Chapter 2 A Claim They Can't Deny
Ruella looked at the road that now showed dense trees, because its location far in the north made the temperature there colder than where she lived in the east, Bluemoon Pack. Now she was heading for Silverpaw Pack, where her mate lived.
"They're so mean!" Clare, Ruella's personal maid assigned to accompany her, looked angry. "How could they send their only daughter to the enemy pack? even though Alpha Calix's name appears in the ritual, it doesn't mean they will accept you, my princess."
Ruella only responded with a small chuckle, and said, "You can go back if you want to, Claire. I'm sure I can adapt well here, even the winter comes early and I really can't wait to see what my mate looks like, is he as handsome as the rumors?"
Claire couldn't help but think of Ruella, who seemed to be doing well and relax while being banished to a place where people avoided. Yeah, the Silverpaw pack was known to be a cruel and secretive pack from the packs on the other side of the earth.
Not long ago, Ruella performed a mate determination ritual, and it works this time. After failing many times, finally, Alpha Yuto, Ruella's father, had a reason to remove his daughter from the pack. Seeing how hastily Ruella's things were wrapped, it was a sign that her opinion was not needed. Inevitably, Ruella had to keep going to where her mate was, even though that person was an enemy who likely had the desire to kill her if the opportunity arose.
"How did I end up here? A month ago, I was still playing in the houspack park with birds, flowers and butterflies. Fyuuh... Dad and brother finally got rid of me." Ruella thought to herself, "I never thought I would become someone's partner."
Now she had to live a new life in a cold, unfamiliar place. Ruella felt nervous, after years of being hidden away from high-class social gatherings, to suddenly be sent to a faraway place. She wasn't ready, but that was exactly what her father and brother had hoped for her to give up and die in exile.
Brugh.
Ruella's carriage came to an abrupt stop, causing her to almost be thrown from her seat, fortunately, Claire swiftly held her down so that Ruella would not fall forward.
"Coachman, please be careful! Our princess almost got hurt because you stopped suddenly." Claire said as she opened the window so that her voice could be heard more clearly.
There was silence for a while, making Ruella and Clare exchange suspicious glances.
"There's a group riding from the front, it looks like it's from the Silverpaw pack, milady. Did... Did Alpha Yuto not announce our arrival, Princess Rue? Those men look angry." The coachman's voice rang out.
At the same time, the hoofbeats of the horses could be heard coming closer and closer.
Ruella looked wary. It would be a lie if she said she wasn't scared, due to the fact that she felt like dying from nerves. Ruella was also sure that her father had not sent any message to the Silverpaw pack about her arrival, so it was no wonder that her carriage was stopped before even entering the border gate.
"Who are you, and what is the need to enter our territory?" Asked one of the warriors with a sharp gaze and a sword ready to swing.
The coachman looked stunned, he wasn't even part of the warriors and was just an ordinary coachman who suddenly got the task of escorting their Alpha's daughter. So, he couldn't refuse. Now he had to face pressure and threats in the middle of the trees far from anywhere, even if he died, no one would know.
"Answer, you fool." Pressed the warrios without dismounting.
"I... I'm just doing my duty to--"
"Whoever is in the royal carriage, dismount right now or your coachman's head will be on the ground!"
In front of them, a group of warriors in armor were lined up in an alert position, blocking the entrance to the Silverpaw Pack.
One of the warriors with brunette hair approached, his voice loud and firm, "Get off the carriage! This is the first warning. Otherwise, we will destroy it with you inside!"
Claire, who was sitting next to Ruella, looked at her in panic. "Princess, let me get off. I'll talk to them first."
Ruella shook her head lightly. "I should explain the purpose of my arrival. After all, we have nothing to fear since we have no bad intentions."
"Your Highness, this is too dangerous. Let me and the coachman settle this," Claire urged, but Ruella remained firm in her decision.
Ruella took a deep breath, then opened the carriage door and got off slowly, looking even more graceful when the wind blew through her beautifully coiffed black hair. Her beautiful, porcelain-white skin contrasted beautifully with the greenery around her.
Her smile was so sweet, a dominating warrior mused, transfixed by the unknown guest's beautiful smile.
The other warriors were mesmerized too for a moment, almost forgetting what they were there for.
"Hello..." Ruella stood on the cold ground with a sweet smile, lifting her chin and looking at the warriors with the gentleness of a high-class noble princess. Her elegance did not take away from the fact that she was being brave at the moment.
