The Royal Alpha, & Loyal Luna

30. How Hard To Push .

"Another night and we should be there after noon."

"We seem pretty far away still."

"That's because we're going to run the rest of the way tomorrow."

"They'll see us coming."

"They'll see us coming regardless of what we do or how we enter. It's the Royal Packhouse for Goddess' sake."

"Hmm." She faced off into the distance. "Then we'll give them notice."

"You have lost your mind?"

"If there's no way in without alerting them, then we should do just that. Alert them. Formally of course."

"Formally?" I scoffed. "Yeah, that will help. Didn't they shoot you? I don't see how you can treat a Princess to the crown any more formal than that."

She smiled, but it wasn't out of humor. It was dark, wicked. Something about it turned my insides.

"I intend to repay the hospitality."

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt that, o' great slayer of thy royals."

She closed her eyes, tilting her head as if to listen to some unseen person's inaudible words.

"I actually like the sound of that." She opened them with a fire in her eyes that I knew would burn the royal house to the ground. "The Royal Slayer."

She watched me as I watched her, probably wondering what I would say to that. Or maybe she already assumed she knew.

"There's something you should know." I took a seat next to her, as we rested by a nearby field. "Something I probably should've told you before becoming your omega."

She rose an interested brow, lifting her head just the slightest. I found myself mirroring her gesture in small awe of how the sun's rays beamed across her face.

"I'm not like your mate." She winced at my words, or rather.. the one word. "I'm not quite like any of them, not anymore."

She didn't say anything, she just listened.

"I've lived both as a pack wolf and as a lone one. I've seen both sides of our world and managed to live through it, not because I followed the rules and regulations, the proper ways of our life. No."

The way her hair blew in the cold wind beckoned me to tame it, but I kept my hands to myself.

"I'm not here to be your Greyden. I won't pressure or guilt trip you into making the better choice or to be the better wolf. I won't talk you down from taking them down. I won't be the man to stop you."

There was a brief silence between the two of us before she leaned closer to me, face only inches from mine.

"I don't need a man." Her strange eyes transfixed me and it looked as if she knew it. "I need a rogue."

Just when I thought the sun would turn her into a goddess before my eyes, I was snapped back into reality when she stood.

"I need someone who will tell me where the cliff is and how hard to push."

"Then I guess you have your rogue."

"Tell me," She walked around the trees, hands gliding by its leaves and petals. "Why did you take the job? You could've taken your wife and pup, then fled." I knew she was referring to the job given to me by the Prince.

I felt the tremble in my hands that I thought I learned to suppress over a half a year ago now.

"You underestimate them through your anger. Just because they're assholes doesn't mean they're stupid. They have connections everywhere. They'll find anyone they want to, no matter the time it takes."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

I looked up at her.

"Like you said to me, you can trust me, can't you?" Her tone was harsh, but even I could hear the genuineness in it.

"Your mother is more of a monster than you think."

She set her canteen down just as she was about to take a drink. "What did she do?" It came out rushed, all at once.

I immediately looked away, finally managing to break eye contact from her.

"I.. I can't.." I held my hands to my sides.

She nearly stormed over to me. "What did she do?"

"She killed her.." I stood up, facing her. Looking her straight in the eye. "Your mother took her from me and I wanted her dead.. is that what you want to hear?"

Her body held at an eery stillness. And then she seemed to mutter to herself, before outright shouting.

"We will!" She screamed into the air. "Oh, we will!" And I yelled in agreement. Though a part of me wasn't sure if it was me she was even talking to.

Tears slid down her cheeks, but the ignition behind her eyes never let up.

"I will make it what she deserves," She cried, anger rasping her voice, "For everyone!" She turned, punching the nearest tree.

She took it down without effort.

"For Auguste!" She kicked another one, and I could only imagine the sound of it cracking from its roots, as her heart breaking.

"For Tino!" She swung the broken tree until it took half a minute to crash into others. I could hear the sound of her heart racing, envisioning each pump only shattering it a bit more each time.

"Augustine and you!" She dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably as she raged at everything around her, punching into the ground.

I could only watch as my Luna fell prey to her own madness.

She grew quiet for a moment as something caught her eye, only her sniffles and sighs making notice.

I watched her intently as she carefully bent down, plucking a flower from the beds of the ground.

She held it tenderly, as if it were to whither away within the same second. "..for me.." She crushed the flower in her hand and the perfume of its petals scented the air, coating over her before wafting over to me.

I let her be a moment before walking over and kneeling in front of her, arm extended for her to grab.

"Leave me." She demanded, but the dominance in her voice was absent.

She was just a broken girl.

I won't. I can't.

"If I leave you alone, you'll reek havoc on the bugs and their habitat."

She laughed shortly, but it was dry and didn't meet her eyes, nor did she meet mine as she stared at the hand that still sat in a closed fist.

"The only way I know how to atone for her wrongs.. is to take her down." She admitted. "Her and the Prince."

"And when their betas retaliate? Because they will.. retaliate."

"Alpha Grey will have long thought of something by then."

"Alpha? Why not the both of you?"

She tossed the dead flower aside and brushed past my outstretched hand to stand on her own. "Because it won't be my problem anymore."

"You know, with the upmost respect, you're quite irritating."

"Back at you."

"Are we that easy to let go of?"

She wiped her face, tears still managing to fall. "You will be when this is over." She turned away from me, averting her gaze yet again.

"You don't plan to make it through this.. do you?"

She stopped, though didn't turn to face me still. "Let's go." She threw her bag over her shoulder. We have a formal request to send and a lot of ground to cover."