The First King
Chapter 22

Prew sat on the ground, her back resting against Meeka. Her eyes were squinted as the light of the morning sun crested over the Gantawa Range in the East. With a groan, she stretched her body. Her back was stiff from sleeping on the bare ground for most of the night. After the confrontation the prior day, she did not want to return home. In fact, Prew had wanted to escape, to ride away as far as Meeka would go, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. There were others who relied on her, and it upset her to think of them suffering.

Prew wiped her eyes as she looked out across the field. In the far distance, toward Sella Castle, there was a large gathering of men. It was the fifty warriors that would be making the trip to Huthwaite. But Prew was surprised they were still here. She had watched them gather supplies, and now they were sitting around. It made her wonder what they were waiting for. Prew could see Sofia speaking with her father and Julius, and then it dawned on her. The only person that she had not seen was Konrad.

"He must be with his mate," she mumbled to Meeka. The horse whinnied as he lifted his head to the sound of her voice. "Can you believe it? I should have known he would not have had just a mistress. I was foolish for ever believing him."

As Prew continued to rant to her horse, she noticed Julius walking over to her. He gave her a soft smile, but she only glared back at him. She was in no mood to converse with him or any other person.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," he greeted warmly. Prew responded with a grunt as she looked away from him. Julius frowned as he looked at her clothes. They were dirty, as was her hair. "Did you sleep out here?"

"What does it look like?" Prew quipped as she crossed her arms.

"You could catch a cold being out here," he scolded as he knelt on the ground before her. "At the very least, you could have slept by a fire."

"I didn't want anyone to know I was here," she murmured. "They would have forced me to return to the castle. Now, what do you want? I don't want you ruining this day for me, too."

"Well, we need you to go fetch Konrad," he sighed. "He has not left his room, and he has commanded his Beta not to allow any of us to enter."

"And what makes you think Rowan would let me?"

"You're his Luna. He has to listen to you." Julius explained.

"I'm not even marked," Prew argued.

"It doesn't matter," he replied with a shake of his head. "You were accepted as a Luna prior to your marriage to Konrad. His pack has accepted you, and from what I've been told, you’ve accepted them."

"Yeah, sure," she scoffed.

"Can you give it a try? It is time to head to Huthwaite, and Konrad refuses to leave."

"And what if she is there?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "All I ask is that you are gentle with Lorelei. She did not ask for this, same as you. Just go in there to persuade Konrad. But, if he still refuses to go, then we will send you in his stead. Would that be acceptable to you?"

"After last night, I could use a fight," she mumbled as she stood to her feet.

Prew walked across the field, passing by the small army that was waiting on Konrad. She went inside the castle and made her way up to his bed chambers. In front of the door was Rowan, who looked at Prew with a downcast expression. It caused her to soften at the sight of him. She intended to go up to him and put on an aggressive voice, but she couldn't. Rowan didn't deserve her anger.

"My Luna," he whispered to her. "Konrad commanded that I not let anyone in."

"Is it just him in there?" She inquired curiously.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "The Alpha summoned me earlier in the morning to stand guard at his door."

"Well, I need to speak with him. Everyone is waiting on him so they can go to Huthwaite."

"I can't let you in," Rowan insisted in a pleading tone. Prew reached up, gently placing a hand on his chest.

"Step aside," she commanded softly.

"But he will be angry," he murmured as his feet moved instinctually from the door.

"I can handle myself," she replied with a small smile.

Her hand went to the door, gently pushing it open. The room was dark; the only source of light was from the open door. Prew walked a few steps into the middle of the room. She looked at the bed, noticing a large lump in it. Her eyes continued to scan the room, but there were no signs of Lorelei. With quiet steps, she went to the foot of the bed.

"What are you doing sleeping in?" Prew questioned as she stared at the dark figure on the bed.

"I thought I told Rowan not to let anyone in," Konrad growled lowly.

"He tried to stop me."

Konrad huffed as he sat up. He could barely make out Prew standing in the darkness.

"Everyone is waiting on you," she stated firmly. "They are ready to head to Huthwaite."

"And?"

