Chapter 50: She Warmed My Heart

Fear, hatred, pain, and despair… other than those feelings, I couldn’t sense anything else. My father’s cruelty and my mother’s callousness made me realize that there was no place for me to run to and no place for me to hide.

I was hopeless.

A thick fog seemed to roll in out of nowhere. I held my breath, wondering what my next nightmare would be.

Somewhere in the distance, I heard the faint sound of a woman singing. It was a lullaby, a beautiful song. And I was certain I’d heard it before. But when?

The fog lifted, and I found myself in a military tent. This was a familiar scene to me as well. Without even looking in a mirror, I knew how old I was. This happened when I was six- teen.

When Beta Xavier threw aside the tent flap and walked in, I wasn’t surprised to see him. I swore under my breath, know- ing what was about to happen.

Two loud, deep, male voices were taunting me. “Come out and face us like a man, you coward! You monster!”

I took a deep breath and waited for Xavier to speak. He kept his distance from me, hanging back by the entrance. I was used to it by now. Even with my gloves on, even with a mask at the ready that would cover almost my entire face ex- cept for my eyes, no one wanted to be anywhere near me.

“Prince Theo, your father wishes for you to attack at once,” he said.

“What is all of that commotion?” I asked the question as I had back then, even though I knew the answer.

“The twin Alphas, sir. They are protesting against His Majesty, claiming that they’re a peaceful pack and don’t want war. But they also don’t want to contribute their natural re- sources to the crown as your father is insisting.” Beta Xavier folded his hands in front of himself, awaiting my response.

“I understand all of that, Xavier.” I had been tasked to de- stroy this pack two years ago, at only fourteen, but I hadn’t done it yet. I’d always been fond of this pack. I remembered the stories my mother had told me when I was a little boy about the tall trees that grew here and the gems and miner- als. Father wanted to exploit those resources, but I had been able to push aside those ambitions until now.

Thus, Xavier’s presence. The king thought I’d go in and kill all of them with his Beta here.

“I’ll deal with them,” I said, pushing up from my chair.

“But Your Highness, we simply need to attack, to take the entire pack out,” Xavier told me.

toward him, he moved

I might kill him.

him, outside, to

and approached them, not want- ing to do so but knowing that I had to.

gotten through this, I might finally

below, the ground slanted at a sharp angle, and even more evergreens reached out to the sky. It would’ve been a beauti- ful scene

of the twins shouted. “Come and fight

sneered, “You both should shift, or you won’t last more

were good men, but one of them had

time I’d gone through this. I knew that if I didn’t find a way to

them came at me. I used a knife to defend my- self, but I was no match for two of the most famous

cut him in the chest, but it wasn’t enough to hurt him. He managed to slash at my arm, shredding

through my flesh, and blood began to

all you’ve got? Little prince, why don’t you…” he couldn’t finish his sentence though; he froze in his tracks. His eyes enlarged, and a look of horror took over his face. He fell to his knees. I felt his power, his strength, but I also felt his an- guish and terror.

right now! You’re killing him! You’re killing my brother!”

lifted my gaze to look at him emo-

then, his brother, rather than running to him,

his wolf, hitting me hard and knocking me backward. His claws ripped through me, splitting my middle and digging into my leg. I ripped my knife out and plunged it into him, forcing him off of me.

to have the same thing happen to him as he’d just witnessed with his

lay there, bleeding, wondering if it was

that I’d already tried and failed, and if Prince Theo couldn’t take them down, none of the king’s warriors could? Was it enough to rile this pack up

I hoped so.

charge toward me

of the cliff, I whispered to the giant wolf, “I’m sorry.” I doubt that he heard it though.

pebbles and rocks loose from the earth, eventually, I came to rest on my back beneath the boughs of a

or else Xavier would send someone to get me. And knowing

help me. My clothes were coat- ed in blood, but I didn’t seem to be leaving a trail, so maybe it would be less easy for my father’s men to find

continued to walk until I couldn’t go any further. Sinking to the ground beneath a tree, I put

“Boy? Boy?”

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