect you.”

Elle glanced at me with a harsh look on her face. I didn’t give her time to argue. I half shifted, letting my hands form into claws and launching myself at the guards. I swiped a hand at the guard on my right, severing his throat and blood poured out. I turned my attention to the guard at the front. He looked surprised but recovered quickly. He stepped sideways out of my way. My claw missed his throat but got his shoulder and I was rewarded with a grunt of pain. I turned and kicked out backward, catching one of the other guards who had been standing in the back in the stomach. He doubled over as the two remaining guards grabbed my arms and pulled.

The lead guard stood in front of me, a snarl on his face. He grabbed my throat and leaned close, his hot, smelly breath making it hard for me to breathe. “We’re going to catch those girls and enjoy making you watch us break them. Once they are trained properly, we’ll make them watch as you’re killed - slowly. The Prince can’t fucking help you now. The King has given us free reign with all of you. Be prepared to spend a miserable few months entertaining our every fucking desire.”

The dread that had been building while the guard spoke filled me completely. I couldn’t stop the tear that leaked down my cheek. The guard leaned closer and licked it off my face. I jerked back, revolted. A snarl came from the bush behind us and a jet black wolf sprung from the trees. He landed on us, knocking all of us over. The guards loosened their grip on my arms and I scrambled to get away before they got their wits about them. I watched as the lead guard shifted and attacked Jason. The other two guards also shifted, enclosing Jason and backing him toward a tree. I rolled my eyes. My wolf was pissed at the fact that these wolves had threatened members of her pack under her protection, tried to dominate her, and then completely dismissed her as a threat when Jason showed up. She pushed forward, ready to kick some ass.

“Alrighty, boys. Let’s play a game,” I said through gritted teeth. The two wolves on either side of Jason flicked their ears in my direction, but didn’t bother looking at me. I huffed out a breath and let my wolf take over. I shifted quickly, prowling forward softly and bit the lead guard in the back leg. He yelped in pain, turning on me quickly. I released his leg and shuffled backward, narrowly keeping his teeth from closing over my neck. I crouched low, backing up slowly as he advanced. I knew Jason was taking out one of the other guards. I only needed to keep this guy occupied until Jason and I could take him on together.

Back off, Lily! He’ll fucking kill you. Let me handle him.

I blinked, my wolf stopping her retreat and standing up straight. Our own mate thought we couldn’t take care of a threat? She sneezed in irritation and narrowed her eyes. She bared her teeth at the wolf still heading toward her, but this time, she held her ground. I was with her. We didn’t need other people to take care of us - we were strong enough to take care of ourselves. We survived Callum - we could survive this punk.

Lily!

The guard leapt toward me, intent on jumping on my back and securing his teeth around my neck. We dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, avoiding his attack. My wolf quickly stood up and launched herself at the guard. Our teeth slashed and claws scratched anywhere we could find purchase. It didn’t matter that we were getting hurt in the process. I couldn’t even feel the injuries that the guard was inflicting on me. My anger was all that was driving me. I needed to prove everyone wrong. I needed to prove to myself that I wasn’t some damsel in distress.

It felt like it was forever until the guard landed on the ground, his throat ripped out and the taste of his blood in my mouth. I stood there, staring down at the wolf, panting. His eyes were wide and dull. His body covered in slashes and injuries, blood still slowly seeping out. I stumbled backward a few steps.

Lily? Are you okay?

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