The 5th year of King Logan's Reign.
AUDREY'S POV
"I, King Logan, rejects you; Audrey Chadwick, as my mate, Luna to the Royal Moon pack, and Queen to the werewolf race."
No no no! He couldn't do that to me! I wanted to scream and beg for mercy, but no words were forthcoming. It felt like my lips had been sealed, preventing me from uttering a word.
Tears poured down my cheeks as I looked deeply into his eyes, hoping he would feel my pains and change his mind, but he only looked away. Just then, one of the guards pushed me to the ground and I fell down. I got scared when I realized my back was not hitting the ground, and I kept falling into a bottomless pit. I had been thrown into hell! I kept screaming loudly for help until I eventually got rescued by an unknown helper, whose arms were tightly wrapped around me.
"Audrey! Audrey!!" My helper screamed my name, and my eyes flung open to the thick darkness surrounding me. After a few seconds of scanning my new environment, I realized what had just happened. I wasn't falling after all. My face and neck were drenched in sweat, as tears fell from my eyes.
"Audrey." Rosaline shook my shoulders and I looked up to see her worried face. One of the perks of being a wolf, was having a clear and sharp vision even in darkness.
"Don't tell me you had that dream again." She said, all I could do was release a deep sigh.
"I did, Rosa. I did." I muttered, cleaning away the residual tears in my eyes. I would never really be able to get over that incident, would I? It had been 5 years already, yet I hadn't been able to stop seeing Logan in my dreams.
"Oh, sweetie." She released a sympathetic sigh. "You would be fine." She assured, but I shook my head in absolute denial.
"You and I, both know that I won't. Everything would only get worse, now that my cousin insists I join them to Logan's pack."
"But you know you have to. Your soldiers are nothing without you. You are their leader and motivation." Rosa reasoned, settling on the bed beside my curled up form.
Wasn't this such an irony? The most powerful Pack's army commander, being humbled by a dream about her former mate.
"You cannot just stay back here and let them all fight alone in this raging war, because you are scared to see your mate who rejected you."
"He isn't just my mate, Rosa." I muttered. "He is the Alpha king! The 'tribrid' Alpha King! Meaning, he has the power to make or break me. I am already broken enough, having lived such a secluded life for several years now. I would go crazy if he still hates me."
"Audrey, you have to brace up. I have always known you to be strong, and smart to make the right decisions. Neglecting your duty of leading your soldiers to war, would only steer a lot of gossip. Moreover, King Logan would barely notice you while he is busy making preparations for the war that is forthcoming."
"That is very impossible because my role as the pack's commander would always put me in a room full of strategizing Alphas. But then, I really hope he doesn't notice me." I released a sigh.
"Do you hope he doesn't notice you, or do you hope he has finally forgiven you?" She looked at me pointedly, and I went tight lipped. Rosa knew me so well, and that was the reason why she was my only friend. Rosaline was my late brother's mate, and had stuck with me ever since he died 3 years back. At least, going through life with her by my side had been much easier.
"Rosa...." I released some hot breathe from my lips. "He had literally given me the worst punishment possible. I would never be able to find my second chance mate, he made sure of that. He would forever hate me."
"Oh, dear!" She pulled my stiff body for a hug.
I remained unmoving in my place, and she released a loud scoff. "You would never hug me back, would you?"
Knowing I couldn't give her an answer to that, I blinked back the tears in my eyes and pulled away from her. Even I, couldn't tell when I had become this person. I was once a vibrant and fun loving girl. When did I become this boring loner?
"You became this person the day the Alpha King broke your heart." She muttered. Arrghh! I hated it whenever she read my mind like that.
"I broke his heart first. Crushed it, even." I mumbled in response, and there was this deafening silence between us.
Just then, we heard the loud howl of the herald wolf, and my heart fell to the pit of my stomach. It was morning already.
"Oh God!" I Whisphered, tears brimming in my eyes.
"My goodness!" Rosa's eyes widened in shock. "Audrey calm down, you would be fine. Remind yourself that you are going for the sake of your people. This is something you have always wanted to do." She reasoned, and I nodded stiffly.
She was right, but it was still a lot to take in. We had only been informed of the looming war yesterday, and were required to be at the king's palace by noon today. That meant we had to start our journey as early as possible. I started to hear incoherent voices and I knew that some of my pack's soldiers were on their way to my apartment.
"They are coming already." I muttered.
