A Leader Must Rise - Old Version

Chapter 67

Here it is, folks. Sorry it took a while longer. I had planned to upload this chapter within the week of the last update but something was wrong as I wrote it. It me an embarrassing amount to of time to figure it out. I've changed Chapter 66 slightly, just the area between Aria remembering her past life and Kahn's memory. I've adjust this area so the rest of the royals, apart from Sebastian, also shared Aria's life. However, instead of remembering like Andrew or Justin did just by waking up, they have to trust her implicitly in order to remember. Feel free to reread the chapter or just that section to get a better idea, but otherwise, enjoy.

I'll also upload my new book sometime next week. I decided to rewrite the current chapters before uploading. Chapter 1 is already done, if I can get to Chapter 5 before Monday, I'll upload then and upload the rest as I go. Just so you're aware. 😊

Aria

Sleeping on a plane never something I could do easily, the gentle hum of the engines and the sound of multiple conversations aroused me eventually. I sighed and groaned, twisting and stretching my sore body until my joints and back released those satisfying pops. "Giving up?" Chase asked and I finally opened my eyes. "Yep," I replied and sat up. Chase was sat beside me with a book in his lap, relaxed and with a lazy smile. "You did sleep a long while," "Wait, really?" "Mmhmm, 'bout six hours now," "Wow, I actually slept," I muttered surprised as I rubbed my neck. Chase followed the action and frowned, his graze loosing focus.

"We should have stopped," he whispered and I shook my head, grabbing his hand reassuringly. "No, we needed it," I whispered. A stressed sigh escaped him and he watched me stand. I tried to downgrade the limp as much as possible and silently cursed at his hiss. "But you're limping," "Baby, I'm going to soak in a very hot bath, don't worry," I reassured. "I'll be as good as new when I'm out." "I went overboard," he muttered and I sighed. I dropped my clothes on the bed and straddled his lap. 'It's funny,' Aiyana yawned, 'as much as they liked to think they can dominate, they're still adorably submissive to us.' 'Down girl,' I laughed before reassuring Chase out loud, forcing him to look at me.

"You gave me what I wanted, baby, and then some. You were right when you said no other time before last night counted; a million years is an eternity to be separated from one's mate...especially after what we endured." He sadly smiled and nodded, pulling me closer and I cradled his head in the curve of my shoulder. "About having pups...," he muttered and I sighed, resting my cheek against the crown of his head. "We should wait until after this war," I answered and he nodded. "I...was going to suggest the same thing... To bring in a child now, it would be wrong. We'd both be to busy to focus on them." "Hmmm. That, and I think we need to time to heal properly...like we should have done," I added. He hesitantly nodded.

Chase pulled back and cupped my jaw, softly stroking my cheek. "Go take that bath," "Baby,' I whispered softly, "don't sit here and wallow please? Go talk to the others." "Alright," he promised and I leaned down to give him a chaste kiss before standing. He grabbed his book and left. I sighed and gathered my clothes, thinking back to before things got steamy. Remembering everything last night took its toll on all of us, especially Chase and I. The memories, the pain...our pups, it was nearly too much to handle; it's the reason why I gave Chase control last night. I needed to forget for while, and bloody fucking Hell, my pet knows how to satisfy his Alpha. 'You can say that again,' Sapphire purred. 'Agreed,' Aiyana mumbled dreamily. 'Horny puppies, the pair of you,' I muttered as I leaned over the jacuzzi for the hot water.

'And that's bad because?' Sapphire asked and Aiyana snorted. There was no way I wasn't going to dignify that with an answer. "Hey, Ari," Velgos greeted softly. "Hey, Vel," I replied. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to speak with him properly this morning, there was too many things that required my attention before boarding. First, I had to gather the team and make sure the luxury plane Kieran booked was ready to take off as soon as we got there. Secondly, I had to find out where Alec was and I wasn't please to learn he was on the big island of Hawaii, somewhere between Waipio Valley and Pu'u O Umi Natural Area Reserve. Thirdly, choosing both Aditi and Stavos to come with me. Aditi for her intuition and knowledge as a rouge and Stavos for his knowledge of the Slave Trade.