"And you were the one who they wanted to go," she groaned in frustration. Prew hated that he was acting as if nothing mattered anymore. And then she hated that she could not clearly see him. She stormed to the windows, quickly tossing the curtains to the side so the room could be bathed in light.

"Close them back!" He demanded as he covered his eyes.

"Why?! So you can sleep the entire day?" Prew yelled as she looked him over. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face looked sunken. "What did you do last night? You look like a mess."

"You're one to talk," he retorted. "You look like you slept in a barn."

"The barn would have been more comfortable than the ground," Prew scoffed as she crossed her arms.

"Wait, did you sleep outside?" He questioned as he furrowed his brows.

"What does it matter?" She snapped. "Now, are you going to go to Huthwaite or not?"

"What did Jenson ever do for me?!" Konrad spat as he threw a pillow across the room, nearly hitting Prew. "Let them die. Let them see what it's like to lose everything."

"Are you telling me that you would rather sit here, moping in the dark, instead of fighting witches?"

"Yes," he growled.

"Alright then," she shrugged as she walked towards the door. "I will see you in a few days then."

"A few days?!" He called out to her. "Where are you going?"

"Huthwaite," she answered as she glanced back at him.

"No, you're not!" He shouted as he stood from the bed. He stomped over to her, grabbing her roughly by the arm. "You are not to go out there and fight!"

"And who are you to tell me no? You are my husband only in name, remember? If you don't go fight, then I will!" She argued as she tried to pull away from his grasp.

"You are still mine," he snarled as he stood inches from her face. "And I say that you are not to go."

"One of us has to fight," She replied firmly. Though her heart began to race, she did her best to keep her composure. She did not understand why he was acting so viciously toward her. He had been angry before, even mean, but this was something entirely different. And his words… you are still mine… this was a level of possessiveness she had not experienced with him.

"Then I will go," he asserted as he dragged her to his bed. He pushed her onto the mattress and then let her go. "You will stay here."

Prew sat there, in shock, as Konrad left the room. Her fingers grazed over the part of her arm that he gripped. There would surely be a bruise there by nightfall, but that didn't bother her. Konrad called her his and refused to let her fight. It angered her that he would act this way, after weeks of being distant, after weeks of hiding that he had a mate.

"My Luna?" Rowan questioned after Konrad left the room. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," she replied as she looked up at him.

"Do you want me to go with the Alpha? I fear he will be reckless out there."

"I have a feeling that you are probably right," she sighed.

"I will take care of him," Rowan assured her. "If it comes to it, I will give my life so he can live on."

"No," she murmured with a frown as she looked at the floor. "Konrad is a big boy. If he wants to be the one to fight, let him. No need to try and protect him from himself."

Rowan bit his lip as he looked at Prew. He had heard what Konrad had said to her. His cousin had staked a claim, after all this time. But Rowan was concerned that Konrad would never genuinely love Prew, would never truly treat her properly. With a sigh, he left the room. There was nothing that he could do. Prew was not his; she could never be his.

Prew laid back on Konrad's bed. She was conflicted as she mulled over his words. She was angry with him, but at the same time, she was confused. And then, she wondered where Lorelei was. Julius nor Rowan knew. Did Konrad hide her somewhere so he could get Julius off of his back?

After a while, she finally rose from the bed and left his room. She felt listless as she stood in the corridor. But she was quick to shake her head. She could not allow her mind to be tormented by Konrad. It is not as if it mattered. He had a mate; he had Lorelei.

Prew went to her room and searched for the freshly picked blueberry shoots. She had thought that she brought them home, but then she realized she had forgotten them back at the Wild Haer pack. With a scowl, she left her bedroom and headed outside. As Prew walked through the woods, she could not help but huff to herself. It was not that she hated having to go to the pack, but she had wanted to be alone. To gather her thoughts in peace. But, once she was in the camp, and everyone began to happily greet her, she started to smile.

After walking around the clearing, Prew finally found her sticks sitting beside the central fire, and beside them was a bowl of dried sinew.

"I figured you would come looking for those eventually," Ava remarked as she walked over.

"I was hoping to escape for a bit," Prew admitted as she sat on the ground. "Do something to get my mind off of things."

"Want to talk about it?" Ava questioned as she sat down on a log beside her.

"Not really," Prew grumbled.