"I know, I can hear them too."
It wasn't up to a minute later when a knock came on my door. I hopped down my bed and walked out of the bedroom, Rosa following me behind. Once I got to the living room, I ensured the sash of my skimpy night robe was properly tied, before unlocking the door and meeting the faces of a few worried soldiers. What was the matter?
"What is it?" I asked in apparent worry.
"Are you not coming with us?" Dalia queried, looking hopeful for a positive response. I could see the look of sympathy in her eyes, and that of the others. Oh, great! Everyone pitied me now. Of course, they would. They all knew I was the rejected mate of the Alpha king, condemned never to find a second chance mate. Now, I was to go face the very same man who once loved me, but presently hated me so much.
"I am coming, Dalia." At my words, she released a sigh of relief and I managed a small smile.
"Alpha Denver says we are to leave in the next fifteen minutes. Would you be ready before then?"
I almost scoffed at her words, but held back the urge to. We all knew that my cousin wasn't going to leave for the Royal moon pack without me.
"Yes, I will." I confirmed.
"Great!"
**************
I smiled in appreciation when Rosa stepped out with my portable traveling bag in her hand. How was it possible that this same woman that had been encouraging me to go, was so close to tears now that I was about to.
"Be safe." She whispered, before handing my bag to me. "And do not let your remorse make you let him or anyone else treat you wrongly."
"Like I have a say against him." I gave a sad smile, and turned to go meet my cousin and the hundreds of soldiers waiting on me.
I had almost gotten to them, before I dropped my back to the ground, and ran back to do what I should have been doing since forever. Rosa hadn't seen it coming when I crushed her in a tight hug. After a few seconds of shock, she held me tightly and whispered her next words.
"Should I come with you?"
"No." I shook my head in negation. "It's not safe there."
"It's not safe anywhere. The damned rogues would definitely come for us the moment they..."
"They wouldn't." I cut her off, not wanting to imagine the scenario she was about painting in my head.
"At least, you'd be much safer here." I muttered, before pulling away from her and going back to join the soldiers. My bag was being collected from me and loaded into a carriage, by one of the soldiers. I looked at my cousin who gave me an appreciative nod.
"Shall we?" He asked.
"Yes, Alpha." I nodded.
He shifted into his wolf form, and his Beta; Marcus followed suite, after which I did. The rest of the soldiers shifted as well, and our sprint began. I knew the journey was going to be a hectic one, and I was ready for it, or so I tried to make myself believe.
We had gotten to the Royal moon pack late at noon, and made our way into the large hall, where other pack soldiers and the Alphas were. Most of our soldiers were pretty much tired after our long journey, and would have preferred going to have some form of rest, but not before our Alpha and Beta paid their homage to the Alpha King.
The Alphas and Betas in line to pay their homage were so much that it was impossible for me to make out the face of whom they seeked. Logan. I wondered what he looked like now. Definitely older. I heard he was also yet to find his second chance mate, not like it meant anything to me.
All of a sudden, I caught the whiff of an extremely intoxicating scent and went still for a few seconds. The shock was definitely apparent in my face. What the hell just happened? The scent became stronger and I shook my head in disbelief.
It couldn't be! I thought… I thought I would never be able to find a second chance mate? Logan had made sure of that. Was I beginning to imagine things? I would have ruled it off as an imagination, but the strong scent that wafted through my nostrils begged to differ. Gosh! I was so unprepared for this. My hands started to get clammy with sweat, making me wipe them over my clothes.
Reflexly, my legs started to move in the direction of the scent. As I walked, I prayed I didn't get rejected a second time. Everyone knew what I had done to their Alpha King, and some of them would never wish to have a woman like me as their mate.
"Where are you going?" Denver whispered to me, but I paid him no heed as I continued to head towards the scent. It was just a few seconds before I came to a stop in front of a very familiar man. My heartbeat accelerated, seeing him after so long. Just like I had imagined, he looked more handsome… and mature. Extremely huge as well.
I noticed the shock in his eyes, and It took me a moment to realize that he had been the one the scent had emanated from! Oh, my goddess! Before I could think my word through, I blurted it out. "Mate."
All he did was stare at me blankly, the shock in his eyes, turning into disdain. I felt like being swallowed up by the ground. How on earth had my second chance mate turned out to be the very same man who rejected me 5 years ago? Was my life a joke to the moon goddess?!!