Chapter 1

I stand here looking at all the bloody, lifeless bodies, scattered across the clearing. The scent of blood fills my nose. It's all over now. Father has killed the Alpha King, ending a feud that has left a nasty scar on my family and scarring Lucious family in the process. 

Wolves shift back, helping their wounded family and friends up from the ground, following Lucious towards the forest. I watch Lucious, not wanting him to leave. My heart clenches in my chest, as thoughts of Lucious not wanting me anymore, fills my head. My father just killed his father and now he probably wants nothing to do with me. 

"Lu-Lucious." His name comes out in a low whisper, afraid that my thoughts are true and that he really doesn't want me as his mate anymore.

Hearing my low whisper of his name, Lucious stop and look over at me, staring into my soul with those now cold, pain-filled eyes. "Are you coming with me or not?" He asks dryly as if he doesn't care if I come or not. My beast whimpers out for its mate. I feel a pain in my chest, seeing him this way. He just watched his father die and now he's carrying his broken mother in his arms as she cries out for her dead mate. 

I look over at my mother and father not knowing what to say. A big part of me doesn't want to leave my family. All my life I thought my father and uncle were dead, but that wasn't so. They had been locked away for all these years. I finally have my whole family, something I never thought I'll have. Mother and father are now happy together. Everything is perfect for the first time and I don't want to leave them.

I feel my eyes start to burn with tears from this choice. Although a part of me wants me to stay with my family, a greater part of me is telling me that Lucious needs me. 

Father gives me a slight nod telling me it's okay if I go with Lucious. "It's okay baby, he's your mate." Mother says agreeing with father.

I look back over at Lucious, standing there, looking at me with those cold eyes, waiting for my answer. As much as I want to stay here with my family, I can't bring myself to say no to him. I can feel the mate bond pulling at me as I hesitantly take a step towards Lucious and all the wolves that are walking into the forest.  

Lucious turn and walk into the forest with the wolves. I look back at my family as they watch me leave. They all give me small smiles of goodbyes. My eyes land on BJ. He gives me a slight nod before turning and walking away. I can feel through the twin bond that we share that he doesn't want for me to leave with Lucious. We've never been separated. We've always been together since kids. 

I'll be back to visit them all soon.

I follow closely behind Lucious, disappearing into the thickness of the forest. I look around, surrounded by two hundred or so guys. Some walking in their wolf form, while many others help carry their injured friends. They give me low growls and glares, showing their dislike for me. Out of instinct, I flash them teeth back.

I kill a few of their friends back there and I can see they're not happy about that. All the wolves I killed back there was in self-defense. I was trying to stop BJ and Lucious from fighting and while doing so, wolves attacked me and I killed them. I didn't go after them, they came after me. 

I look away from the wolves. My eyes land on Lucious bloody back, carrying his sobbing mother. The only thing that can be heard is the low growls from the wolves that I ignore and the sounds of Lucious's mother cries. I let out a sigh, looking down at my feet as I follow close behind Lucious. I can feel how unwanted I am around these wolves.

I didn't want things to happen this way.  I tried to help, but me helping by setting Lucious and his mother free from that prison did no good. Why things couldn't have just been simple like every other mate story. Why couldn't we just have met and fallen in love as normal mates do? Lucious and I being mates are built on a foundation of hate, tears, and blood.

 We've been surrounded by so much fighting and death within the passing weeks. Things shouldn't be like this. I'm happy to finally have my father and I wouldn't change it, but things were different before BJ freed our father. Before everyone knew who we were and that our father is the Lycan king, we lived a normal life amongst the humans and I'm starting to miss how simple things were before.

We continue to walk for hours and hours none stop, traveling through the safe lands, leading us far from the castle. 

The sun went down hours ago, leaving us now walking through another dark forest. I look around, staying alert, knowing we're not the only predators who're lurking through the forest at night. 

My legs started to grow tired from all the walking. I want to ask Lucious how much further do we have to go, but I don't want to break the silence that has surrounded us since Lucious mother cried herself to sleep. 

Suddenly Lucious stop. "Eat and rest." His smooth, deep voice sounding like music to my ears. But his voice doesn't hold that cheery cockiness I remember when I talked to him for the first time in that prison cell.

All the men start to take a seat on the ground to rest.

I follow Lucious over to the side, watching him as he gently lays his mother's sleeping body on the soft grass of the forest floor. "I-I'm sorry about your father Lucious." My words come out low, looking down at his mother, taking in her appearance. She's a beautiful woman. I released Lucious and his mother from the prison that night, hoping Lucious's father and his mother would just leave. I didn't want anyone to die. I knew Lucious's father couldn't kill mine. Lucious and his father may be strong hybrids, but I've felt the power my father holds and it's more. They're still beneath him.

