A Royal Pain

chapter eleven

The kitchen bustled with people. Every warrior was trying to get in a good breakfast before the attack. All of a sudden, I felt a sharp jolt from the back. Whipping around, I saw Livia holding a bowl of cereal that was now sloshed all over my shirt. "What the hell?" I exclaimed.

"That's for Mason. You took him from me!"

"Is this what you're focused on? You are a warrior, Livia, you should be-" Before I could finish my sentence, she shoved me backward into a hard surface. When I tried to lunge towards Livia to finish what she started, two hands latched onto my forearms.

"Not now," a husky voice whispered into my ear. "Take it out on her during training." My wolf instantly relaxed at the voice, while Livia's reaction was the opposite.

"You chose her over me?" She spluttered. "You're gonna regret this, Mason. You both will." Livia stormed out of the kitchen.

"Thank you," I said to Mason. "You didn't have to do that."

The faintest smile appeared on his lips. "Of course I did. We were all getting tired of her anyway." The way he smiled sent butterflies to my stomach and made me feel slightly guilty about what I was about to do. Slightly.

. . .

Now that everyone had left for Marina's territory I had nothing to do but wait for my chance. I forced myself to wait exactly one hour after everyone had left. Slipping out of bed, I walked into my closet to get ready. The warriors were wearing all black which I needed to match if my plan was ever going to work. I had decided on black combat pants and boots paired with a form-fitting black shirt.

I slipped outside of my room and crept down the stairs. If anyone saw me before I made it out of the territory the entire plan would be foiled. I came to find myself staring up at the packhouse; the only home I'd ever known besides the palace. It wasn't the best place in the world, but it had quickly become home. Movie marathons with Kim, or Charles making me laugh over dinner, Brian and I pretending to have strategy meanings while eating ice cream in a random office, even Daniel and I bonding over training techniques. If anything happened to me today, I would be happy with how I spent my final months.

But it was now or never. I shifted into my wolf and quietly made my way out of the territory.

A few miles into the woods, I stopped by a small creek. I hadn't expected my white wolf to stick out so much against the foliage. She eagerly stepped into the water and began rolling around to coat herself in the mud.

I continued to run. If I lost the scent, it would be impossible to follow. My wolf was mostly on autopilot; following Mason's scent because it stuck out the most. It carried through multiple pack borders, which I was careful to avoid. If any Alphas sensed that I was on their land, there was no guarantee that I wouldn't be captured and handed over to Marina.

I weaved through the tree line for what felt like hours. Eventually, I heard voices and footsteps coming from ahead. I must have caught up with them. I peeked through the trees to see a short and wide building in front of me. Old shipping containers and trucks were tipped over on their side, making this building fit the part of a warehouse perfectly.

Mason stood in front of the warriors and began to address them. "I want you all to remember that we are here not only for ourselves but for the royal family. We are here for the King and Queen. The Prince. The Princess." His voice caught on the word 'princess'. Mason glanced around confusedly. He must have caught my scent. He shared a look with Charles, who looked just as curious.

Daniel stepped up to share a few words, but I was too focused on Mason to listen. If I got caught now the whole thing would be ruined. My wolf slowly backed into the trees, ducking down low as she did so.