Last Stand

LIANA

Lucian and I enjoyed two blissful days of peace and quiet after our little hunting game together. It’s been perfect—romantic and intimate—just spending time with each other. Lucian has been showing me some of the responsibilities I will be taking on once officially crowned. It’s been more enjoyable than I expected. We’ve had some pleasant introductory phone calls to pack alphas, with me sitting snuggled in Lucian’s lap at his desk. He’s been showing me some of the paperwork too. This part is fairly new to him since he recovered his sight so recently, so in some ways we’re learning together.

I’m sitting in the snuggle chair in the corner of Lucian’s office, reading a library book, while Lucian is on the phone with the assistant of a council member, when the voice comes into my head.

~“Princess.”~ I stiffen and straighten up from my reclined position in the chair. I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Zeke.

I start to block him out but he stops me in my tracks.

~“Princess! Don’t go. This is urgent!”~ His voice does sound…odd. I glance at Lucian, who is still talking on the phone, and chew on my lip anxiously before answering.

~“What?”~ I don’t bother with politeness.

~“Princess, we request your presence… It’s Alpha.”~

My stomach twists and I immediately feel sick. I stand up quickly, throwing down the book, and Lucian’s head snaps up.

~“What’s happened?!”~ I demand.

~“There was an attack on your father while he was on border patrol. A rogue. Alpha’s in critical condition.”~

I dash from the room and hear Lucian hurriedly putting the phone down to follow me as I take the stairs two at a time.

~“How long?”~ I ask as I run.

~“We’re unsure, Princess… We do not feel like it will be long…”~

~“I’m on my way,”~ I tell him, and start throwing some of my clothes into an overnight bag just as Lucian slides around the corner and grips the doorframe.

“What’s going on?!” he demands, panic lacing his voice.

“My father was attacked. He’s in bad shape. I need to see him, Lucian. For all the things he may have done, he is still my father. I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t at least try to make amends…” I huff out while continuing to pack.

Lucian catches my wrist. “Baby, listen to me. You shouldn’t be going alone.” The worry in his eyes is evident. I zip up my bag quickly, then wrap my arms around Lucian’s neck and shoulders. Burying my face in his chest, I inhale deeply.

“I love you, Lucian. You have made me strong, I can handle my father; I know what he’s capable of. I’ll be okay, but I can’t wait. Come tomorrow; I know you have all those meetings set up this afternoon—but I have to leave right now.” I can feel the worry gnawing at his heart as his shoulders sag. He releases his grip on me a little.

“Tomorrow.” There’s a pleading note in his voice.

“Tomorrow.” I look up into the mixed swirls of color in his worried eyes. Sucking in a breath, I rise on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Liana.”

With that, I grab my overnight bag and throw it over my shoulder, forcing myself not to look back at the pain I’ve left in Lucian’s eyes. I can feel his wolf whining within him; mine is whining too. The last thing she wants is to separate from her mate, but if I’m going to face my father on his deathbed, I want to be alone. I have things I ~need~ to say; he doesn’t get to just die without hearing them.

Slipping into one of Lucian’s faster sports cars, I peel out of the driveway. In the rearview mirror, the image of Lucian standing in the doorway, watching me, grows smaller the farther away I get. My heart begins to empty with the distance I’m putting between us, and I can feel a deep hole opening up as the tears well in my eyes. Lucian and I have not been separated since our first proper meeting, not by this amount of distance, anyway. I force myself to focus on the fact that I will see him tomorrow. I need to remain strong, I remind myself, as I race along the tarmac toward my father’s pack.

***

I brake harshly and the car slides on the gravel. I hear the stones flick up against the car’s chassis and grimace slightly, reminding myself to apologize to Lucian when I see him. Jumping out, I leave my bag in the car and race toward the door of my childhood home.

“Princess!” a voice calls out, and I swing around. It’s Zeke. He’s standing there, shirtless and in his usual rough ripped jeans, with an odd look on his face. Half-nakedness is not an unusual sight around my old pack; it seems I was the only one who used to wear clothes.

“Where is he?” I demand, and he turns aside slightly.

“He’s in the hideout. He wanted to be away from the pack to ensure his safety.”

I frown. My father must suspect some of his pack members of treason. Why else would he be in hiding? But there’s no time for questions. I follow Zeke into the woods toward the safe house hideout.

“Is he awake?” I ask as we jog through the trees.

“He was when I left him,” he replies quietly. His unease isn’t surprising, what with the alpha being on his deathbed. It’s enough to fill anyone with panic and dread. The pack won’t survive without an alpha. There will be trials to establish a successor, and a fight to the death for the runners-up. My father never appointed a beta; he always assumed I would take over the pack—as did I, until recently.

I squash down the wave of guilt that rushes through me.

We reach the hideout, a small, concrete, hut-style building. It’s completely windowless except for a skylight with an internal metal lining for protection. It’s a bolt hole for emergencies, designed to provide security to the alpha and his family in case of attack. It’s insulated and completely self-sufficient, with a reinforced security door and a keycode, so in theory, it’s indestructible against attack. I can smell that my father has been brought here recently.

While Zeke punches in the pin, I survey the area, wondering if my father really does have enemies who might be closing in on him. But there’s no sign of anyone lurking in the trees.

Zeke holds the door for me to step inside. “He’s in the back bedroom.” I nod and quickly step past him, but as soon as I enter I’m flooded with a sense of unease. The door bangs shut behind me, making me jump.

Spinning on a heel, I look to the door where Zeke stands, his head hanging and his shoulders sagging a little. I can hear the pin key being punched in from the outside and the locks engaging, trapping us inside.

My stomach twists into a tight knot and I back up until I bump into the wall of the kitchen area. Sliding down the wall to the dust-layered floor, I try to focus on my breathing—but my senses quickly get filled with Zeke’s scent, making me feel even more sick.

“I’m so sorry Liana… After you and Lucian left, I calmed right down. I swear I did. I told Alpha Zayne that I could accept your choice. That we should leave you be. But your father…he…”

I nod silently, tears rolling down my cheeks. I can feel Zeke’s sincerity, and I know that this is my father’s doing. Zeke would have had no choice but to follow my father’s orders. I should have known better than to come here alone. I weep silently on the floor, huddled into a ball with my knees tucked under my chin, as Zeke paces around, unsure of how to help. But he is not my mate; there is nothing he can do except leave me alone. His scent is overpowering in these closed quarters.

“What does he want from me?” I sob to Zeke, who stops pacing. With a sigh, he drops down onto the worn leather sofa. It creaks under his immense weight.

“To mate with me,” he responds quietly. “To keep your bloodline going, for the sake of the pack.”

I scoff to myself and let my head rest back on the wall as the tears continue to flow. “You know that’s not going to happen, don’t you? I am your queen. You cannot come near me without my say so.” I glare at him and he sighs, looking back at me with a soft expression.

“Actually…you haven’t had your ceremony yet, Princess,” he whispers back, and my stomach drops as I scramble back farther into the wall. He gets up quickly and dashes to me to try and ease my panic. “Liana. You know me. I’m not like that, I won’t force myself on you…” He reaches out, resting a hand on my shoulder and smoothing it down my arm slightly. It makes me shiver, but not in a good way.

“Please don’t touch me. I can’t…” I sob until he reluctantly removes his hand. He nods and drops his hand, but stays crouched beside me.

I rest my head back and look up out of the skylight, my heart dropping once again. The moon is almost full and now I see my father’s plan…