Chapter 54 - My Omega Queen

POV: Grace

Pure, unfettered rage came off the figure standing before me in waves, his aura sending shivers down my spine. The pack warriors holding me down shifted on their legs and their arms trembled slightly as the man slowly turned his head toward us.

It took me a second to register the identity of the mysterious figure, mostly because I had expected Zain and his company to be already out of the village, long lost in the safety of the forest they call home.

However, my flaring nostrils and the slight tug in my chest could not be questioned.

Even though his features were morphed into more of a beast than a human, with razor-sharp fangs hanging underneath his upper lip, and chestnut fur covering his bare skin, the person staring down at me was none other than my mate.

My fated mate.

The crowd was still in shock, a mix of murmurs and curses spreading around the circle. Most of them were too busy bustling about and kissing Jason’s a*s, making sure the little Prince was fine, but there were also a few who took notice of Zain’s smell and took a step back, confusion etched on their faces. They were trying to decide if the presence of a rogue was part of the Mating Season or of an invasion.

Little did they know that either would be right, in its own way.

Zain stared me down with bright, golden-rimmed eyes; a clear sign of who was in charge. His head tilted questioningly, making me aware of the position I was in. The pack warriors that brought me kneeling in the dirt loosened their grasp under Zain’s murderous stare.

After all, a rogue had just managed to sneak by them and throw their leader around like a shagged rag.

I couldn’t help clicking my tongue at the frustration that he, of all people, had to witness me in this state. Political affairs and the attitude they required of me must be a distant concept for him since rogues only knew how to settle things with fists and kicks.

Even so, I took advantage of the fear instilled in the pack warriors as I jerked my right hand from the grasp of my assailant and swiftly jabbed my elbow into his crotch with enough strength to make him wish for the sweet release of death, but not enough to leave him childless. As one of them was now curled up on the ground crying in pain, my head jerked toward the other pack warrior, determined to make his life even worse. With more inspiration and survival instinct, this one quickly let go of my arm and put his hands up, “Sorry!” he mustered before retreating into the gaping crowd.

In my line of sight, I could see that the werewolves holding Chloe down were not as lucky. She was quicker than me to take advantage of the situation. Three solid men now lay limp underneath her feet, their noses and faces bashed into no recognition.

I cringed at the thought that not even werewolf abilities might be able to heal their features as they were.

I sighed thinking that there was nothing to be done now. Then I stood up and again made eye contact with the golden eyes still trailing my every movement. Zain’s brows frowned before he spoke, his voice laced with sarcasm, “Did I interrupt your marking ceremony, Your Highness?” He shrugged, “My apologies.”

“You don’t look sorry at all,” I replied with a sarcasm of my own.

Then he opened his mouth to retort, but a growl interrupted our conversation, and both our heads turned toward the source. Jason was standing there, holding a hand to his forehead where a gashing wound was sizzling as it healed. His Alpha aura was spilling out every pore he had, the surrounding werewolves either kneeling or retreating into the safety of the house. “What do you think you’re doing, rogue?!” He spat, “I’ll have your head for this.” Jason threatened.

Completely unimpressed by Jason’s display of strength, Zain scoffed, “As expected from a spoiled Alpha brat, you believe that everything and everyone should bow to you and your wishes. Even if that means forcing yourself on another person.” Then he added in a low voice, “You disgust me.”

“What are you even talking about?” Jason replied with amusement, “I’m not forcing myself on anyone. Grace also agreed to this.”

Zain’s body twitched for a second, so quickly that I must have imagined it. His fist clenched by his side as he just stood in silence while Jason rambled, “The two of us have been blessed by the Moon Goddess. If I mark her now or in a few hours, it’s the same thing.”

By now, Zain was brimming with murderous intent. Even though our bond had no time to develop, his feelings were so strong that they managed to cross the slim thread of fate that tied us together. My hand instinctively reached up as my body urged me to touch him, to calm my mate down.

“Sh*t. Is Jason that oblivious?! Even so, I cannot let Zain kill him. That would put him on the most wanted poster until the end of time.” I thought. Perhaps if it was me, I could still escape with just a scolding from my Father, but not him.

A howl echoed throughout the night air, carried by the wind, making everyone go silent. The howl was clear in its message; it was announcing the escape of the prisoners.

I couldn’t help a curse escaping my mouth out loud. Zain’s ears perked but his eyes were still locked in on Jason, a choice being made visible in his eyes.

Jason began putting the pieces together as his mouth gaped and he exchanged looks between the two of us.

“Chloe”, I said as I turned toward her, the message obvious between us.

She simply replied with a smile and a nod, “I’ll stall them. Go ahead.”

Then, without thinking twice about it, I grabbed Zain’s hand in an attempt to lure him away from the scene. The tingles of electricity ran up my arm and triggered goosebumps to appear on my skin, their suddenness almost making me wince away. But I didn’t let go of his hand, “We should leave. Now.” I told him with as much authority as I could muster.

My touch was enough to break him out of his thoughts, making him stare in disbelief at the spot where our hands met.

The remaining werewolves gathered behind Jason, all of them trying to look as sober as they could. At this moment, I thanked the Goddess that they were too drunk to shift. So many werewolves would be too much even for Chloe. The werewolves were so distracted by the realization that the rogue who had just attacked their Prince was also the fugitive, that none of them saw Chloe’s wolf as she tackled Jason to the ground.

I again took advantage of the situation and I pulled Zain after me, surprised that I found no resistance at the other end. Some werewolves tried to follow us, but they stood no chance in comparison with our sober and healthy wolves lending us their speed as we got lost in the darkness of the forest.

We ran as fast as we could. I wasted no time to even look behind me. If I wasn’t holding his hand, I wouldn’t even be able to tell if he were still in my wake or not. I scrambled for my knowledge of the Silver Fangs’ pack’s pathways in the deep, archived parts of my mind, cursing at myself for not following the advice of memorizing such details before visiting another pack.

“You have such a dirty mouth for a Princess,” I heard Zain’s smug voice from behind me. I hadn’t even realized I cursed out loud this time.

I scoffed, “If you have enough energy to care for my mouth, then you should spend it trying to figure out the best route toward the nearest border.”

“Oh, but that’s easy. If we take a right here, then all that’s left is to follow the path of the moon for about two minutes.”

My feet halted and he bumped into my back, almost making me stumble, “You knew where we should go all this time, and you just let me get us lost?! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Zain straightened himself before he spoke with a mischievous smile tugging at his lips, “Because I wanted to hold your hand for as long as possible.”

Another tug at my chest.

Warmth spread through me as I realized that it was just the two of us standing in the forest.

My heart was beating frantically at this moment, and I couldn’t tell if it was due to the running, or due to the proximity in which we stood.

I swallowed a lump in my throat.

Zain began, “I-“

But another howl interrupted him, coming from the direction that we had just come from. A wolf got our scent.

I gripped Zain’s hand tighter and we ran again.