Chapter Five

"Why don't you take a break, Cara... you've been working and I don't think that's good enough." Laurel said, feeling sorry.

Cara had been working feverishly over the forthcoming welcome ceremony and the trials under Alpha Luke directive. Sweat dropped down from her face as she bent down, feeling tired. Cara shifted to her wolf and carried a heavy load to another spot, a few miles from where she was. Laurel did the same and followed her but unlike Laurel who doesn't have her wolf yet or probably doesn't have at all as to what she had always thought felt uneasy, carrying the load.

She thought about what Priya did to her. She knew within herself that Alpha Luke couldn't have punished her just like that if she hadn't lied against her and she couldn't have defended herself in front of him even though she tried to.

Being a close friend of Cara, she could not leave her all by herself doing all the work. "But what have you got with this Priya?" She asked. It took a while before Cara could give her a reply. It was a day after she was punished all due to Priya's revolt she had been working hectically. Laurel was the one who nursed her and took care of her after she took all the beating and already had a discussion with her, concerning what happened.

"I don't know, I have no idea," She mused and then continued, "I guess, it's because of Ethan." She kept silent.

"And what has Ethan got to do in this conversation?" She asked, feeling anxious

Cara gave a fake smile as she glanced at her and looked away the other direction, placing the load she carried down on a wide palette.

"Ethan was my mate," "You, mean, Alpha Luke son was your mate." She felt surprised.

"You heard me... He's not anymore, I don't know, to him, I'm just a slave and that hurts." She sniffed

"You meant to say, he rejected you." Cara did not bother to respond anymore to her question. She sat down, bowed her head with both of her elbows resting on either legs.

Laurel understood her, she moved close, placing her hand around her shoulder. "It's okay, Cara, everything is going to be fine." She pet her with warmheartedness. Based on Laurel's time with Cara, she had an inclination to think and feel like her.

Cara got up at an instant from where she sat in response to her name being called by a guard. She alone had been given another work, to clean the barn. She walked unsteadily to the barn leaving Laurel all by herself.

On getting to the barn, her wolf conversed with her. "First it was your mate rejecting you and now this again." Her wolf cried out as her eyes shifted its colour and her claws sprouted out slowly from her fingers. 

She felt outraged with the pretension of unleashing her wrath against the horses she was about to clean. She struggled with herself and managed to restrain herself.

"Not now... no, calm down... this is not the end, I'll make sure I participate in the trials." She said to herself, toiling to console her wolf.

Being a Royal guard after being elected would make her be able to move around easily, have some authority and even be given a mission that requires her to leave the pack. Cara knew this and that was her main goal.

She shifted back to her human form in an instant, breathing heavily and resting her palm on her heart. She made her wolf understand that, all her wish during her birthday was to become stronger in order to take revenge on those who murdered her parent and those who looked down on her. But on the other hand she knew her mate would have to help her out but was confused as to what to believe with what happened between Ethan and her.

"That's why I have to take part in the trial... and I'm not going to give up hope and see to it that I get myself involved." She sighed. 

"Prince Roy, is he that important," She muttered, trying to remember where she heard it from. 

She heard people talk about Prince Roy, and he had become the topic of the day based on the welcome ceremony and the trial. "But he's got a cute name." She smiled and continued with her work.

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"Ethan, why have you been avoiding me, have I done anything to offend you, please tell me." She persuaded, breathing heavily. She had spotted Ethan from afar and ran after him before catching up with him.

Ethan and Priya haven't been seeing each other since the incident between him and Cara. He doesn't feel like it anymore, seeing Priya. Cara was all that dominated his mind. He was seeking a way to get her back but also knew that Cara hated him for rejecting her.

Ethan kept silent, looking away from Priya. Priya drew his hand to stop him from walking. "Oh, why is your face like that, you have not been sleeping." She asked, feeling devastated.

"Just leave me alone, Priya, I don't have time for this." He said and inhaled deeply.

"No, I can't, Ethan, not until you tell me what the matter was," She paused. "Was it because of that slave, Ethan say something." She sniffed, her voice breaking down. Ethan held her by her shoulder, Priya gazed him in the eyes, waiting expectantly for him to hug her. "We've got other pressing matter at hand, Prince Roy will arrive today and we have to welcome him." He said to her and walked away.

Feeling downcast, she watched as Ethan dropped out of her sight. Ethan went down to the field where the slaves were always working all for the purpose of seeing Cara. He wanted to get things straight with her. Though he felt like he shouldn't have anything to do with her but after knowing who she was, he can't really stop thinking about her.

On getting there, He viewed all around him in sight for Cara. "Hey Laurel, where is Cara?" He asked, since he didn't see her around. "She had been called to go clean the barn, she should be there." She said and bowed. 

He ordered a guard to go look for Cara and bring her to him. 'what's his problem, what does he want with her again, after breaking her heart.' She grumbled, spying on him with a vague look.

Cara soon got back on the field with the guard. Laurel was the first to approach her. "I don't really know what he wants but don't give in to any of his words." She whispered in her ears, winking her eyes. Cara who does not really care about what he has to say, nodded her head to the words of Laurel.

She stood in front of Ethan, who was sitting on a rock. "Why did you ask to see me, what do you want?" She questioned, franking her face. Ethan chuckled with a smile on his face. Laurel spied at them as they talked.

"You're angry, I get that but you're still my mate." "And what are you insinuating about?" Cara asked with her eyes fixed on him. "I mean," He stopped as Cara cut him off.

"You don't have to say it, you made it clear the very day we had our first conversation," She said, sounding tense. "I meant nothing to you, how could you even be my mate." She added.

She turned around from him and cleaned the drop of tears from her eyes. Ethan stood up to hug her. She suddenly pushed him away and moved back a little bit from him. "Cara, I didn't mean to hurt you." He said, feeling sorry

"You might not really accept me anymore, but I'm still the future Alpha." He proclaimed proudly.

Cara, at an instant felt stunned, she sniffed repeatedly, she looked all around her. Her eyes shifted to its wolf colour, glaring all around her.

Noise rose up suddenly and they filled the air. Some of the slaves gathered around and jam-packed all together. "What's going on over there, why are they screaming?" Laurel wondered

"But they all seemed happy," Cara shook her head

"It must be the Prince, Prince Roy." He gave an answer to their questions.

Cara thought, how could the people be screaming with excitement all because of a Prince. 'I guessed, he is loved by everyone. Who is he?' She had a minute thought.

"Who is this Prince..., Roy." She turned back and asked Ethan. Ethan mused at first, surprised why she asked him that kind of question. 

"All I could say is that he is the most ruthless prince I've ever seen." Ethan said, as the look on his face slightly changed and walked away from them both.

"Ruthless, you mean," She looked up and saw Roy from afar on a horse. She couldn't see his face well. Her feeling persisted but she could not grasp the reason for her feeling that way. "What is this, my body ignited, something must have caused this." She was dazed.