Erik's POV
Surprisingly, Clara leaned into my touch when we were watching the basement burn, but she coldly left my touch after that. I couldn't understand how much Clara sank, but I knew she was barely keeping it in. I have been thinking about my next moves, I want to avoid making the same mistake twice, but this time it is hard for me to sink it in.
"You know where that basement leads to"
Clara's words replayed in my mind. I know what I have to do, I have respected and adored him, but now, all of it seems so fake. With Clara's face lingering in my mind, my decision is final. Even if we drifted apart, she is still my soulmate.
The ride back to the pack house of Alpha Kyle is quiet and bumpy. Clara didn't go back with us and decided to run around. "She is keeping her distance from us after our touch," Liam said, and I agreed. I don't know if she was embarrassed or angry at herself for falling into our link, but I don't care. Feeling her lean into my touch is enough for me to think that we are still together and that will not change.
We need to start preparing things. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Feeling my fatigue, I sighed and decided to mind-link my most trusted subordinate.
"Vincent"
"Yes, your majesty?"
"Any news on Tia?"
"She will arrive at dawn together with our warriors."
"Good, send words to Alpha Rick to march his troops to Wild Peak pack. Spread the words that we will eradicate Wild Peak and the pack of rogues once and for all."
"Yes, your majesty."
I am exhausted. I'm curious about what my mate is up to now. She must be running through the forest as if it was her hometown. She has always been like that, and whenever she starts running, you can't help but feel stunned at her majestic sight. Her pure white wolf has gold specs and proud and elegant movements that can surely open your mouth. I slowly opened my eyes and smiled while looking out the window, thinking about the time she ran around with our pack members around our territory.
"I miss her," Liam said.
"Me too," I replied and continued watching the forest outside the window.
When we got back, I saw Clara standing outside the pack house, and when she heard the car's engine, she turned around to look at us. Looking at her furious look, I wondered what had happened and rushed towards her worryingly.
"It seems we have a visitor," Clara said while smirking.
I calmed myself and entered the pack house. Alpha Kyle greeted us and leaned closer to my ear. "The Wild Peak Alpha has come, your majesty. He is in the library," He whispered, and I nodded. We can't start the war without all of our troops, and we need to be fully prepared if I do not want to sacrifice my subordinates in vain.
"Don't engage. Let's first see what he's up to. We can't carelessly fight him without our warriors," I said to Vincent through the mind-linked. I looked back and saw Clara fighting back the urge to kill, and she knew that we couldn't ignite a fight inside the pack house since there were children, elders, and multiple she-wolves that could not fight here.
I sighed and followed Alpha Kyle to the library. I entered the library and saw a familiar back I had always admired. I couldn't believe that the vast back I had been following since I lost my father would look so small now. When he felt my presence behind him, he shoved back the book he was holding inside the shelf and faced me. He smiled brightly at me, which made my blood boil.
"How are you, your majesty," He asked and bowed to me as if mocking me. Behind those bright warm smiles of him hides a beast.
"I am doing fine, thank you, what brings you here?" I asked, using my calm voice.
He walked and looked around the library while smiling. "I've been worried about you," he said and looked at me sadly. "How can he smile and look someone worried? How can he act like that? I am foolish for believing this act for years," I thought.
I didn't know that I smirked at his words, that the old man looked at me with a surprised look. "Oh, forgive me, I remembered something funny," I said and calmed myself.
"I see. It looks like you are doing okay. I am relieved that I see you like this, your majesty," he said while smiling at me sadly.
"You don't have to be worried about me any longer. I am stronger than before," I said with total confidence.
"Truly, I am relieved," He replied and walked towards me. He hugged me immediately when he got close, making me stiff. I couldn't believe he dared to hug me like this. I bit my lip due to frustration and just hugged him back.
"Relieved, I couldn't have known that you were doing much better when you lost something so important," He whispered sarcastically. My eyes grew big in surprise. In these words, it is confirmed that he is the mastermind of all of this. I gritted my teeth and was about to kill him when I remembered that he had my child.
I calmed myself and gripped his shirt from his back while hugging him. "As I've said, you no longer need to worry about me," I said. We broke the hug, and he walked past me.
"Then, until our next meeting, your majesty."
"Yes, until then, be sure to take care of yourself, Alpha Roy," I said
"Since I will be the one who will kill you," I thought, and he left the room. After a few minutes, I went to Alpha Kyle's office when he left.
Clara's POV
"Truly, I am relieved."
"Relieved, I couldn't have known that you were doing much better when you lost something so important."
"As I've said, you no longer need to worry about me."