"Your apology isn't needed." He turns his back to me and just stands there for a second, before walking away, helping with the wounded men.

I take a seat on the forest floor, not too far from Lucious's mother. I sit here watching Lucious help with the wounded men. This cockiness that he once had about him when I went down to the prison to see him is now gone. I only saw that side of him for a short time and for some reason I really miss it. I want to see that cocky smirk that he looked at me with before. Now his face is emotionless and his eyes are filled with pain. They say a mate is supposed to be able to help with things like this. I want to help him, but I don't know-how.

A few minutes later three guys come dragging six large deer. They drop the deer to the ground, using their claws to skin them, while another guy gets a fire started.

My eyes go back to Lucious as he continues to help with the wounded men. The low groans coming from the men fill the dark forest as bones are being snapped back into their rightful place to heal correctly. I look around at all the wounded men, taking in the aftermath destruction of my family's teeth and claws. Many of these guys barely make it out of the fight alive, while many of their friends weren't so lucky.

Once finished, Lucious comes over and take a seat on the ground between his mother and I. He doesn't say anything, just sit there with a cold blank expression, glaring forward into the fire, that's cooking the meat as if he's deep in thought. Not knowing what to say, I decide not to say anything and just leave him with his thoughts for now.

I sit here next to Lucious, glancing over at him every now and then. It's like he's frozen in time, glaring into the crackling flames of the fire. He doesn't move an inch, not even a blink of his eyes as he glare into the flames. The only movement that is detected is the clenching of his jaws. 

"Lu-Lucious." His name comes out in a low whisper. I reach out placing my hand on his clenched fist that's resting on his knee. I feel those tingles spread through the palm of my hand, making their way up my arm, causing a shiver to go down my spine. I've felt these tingles when we kissed in that prison cell. 

He looks over at me, the glare slowly leaving his face, but the coldness and pain don't leave his eyes. "A-are you okay?" Distracted by the tingling of my hand on his, I say the first thing that comes to mind without thinking. Of course, he's not okay. He just watched his father die and his mother breaks down over the loss of his father.

His jaws clench, looking back over at the fire. "I'm fine." He says he's fine, but I can see that he's not. I leave my hand on top of his, slightly squeezing his balled fist, causing him to relax it.

I hate that we've been caught in the middle of our father's feud. The goddess has a strange way of paring mates, but she makes no mistake. I just wish Lucious and I met on better, normal terms. Our families will forever be stained with the blood and hate for each other. 

My father doesn't hate Lucious, it was Lucious's father who he hated, so he killed him. BJ hates Lucious and wants to kill him for the things Lucious have done. And I'm sure Lucious hate my entire family and I'm afraid Lucious won't easily let this go.

A guy walks over to Lucious and me, carrying a thick piece of the deer meat. "Alpha, you should eat." The guy slightly bows his head to Lucious, holding the meat out for Lucious to take.

I slightly frown, hearing the guy address Lucious as his alpha. Is Lucious the alpha of a pack?

"I'm fine Jokel," Lucious tells the guy.

The guy gives Lucious a slight nod, before glaring over at me. He brings the thick piece of meat to his mouth, ripping a chunk away, letting his sharp elongated teeth show as he chews the meat, letting me know that he will not be sharing his meal with me. 

My jaws clench, not liking the way he's looking down on me as if I'm not worthy to share a meal with them. I glare at him, forcing my beast down, stopping myself from ripping into this guy's throat, because that will only make things worst. There has been enough bloodshed.

The guy walks away, going over taking a seat on the ground as he continues to rip into the thick piece of meat. One after another, the men go over to the roasted deers. Their sharp claws slicing through the juicy meat, taking their share of the kill. 

I look around at all the men eating. I inhale the rich scent of the roasted meat that now fills the forest, causing my stomach to growl out. Lucious looks over at me, hearing my stomach growl out. 

He stands to his feet and I reluctantly let his still balled fist go. The second his hand leaves mine, I feel this strange emptiness, missing the feeling of the tingles from our skin making contact. I watch Lucious walk over to one of the roasted deer. He extends his sharp claws and slices away a thick piece of meat, before coming back over to me.

"Eat." He holds the meat out for me to take. My beast mentally nudges at me, wanting me to take the food that our mate is providing for us.

"Thank you." I reached out taking the meat from Lucious's hand, accepting what my mate is giving. I start to hear low growls, coming from the men. I look around at all the glaring eyes, not liking that I'll be sharing their meal with them. I flash sharp teeth as I take a bite of the meat, holding their gaze, daring any of them to try to stop me.

I know these people hate me and I don't want to add fuel to their fire of hate, but I will not lie down and let them walk over me from eating what Lucious has given me.

