Chapter 3

Cora felt the grip around her neck tighten as Tony himself felt the tension in her. He glanced at his mother and then lay his head on Cora's shoulder.  He was not a mama's boy, nor was he really a daddy's boy.

His parents were usually busy and left him alone with his protector. A protector that was now out on the battlefield fighting along with his pack.

Cora held his legs as she met the eyes of the head of the guard. Or that was who she assumed he was.

"Beta Jax? Is this her?"

The guard turned his blonde hair toward the man who made his way to the front of the group. The man walked over to her and she took a step back, growling lowly at his bold movements. Her wolf did not like this man coming so close.

"It's her. Only royalty would be so bold as to disrespect another royal."

She glanced at Jess, whose head was low as she showed her neck to the man. What the hell was going on here? Suddenly, she grabbed her chest and fell to her knees, crying out in pain.

AJ!

Cora turned to look in the direction of the wolves fighting as her mind link went dead with AJ.

Tony began to cry as he felt something was off. Even in his young mind, he understood what had happened.

"You mated with a pack member?!"

The Beta's voice was more of a low growl than anything. His eyes went to the child on Cora's back and he growled even louder. 

"You know that was forbidden! Even if he was your true mate. He was a rogue Jessamine! A rogue that was the son of the worst criminal in werewolf history and you mated with him."

Jessamine? What the hell? What was going on?

A realization hit Cora. Jess was part of the royal pack. She had betrayed them. 

The Beta's eyes glazed over and the head of the guard stepped forward as the Beta placed himself between Jess and her and little Tony. A gasp was heard and a small thump on the ground, mixed with the scent of sweet metallic blood.

"MAMA!"

Tony wailed as he struggled to go to her. Cora brought him around the front of her and he wrapped his arms around her neck sobbing. The boy had just lost both of his parents in a matter of moments and Cora realized that she was all that he had at the moment.

His little body shook as he sobbed into her shoulder. Her eyes were locked on the Beta as she growled, tears burning her own eyes.

"What have you done? Why did you take her life?"

The Beta didn't respond as he stared down at her.

"Get the princess and the pup to safety."

His eyes glazed over and Cora knew that he was mind-linking someone. Suddenly the sound of fighting started to die down and she knew that the war was over. She wondered how much of the pack had been lost.

She lowered her gaze a moment and then set Tony down behind her before she withdrew a knife out of her pant leg.

"Don't come any closer. I mean it."

The Captain of the guard was now approaching her and the Beta had suddenly disappeared back into the large group of men that stood facing them. She was not going down without a fight. She felt the tiny hands of her nephew gripping her leg and she knew that he was scared.

"Princess...."

The Captain of the guard took a step closer. She took one back. Tony adjusted to her movements and she held the knife up glaring at the captain. Her eyes were glowing, her wolf was close to the surface.

"Princess....we are here to take you home. We are not going to harm you and the pup....it's okay."

Cora narrowed her now black eyes and glared at him through them.

"You allow my brother to die and then you kill his mate. Then you think I am not going to put up a fight? I am not going anywhere with you."

During this encounter, she had not noticed the guard surrounding them. Some in wolf form, others in human. When she glanced around, her eyes widened. She knew their strength. She had heard stories growing up and she knew that her father considered them enemies. He never explained why to her.

She had heard the captain calling her princess, but she thought it was just a nickname due to the fact that they didn't know her name. In her shock, she was not piecing things together in her mind very well.

Wait.

Home?

He said he was taking her home. CNL was her home. It was all she had ever known. She wasn't going anywhere with the Captain or his men. She would fight to the death if she had to.

Suddenly, there was a movement from behind her and she felt a prick in her arm. Turning to look at it, she realized that someone had shot a dart into her arm and she gave them a surprised look as the chemicals in it started to take effect.

Wolfsbane and silver.

She looked back to the captain, noticing a sadness in his eyes as he caught her before she went down. The knife fell unnoticed from her hand and Tony quickly snagged it before a guard could take it from him.

He had wanted to protect his aunt. His Second Luna.

Her vision was beginning to go fuzzy as she felt herself being lifted into the Captain's arms and he began to walk. She was not sure why she didn't completely succumb to the toxins in her body. For a regular wolf, it would have happened instantly, but she was still slightly conscious. She had no control over her actions and she felt weak, but she knew what was going on, slightly.

She heard Tony's little growl in the background.

"Put me down!"

She knew that he was being brought with them and that he was okay for the moment. Her eyes closed even though she was still awake and could feel her head loll around in his arms before he pulled her tighter to his chest to stop that from happening.

It was all she could do to not fall asleep. The toxins made her sleepy, but nothing more.

Suddenly, they came to a halt and she felt her body being passed to another set of strong arms. Her eyes opened to see a man with brown hair and blue eyes gazing down at her. He held her close and spoke quietly.

"Thank you Caramon. I am glad she is safe. I will get her back to her parents."

