Cora sighed as he removed the blankets and lifted her out of the bed. Cradling her in his arms, he held her close. He began to whisper in her ear and he snuggled her. She was so surprised that she didn't even struggle in his strong arms. Tingles shot through her body. The mate bond was working its magic as he held her. She knew that he understood that mate bond more than he let on. Cassiopeia was enjoying every moment of this and she could hear her purring in the back of her mind. The sound annoyed her at first. She didn't want a mate. At least she didn't up until now. It seemed that the moon goddess had other ideas and she was making them known. Alyssa had her life planned before she was kidnapped and brought to the castle. She was going to help her father strengthen the pace and expand it. She wanted to be his second in command. She almost was. Now, everything had changed and she was so confused. Xander's arrival didn't help matters. It confused her even more. Still, she remaine
The next morning Alyssa awoke to an empty warm spot next to her and she sat up to look around the room. After a moment she realized that she could hear the shower going and she knew that was where Xander went.Maya poked her head in at that moment and smiled. She was glad that Alyssa seemed to be returning to her old self."Breakfast will be served in the royal dining hall in an hour. Everyone is excited to see you."Alyssa smiled back and nodded. Her memories and dreams were slowly going away and she was able to think clearer. It seemed that all those stories that she had heard about mate healing were true. At least from her point of view.Furthermore, she didn't feel compelled to be loyal to the Rogue King. He may have raised her, but Jeffrey was her father. Something that she never would have chosen belfore.She was hoping that she was finally home and that she was free of that part of her life forever.The shower stopped and she quickly got up to get dressed for the day. She decid
The next few weeks were filled with lots of reading, etiquette lessons, and field training with the other warriors.Alyssa was kept busy and barely had time to breathe. At night she would crash next to Xander and sleep on his chest. The one place where she felt safest.It was strange to depend on someone else. As a Paglione, she had learned to depend on herself. She could still do it now if she had to. Truthfully, she liked it and she felt more tension ease off her mind as the days went on.It wasn't long before she was ready to be welcomed back into the pack. There was a ceremony and a party that would follow. Of course, she was nervous about this. She was starting to remember some of the members of the pack and she wondered how they would react to her being back after everything that happened.As time progressed, though, everyone seemed to be genuinely glad that she was home.There was a big event hosting all the Alphas from all the packs in Jeffrey's kingdom and the top few from Th
It was soon time to attend the ritual. She was nervous as could be, but she knew that she would not reject the bond. A bond that was once just automatic. Now she had to rejoin the pack that she was snatched from all those years ago. Ana led her out to the place in the woods where the ritual would be performed. Henry had his guards join some of the royal warriors to help protect the pack during the ritual, spacing them around the pack borders to make sure that no one entered or left the pack. The ritual place was in a sacred grove that had been created for the ritual. There was an alter and seating for the pack to witness her being brought into the pack. As she stepped forward into the grove she could see that every seat had been filled and some were standing around the edges so that they could witness as well. The turnout meant that she was more than likely being accepted into the pack without question. The pack all knew that she was not responsible for her earlier actions and t
She looked up at her father, King, and Alpha as AJ and Xander moved quickly to her side. The crowd pressed into a smaller group, the men and warriors that we guarding them making a circle around the women and pups to protect them. Alyssa noticed that the kings moved to the sides of their respective mates and another appeared on the other side of them. If need be, they would move the pack into the underground shelter nearby to protect them. A threat like that was not taken lightly and the warriors guarding the pack boundary lines were frantically scouring the area. It wasn't long before they came back dragging rogues with them. Five rogues to be exact. Recognition dawned on her face as they were brought over. They were bound with silver chains and she could see that the silver was burning them and causing their skin to go raw and bleed. She looked away as the king glared down at the rogues. Caramon stepped forward as he bowed to the Kings. As Captain of the Royal Guard, it was his
Alyssa remained quiet as the letter was opened and the High Alpha King read the letter first. After he was done he handed the letter to her father and her father read the letter. Neither one said anything, nor did their expression change as the letter was folded back up and placed back into the envelope. Alyssa was curious, but her previous training in the Rogue Pack had also taught her one thing that she needed to do right now. She too kept her face free and clear of any emotion. She remained silent and patient until they were ready to let them know what was in the letter. She knew that they might not want to reveal it at the moment or they may never tell what was in the letter. What she did know, was that it was her place to be respectful and let whatever they decided to be their sole decision. The two kings gazed at each other a moment before they nodded and slid the letter over to Alyssa to read. Raising an eyebrow, she hesitated before she reached for the envelope and then sli
Alyssa was a bit annoyed at being so well protected, but at the same time, she was used to it. AJ was also charged with watching over her in the rogue pack. She was used to having someone trailing behind her. She knew that AJ still watched over her, especially since he had placed himself next to her for the meeting. Xander was on her right and AJ was on her left, forcing Maya to sit behind her. She was aware of the protection in the room. She stood and headed to the exit. She had things to do to get ready and she was also hungry. The moment that lunch was mentioned it seemed that the whole room had growling stomachs. Being a wolf meant that she had a voracious appetite, but not as voracious as the males. She also knew that they had to get out of the room as well. Even though the high-ranking wolves could play nice, if they spent any more time in the room, there would be a fight. High-ranking males were very territorial and also very protective and jealous. Considering that Lucy, Ana,
Alyssa stood in front of the mirror as her ladies in waiting helped her dress for the ball. The dark green dress flattered her figure and she was surprised at how well the silk gown fit. Normally, if the female wolf has not been marked, the dress would cover her shoulders, but this one had a lace bodice and the lace straps were off the shoulder. She had a see-through cloak that she would be wearing over it. It would tie at the neck and hide the fact that she was not marked yet, but she knew that Xander would handle that when he was dressed. She gave herself another spin before she sat on the stool in front of her vanity. The next part would be makeup and finally her long thick wavy red hair that matched her mother's shade. She was not fond of sitting still, being a tomboy at heart, she was always wanting to be outside going for a run and often wore sweats and tennis shoes. Her eyes drifted to watch the makeup artist and she began applying her makeup, making sure that the foundation