Lucious takes his seat back next to me while I eat. "You should have some for yourself." I hold the meat out for him to have some. He has to be hungry after the long day of walking.

"I'm fine." He looks at the meat in my hand, before looking back over at the fire. My beast whimper inside of me, at him turning down the food I offered him.

I let out a small sigh, knowing he has a lot on his mind right now. I just want to help him in any way I can.

I look over, seeing two of the men coming our way fast in their wolf form. They shift once they're in front of Lucious. "Alpha, a pack of wolves is headed our way." One of the guys tells Lucious.

A low growl rumbles from Luciou's chest as he stands to his feet. All the men around follow suit and quickly get to their feet. Even a few of the wounded men slowly get to their feet to fight. No one has to die tonight. There has been enough fighting and killing these last past weeks, no more blood has to be shed.

"I can stop this Lucious, I can talk to the Alpha." I stand to my feet, looking at Lucious's glaring face. I can hear the sound of paws beating against the forest floor, heading our way. I can stop this. It doesn't have to come to a fight.

Lucious glares over at me. "I don't need for you to speak for me." He turns his attention back to his men, looking around at them all. "Stay here and protect the wounded. If any of them manage to get past me you kill them all!" Lucious eyes turn black and his skin turns a blackish color as his body starts to shift. His teeth elongate as his facial bones start to reform and his muscles start to bulge as his bones snap and stretch, making him much taller and bigger. 

He let out a growl, towering over me. Before I get a chance to say anything else, Lucious take off quickly, disappearing through the thick trees of the dark forest.

All the men start to shift, forming a wall of teeth and claws in front of the wounded men who are still laying on the ground, waiting to kill anything that comes their way. 

I have to stop this. I can't just stand here and let this happen when I can do something about it. I move past the wolves, quickly moving through the trees, following the sound of fighting.

Once I get to them, I see Lucious surrounded by wolves, slicing and knocking the large wolves around as they attack, sinking teeth and claws into him, trying to take him down. But Lucious is bigger, faster, and stronger they're no match for him. Lucious will kill them all if I don't stop this.

I shift and let out the loudest roar I can, letting my dominance pour from me the way I witness BJ do. I may not be as strong as my father and BJ, but I'm still a descendant of the first Lycan. I'm still more than them.

The wolves stop attacking and all attention is now on me.

I shift back and the crowd of wolves moves to the sides, letting me through. I make my way to Lucious who is standing in the center of the pack of wolves. Lucious shift back. His body slowly shrinking down to its normal size. I watch the deep bite and claw marks on his body slowly stitch themselves together.

The large black wolf standing in front of Lucious shift back breathing heavily. 

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, princess Lisa." The alpha bows his head to me and all the wolves surrounding us, lower their heads to the ground.  "I didn't know you were with him and those mutts." The alpha glare over at Lucious.

A deep growl rumble from Luciou's chest. Lucious takes a step towards the alpha, lips pulled back, flashing his elongated teeth. "Choose your next words wisely." Luscious words come out low and deadly, glaring at the alpha.

The alpha takes a step forward, standing just as tall as Lucious. The alpha glare back at Lucious, not backing down from a fight he will lose. "This is my land. Your father isn't king anymore and your words hold no authority here."

Lucious jaws clench and his black claws slowly extend. Before Lucious react by killing this guy, I speak, stepping in front of Lucious. "We didn't know we were on your packs land. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning." 

The alpha gives me a nod, but don't take his eyes off Lucious. "Stay as long as you need princess Lisa." The alpha says.

"Come on Lucious." I grab his hand to leave, but he doesn't budge. He holds his place, glaring at the alpha who's glaring back. I slightly pull at Lucious arm, to get him to move. "Let's go Lucious," I say, hoping he'll listen.

Lucious glare at the alpha for a second longer, before walking away, pulling his hand out of mine. I let out a sigh, following Lucious through the forest, leaving the wolves. 

"I told you I didn't need for you to speak for me," Lucious growls out, as he walks, not looking back at me. I can hear the anger in his voice.

I follow closely behind Lucious through the dark forest, looking at his tensed back. "I was only trying to help. I know you're angry Lucious, but you can't go around hurting people just because you're angry. My father has laws in place for these types of things." If Lucious would've killed those wolves, he would've had to answer to father for his crimes.

Lucious turn around glaring at me. "Don't tell me what I can and cannot do! I don't give a fuck about your father nor his laws! He's not my fucking king!" He spits the words at me, before turning walking away.

I let out a sigh, looking at his back as he disappears through the thick trees of the forest. He may not accept father as his king, but that doesn't mean father won't punish him for the laws he breaks.