The man that had been holding her nodded and bowed his head, showing his neck in submission.

"It was my duty and my pleasure to bring back the princess and the future Queen of our kind. I don't know how much they have poisoned her mind against us. She openly tried to stand up against me and the prince's beta. We had to give her a strong dose of wolfsbane and silver to calm her down."

The man holding her spoke.

"Thank you, Captain Caramon. I will get Princess Alyssa back to her parents."

"You are welcome, Beta Matthew. we will clean up here and meet you back at the palace."

The Captain's voice sounded more businesslike now. Cora's head was spinning now as she took all of this information in. Parents? Princess? Alyssa was her middle name. Wasn't it? She was confused as hell now and she didn't even know what was going on.

"What about the pup?"

One of the guards was talking now. He must have been the one holding Tony.

"What about him?" She wanted to growl as the man, Beta Matthew spoke, but she had no energy to do so.

"The princess cares for him deeply. She was the child of Jessamine and that mutt of a Second Beta. The son of the Rogue King."

There was silence for a moment and then Beta Matthew spoke.

"If the princess cares for him then he lives. He will become part of our pack."

"No put me down! I am Cosa Nostra Lupus."

He was sobbing again. Cora wanted to hold him and calm him, but she was unable to do so at the moment.

"Cora. Please make them stop I want to go home."

Cora felt her own heartbreak as he spoke, knowing that there was nothing that she could do to ease his fears.

He quieted down though, as he was lifted and carried along with them. They reached a limo on a dirt road and she was placed inside. Tony was set down on his feet and he immediately climbed onto her lap. Though she had no strength to hold him, he wrapped his arms around her neck and snuggled in.

She let her head lie against the cool window and closed her eyes once more, allowing herself to fall asleep.

---------------------------------------------

The feel of the warm bright sun fell on her face and she let her eyes open as she looked around. The room she was in was even more elegant than what she had grown up with. It looked more like an apartment than a room.

The four-poster canopy bed she was laying in was antique and the room was decorated in white and gold. It was breathtaking. In the other room, she could hear Tony talking to someone. So she knew he was safe.

Other than a major headache, she was feeling better and in control.

She groaned and sat up, putting her hands to her head to try and calm the pain. She spotted a glass of water and some pills beside it in a small plastic cup. She grabbed the water and the pills and downed them quickly before she stood up shakily and headed toward what she thought would be the ensuite. Her instincts were correct and she went inside closing the door behind her, and locking it.

She turned to look around before she found herself gazing into the mirror at the woman staring back at her.

She looked tired and her eyes had dark circles under them. Her hair had been taken out of the messy bun and now lay disheveled over her shoulders and down her back to her waist. How long had she been sleeping? She had been dressed in a white nightgown that went down to her ankles.

Growling she pulled it off of her and threw it on the floor. She hated nightgowns.

She went to the shower and turned it on. When the water was hot enough, she climbed in and let the hot water flow over her. Closing her eyes she felt the pleasure of the heat and the water washing away her thoughts for a moment.

After washing herself thoroughly, she exited the shower smelling like lavender and roses.

Grabbing a large fluffy towel, she dried herself off and then wrapped another one around her head as she headed out to the bedroom again.

She stopped short when she saw a woman standing there placing clothes on her already-made bed. She smiled over at Cora and headed for the closet again to find some shoes.

On the bed were a pair of light beige slacks and a red blouse. Next to them was a matching set of lacy undergarments and a pair of beige dress socks. Her eyes went to the woman and then back to the clothes. Sure they were nice enough, just not the style she was used to.

The woman came back to her carrying a pair of beige heels.

"Good morning Princess Luna. My name is Maya. I am your personal maid and one of your protectors. Let's get you dressed. There is breakfast and then we need to get you to the meeting that starts in an hour."

Meeting? Princess Luna?

She gazed at the woman wanting to speak, but she shook her head and decided against it. She helped her dress and then led her to the vanity to finish up her hair and makeup.

When she was done, Cora gazed at the woman in the mirror again. Her dark circles had been covered up and her hair was half up and half down. The part up was in twists and braids, and the part down fell in ringlets framing her young face.

Her makeup was subtle, enhancing her features. The woman before her almost resembled a princess. She was caught off guard when the woman behind her placed a diamond tiara on her head. 

She stared a moment longer and then she saw it. Deep in her eyes. The look that threw this whole new image out of the water.

She realized that no matter how pretty the exterior was, her father had been right all along.

Inside, she was a champion. A fighter and she knew it. She was strong, and she lifted her head up now. Showing the woman beside her what she truly was.

A Warrior.

She was pulled out of her reverie as Maya spoke.

"We need to go. I don't want to keep the King and his wife waiting for you, Princess Luna."

She stood and turned to follow Maya out the door to a meeting that she knew nothing about. What were they going to do to her? Throw her into the cells? Put her to work?

She sucked in her breath, preparing herself for anything. Was the Alpha King angry?