"Then, until our next meeting, your majesty."
"Yes, until then, be sure to take care of yourself, Alpha Roy."
Erik knew I was also here at the library, but how could he act calmly in front of the man who made us suffer like this? I waited for the both of them to leave and think things through. Does Erik don't care? No, impossible. I felt in our link that he was furious in their entire conversation. Does he have a plan?
"Don't tell me he still can't accept that Alpha Roy was the true traitor."
At this thought, I immediately left the library and rushed to where Erik was. I slammed the door open, causing them to be surprised. "What are you doing sitting there?!" I shouted at him. "What do you mean, Clara?" He asked with a confused look.
"You already know where our child is! You already know he's the one who is behind at everything! Can't you still understand?! He is why your pack got wiped out in the past, and he is the cause of my former pack and my parent's death!"
Erik stood up and was about to walk closer to me. "Calm down, Clara" his words made me even more furious than I could be. "CALM DOWN?! I FOUND OUT WHERE MY CHILD IS BEING KEPT! WHO KILLED MY FAMILY AND PACK? STILL, YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?!" I shouted at him with all my might until I realized something.
That realization made me calm and disappointed in him. I looked at him with disbelief, and he stopped walking toward me. I need to stop caring. "I know now," I said, looking at him straight in the eyes and using the calmest voice.
"You don't care since you didn't want the child in the first place," I said and left him there. I walked away from the office and locked myself in the room where I was staying at.
I spent my afternoon gazing at the forest through my window. When I saw the sunset, I left the pack house and walked through the woods. "I will rescue my child by myself since I cannot rely upon and trust anyone," I said to myself. I felt someone's presence and looked back.
"Come out," I ordered the man secretly following me. The man jumped off the tree branch, and it was Ian.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"His majesty summoned us," He replied while bowing to me.
"Us? So, he is not by himself," I thought and turned my back on him.
"Go back, and don't you dare follow me," I said and started walking away from him, but he still followed me.
I looked back at him. "I said do not follow me," I said using a threatening voice and directed my aura to him. He was crushed down to the ground, and when I saw him struggling, I removed my aura and left him behind.
I walked and took my time to go to the Wild Peak pack. I will gather my strength until I arrive there. I will make sure every one of them will be killed. I will not let anyone escape.
"My child, your mother will come to you now," I said, focusing on my track.
The sun had risen when I got near their territory. I have come across multiple rogues on the way and killed them. I finally arrived at their territory and barged my way inside.
"Do we have enough?" I asked Angeline.
"Yes, don't worry. Let us rescue our child," she said, and I focused on attacking the pack.
Numerous rogues launched at me, but I managed to kill them all without wasting more time. Even the members of the Wild Peak pack that was hesitant to attack their Queen, I didn't hold back and killed them all. They already betrayed us, so they don't need any mercy from me.
"All of them will die here, and the Queen will give their punishment."
I continued barging inside their pack, killing everyone in my way.
Erik's POV
"My king! My king!"
I woke up at the sudden shout of someone and realized that I had fallen asleep at the office. I pinched the bridge of my nose and let my eyes adjust to the light of the office. Someone suddenly barged inside the office, causing the door to be slammed open. There I saw Tia standing at the entrance of my office. "When did you arrive?" I asked.
"We just arrived, and Ian came across Clara on our way here since he was the first to arrive," she said. Hearing the name Clara surprised me, and I stood from my seat anxiously.
"What did you say?" I asked nervously.
"It seems she was wandering around at night in the middle of the forest," Tia said, confused. I ignored her and rushed towards her room of Clara. I opened the door and looked for Clara in every corner of her room, but I found nothing.
My blood went cold, and I rushed back to the office. "What's wrong?" Tia asked, full of fear in her eyes.
"Order the men to get ready! We will now march towards the Wild Peak pack!" I said to Tia and started walking away from the office.
"Wait, Erik! Tell me what happened?!" Tia asked while grabbing my hand to stop me from walking away.
"Clara attacked the Wild Peak pack by herself," I said while biting my lip. Tia gasped, but I ignored it since we had little time.
I fastened my walk until I reached outside. I saw the countless warriors standing outside the pack house fully equipped and Alpha Kyle with his warriors. It seems that Tia mind-linked them immediately. When they saw me standing at the entrance of the pack house, they all kneeled and greeted me.
"Your majesty," They all said.
"Her highness, the Queen attacked the Wild Peak pack by herself. Our child, the royal highness, is still alive. All of you know what your job is, right?! Wipe them all out! Let's follow the Queen!" I spoke.
"Yes, your majesty!" They all said, and we marched.