Chapter 2 - Maverick

Maverick's P.O.V.

The King hasn't said anything to me, but I know something is going to happen soon. The men have been more aggressive with me the last few weeks to test my resilience against beatings. I have learned to make myself numb to their beatings. I don't even feel them anymore.

I have lived in the cage in the dungeons for as long as I can remember. I'm now twenty-one. All I know is that someone dropped me off when I was a pup, and the King decided to make me an assassin. I have been trained to kill. He has sent me out on other small missions with the other men, but I know he's preparing me for something bigger.

My wolf, Eclipse, has kept me from going completely insane. He wanted to shift and attack the King and all his men as soon as we could shift, but I convinced him not to. I have been trained to be a mean bastard with no heart. However, Eclipse hasn't let me turn as bad as everyone believes. I've seen the King's men and know that if I try to get away or do anything, I'm dead. I just have to bide my time.

When the door to the dungeon opens, I look down and make my face blank. I have learned how they expect me to look and act. I pick up the scents of the King and Queen. Both of them are pure evil.

"Maverick, your time has come. We have a special assignment that we only trust you to carry out," the King says. I keep my head down so they won't see the excitement in my eyes. Are they going to let me out on my own?

"There, Sienna, the Alpha of the Silver Lunar Pack, is our enemy. She wants to kill me and take over the palace so she can fill the shifter world with evil. You must stop her before she comes for us. I am trusting you, Maverick, to do this on your own. Do you understand?" The King speaks with such conviction that most would believe him, but I don't believe anything he says.

"Yes, Your Majesty." I may not believe him, but I want out of this cage. Once I'm away from the palace, I will ensure I'm not being followed and disappear.

"This is a picture of the woman you are to kill." I slowly look up to study the picture the Queen is holding up. I keep my face blank even as my heart races. She's beautiful and young. Her hair is so pale blonde that it almost looks white, and her eyes are a teal color that I have never seen before. I may have been in a cage my entire life, but I can still recognize beauty. She's not evil. I have lived with evil every day.

"Are you ready?" The King asks.

"Yes, Your Majesty." I'm ready; I just don't know for what. I was planning on running away, but if I do, they will hunt me and send someone else to kill the Alpha.

"We need to go see her. I know I've talked to you about mates, but I never thought we would find ours. There's a chance you're having this reaction because she may be our mate. If she is, we need to protect her." I agree with Eclipse. We will go see this Alpha if for nothing more than to warn her.

"Return here once it's done." The King opens the cell door and gives me the information I need to get to the Silver Lunar Pack. It will take me a few hours to get there. I get into the truck they have waiting for me and take off. I see a few wolves in the forest following me, but I ignore them. I'm going where they want. I just don't plan on killing anyone. What will Sienna think of me?

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Sienna's P.O.V.

The omegas Diego warned me about packed their bags to go to the palace to speak with the King. When I asked them what their plan was, they lied and said they didn't want to be part of the pack, so they were going to the palace to look for jobs. If I believed them, then I would have let them go, but Diego overheard them talking about helping the King kill me. I had them placed in the dungeon.

"Alpha Sienna, there's a man coming down the road on foot. I don't know if he's from the palace or somewhere else. What do you suggest we do?" Diego always calls me Alpha when we're around others. When I'm spending time with him and his mate, they call me Sienna, which I prefer.

"I don't want to kill an innocent. Use one of the traps to figure out what his intentions are and go from there. Is he a wolf?" I ask as we walk toward the road that leads to the pack house. Diego knows better than to tell me to stay inside.

"Yes, he's a wolf, but doesn't smell like a rogue. Jalen says he's walking down the middle of the road and doesn't appear to have weapons." I nod and wait. I see the man in the distance coming around the corner toward us. He's huge. Much bigger than even Diego. As he gets closer, I can see his dark brown hair and lightly tanned complexion.

When the wind shifts, I take a deep breath. What is that smell? Whatever it is, it makes me feel lightheaded and warm all over.

"He's our mate," Rieka says excitedly. I stare at him in shock. Our mate? This man is our mate? That still doesn't mean we can trust him. I don't say anything to Diego. I want to see how he reacts when we trap him. He stops as he approaches the spot in the road that will set off the trap.

"Hello, Alpha Sienna. My name is Maverick. May I please have a moment of your time?" His voice is deep, and he sounds unsure of himself when he speaks. Does he realize I'm his mate?

"What business do you have here?" I ask him. We're about thirty yards apart, but with our wolf hearing, we don't have to yell.

"I was sent here by the King, but I have no plan to hurt you. May I please talk to you?" I glance at Diego, who looks from Maverick to me.

"What do you want to do?" he asks me softly.

"Okay, I'll speak with you. Come to the pack house." I still plan on trapping him so we can be in control if this is a trick. Maverick tilts his head to the side and keeps his eyes on me.

"Can you get rid of the trap first? I've been in a cage my entire life. I'd prefer not to be put back into one." How did he know? We have traps all over, and the one on the road is a large cage. It would have come up around him if he had taken a few steps closer.

"He's my mate. I want to trust him, but I'm not sure I should. My instincts may be off because of his scent. What do you think?" I look at Diego, and he frowns slightly.

"I believe him, but if it's okay, I would prefer to stay with you," he replies.

"Walk to your left onto the grass and off the road. You'll miss the trap. We have warriors hidden all over, so if you try something, you'll be killed." I warn Maverick. He nods and does as I say. The closer he gets, the bigger he seems. My heart is beating so fast. I'm afraid it will beat out of my chest. I don't want this. I don't want to be distracted by my mate. He stops a couple of feet in front of me. I cross my arms and stare into his emerald-green eyes.

"King Harlan sent me here to kill you, but I'm not going to. My plan was to run away as soon as he let me out of the cage, but when I saw your picture, I had to come and see you. My wolf said he thought you may be our mate. I don't know very much about mates, but the way my body is responding, I believe he's right. Alpha Sienna, will you accept me, the King's assassin, as your mate?"