The leading warrior looked at her with a skeptical and cautious gaze. A beautiful and graceful girl could be the most dangerous threat.
"I am Beta Orion, who are you, and what is your purpose in the Silverpaw Pack?" He asked as he got off the horse, approaching Ruella with his hand ready to draw his sword from its sheath.
Ruella caught her breath, calming the irregular heartbeat. "Oh hi, my name is Ruella. I came from the Bluemoon Pack with the purpose of meeting Alpha Calix, your... Alpha."
Bluemoon pack?! The warriors looked at each other with angry expressions because they did not have a good relationship with the bluemoon pack, not after the pack started a war that killed the previous Alpha, Calix's father. They also received no orders or notifications about the arrival of guests from the enemy pack.
Beta Orion tried to hide his surprise. A month had passed regarding Calix being mated to the enemy's daughter, and now a girl from there appeared.
'There's no way that ritual really worked, right?' Beta Orion looked more intensely at Ruella, who was smiling awkwardly.
Some looked incredulous, then others chimed in, "What makes you think you can meet our Alpha?"
Ruella smiled slightly, trying not to look intimidated. "Because I'm his mate," she replied, making several warriors whisper to each other.
"She's delusional, hahaha."
Realizing that no one believed her words, Ruella was slightly offended.
"I have proof," she continued as she walked to the carriage at the back where her luggage was kept. Then, she took out a small jug from the cloth bag she was clutching tightly. "Look at this!"
The warriors burst out laughing, thinking Ruella was lying and even crazy, except for Beta Orion. Beta Orion actually looked uneasy knowing that Ruella wasn't lying.
Ruella was annoyed, then walked closer to Beta Orion. She confidently showed him the contents of the jug.
"You see for yourself? I did the ritual, and by the way..." Ruella whispered slightly, "Is Alpha Calix handsome?" She whispered in question.
Beta Orion took the jug from Ruella's hand and looked inside the jug, engraved with Calix's name, the mark of the mate determination ritual, which was the same engraving that appeared on Calix's clay basin.
"Excuse me, you haven't answered my question, sir. So, how is he? Is he handsome? Better looking than you?" Ruella repeated her question curiously.
Claire, who saw her master's usual behavior, seemed resigned. "Even in a situation like this, she still thinks about what her future husband looks like. Oh my goodness, please save us the moongoddess..."
Beta Orion eyed Ruella from head to toe, "You're... you're Ruella, aren't you?" He asked for confirmation, matching the name that appeared in the ritual at that time.
Ruella's eyes bulged, sparkling with pleasure that someone recognized her. She looked at Beta Orion closely, trying to reassure him. "Yes, I'm Ruella from the Bluemoon Pack. You may not have heard of me, but I'm Alpha Yuto's daughter. Trust me, and I've come to meet Alpha Calix, my mate. My own father sent me."
'She's so noisy.' Beta Orion frowned, 'At this rate, it won't matter. Calix won't be able to stand it and will reject her immediately.' he thought as he belittled Ruella.
Orion nodded, then ordered one of the warriors. "Take her to the camp. Make sure she gets a proper escort. I'll send a message to Alpha Calix, he should be on his way here for a routine review."
Ruella smiled happily, turning to Claire, who also looked relieved that the warriors were beginning to soften and let them enter the Silverpaw pack's territory, but they still looked wary.
They let Ruella get back into the carriage.
Before returning to the carriage, Ruella turned to Orion and smiled slightly. "Thank you, Beta Orion, for trusting me. But you still won't answer me? How does Alpha Calix look? Don't get me wrong, I don't care about looks. Just curious,"
"You will meet him soon." Beta Orion said.
Ruella looked disappointed, but she didn't want to insist if no one wanted to tell her.
Claire immediately led Ruella away from the presence of the warriors, then opened the carriage door for her and made sure her handsome man-obsessed master was seated comfortably.
In a low voice, Claire whispered, "My princess, I know you are very impatient to see Alpha Calix, but please do not act rashly."
"Aey... What did I do? I only asked, I didn't mean to make them angry." Ruella said, "It seems they are not as bad as people talk about." She muttered softly.
The carriage was moving again, this time with an escort of several Silverpaw Pack warriors towards the encampment at the border gate.
"Alpha Calix, please come over quickly..." Ruella murmured, eager to see him soon.