"You might feel better afterward."

"Did you know that Konrad had a mate?" Prew inquired as she glanced up at Ava.

"I did," she nodded. "He found out about her after he accepted the position as king."

"Did you know that he did not reject her?" Prew questioned as fire danced through her eyes.

"No, I did not," Ava sighed as she rubbed her hands on her knees. "What happened?"

"Apparently, Konrad brought the girl with him to a pack, and I guess they found out about her, about me, or something. Julius confronted him about it, and it ended with Konrad attacking him. But what I don't understand is why he still chose to marry me, knowing that he had a mate! Why put me and that girl through all of this?!"

"You are correct that he had a choice," Ava agreed as she reached out, placing a hand on Prew's shoulder. "But to him, there was no choice. When it comes to the witches, all he sees is red. I am sure there are moments where his desire to kill them outweighs the bond he has for Lorelei."

"It still doesn't excuse his lies. It doesn't fix the situation that we are in."

"And what situation is that?"

"I can't trust him," Prew whispered. "This marriage is already fake between us. But now I cannot imagine myself continuing that."

"I don't condone what he has done. If I had known about it, I would have confronted him myself. But, I can also imagine the struggles that he is dealing with."

"What struggles?" Prew scoffed. "The struggle of not getting what he wants?"

"The struggle between his sense of duty and the mate bond," Ava explained. "You aren't a wolf, so there are things that you can never understand, especially when it comes to a mate bond. It is more than a spiritual connection. It is as if you two are now one being, tethered by these lines that choke your heart and soul. Your thoughts, your actions, and emotions all center around this one wolf. You become a whole different person when you find your fated mate. But, unfortunately for Konrad, he is more than just a wolf. He is an Alpha, a leader, a man who loves his pack beyond reproach. And yet, he is a man full of wrath and contempt for a race of people who ruined his life. That hatred that swirls through his veins is as strong, if not stronger, than any mate bond. And for that, I feel sorry for him."

"Did you find your fated mate?" Prew inquired curiously. "You speak as if you know what it feels like, and yet, I know nothing of Konrad's grandfather."

"I had a fated mate, and it wasn’t the man that I had children with. When I was 19, I went out hunting. But, unbeknownst to me, I had wandered into the territory of another pack. This pack and my pack were not on good terms. There had been fighting over hunting grounds, and lives were lost on both sides."

"Eventually, I was spotted by one of their warriors," Ava continued as she looked down at the fire. "This man chased me until I was cornered against a cliffside. But, that is when I realized I had found my fated mate. I could smell him, and my wolf yearned for something that I'd never had. I shifted, hoping to become his, but he had other thoughts. My mate was more loyal to his pack than his newfound fated mate. He fought against that primal pull, and instead, he rejected me."

"But, he gave me one act of kindness. As my heart shattered, as my soul disintegrated in my body, he carried me out of his pack's territory and into mine. I don't remember what he looks like now, but I do recall how broken he looked. He did not voice it, but he was hurting as much as I was. Goddess… those next few days hurt worse than childbirth. My body felt empty, and I clung to everyone and everything, just to try and fill that void. I cried until my tears dried up. I didn't eat and didn't sleep. Essentially, I was in shambles. It took me months to recover, and even longer to finally accept a chosen mate."

"Oh no," Prew whispered as her voice wavered. Her hands went to her face, cupping her cheeks as her eyes widened.

"What? What is it?" Ava questioned worryingly. "Is something wrong?"

"Konrad… rejection..." Prew replied before she covered her mouth. That is why Lorelei was not there. One of them rejected the other, and she found Konrad suffering the effects of it. The bloodshot eyes… he had been crying all night. And then the sudden possessiveness over her was him just clinging to someone. "I-I didn't know. I treated him like a selfish child who was throwing a tantrum."

"Oh," Ava mumbled as she looked down at Prew. She reached out, stroking her hair softly. "I'm sure it'll be alright. When he returns home, you can apologize to him. And then I'll see to it that he spends the rest of his life making up for the pain that he put you through."

"But what about Lorelei?" Prew questioned. "She isn't in the castle. She is out there somewhere, hurting and in pain."

"If she left, you should just let her be. It would hurt her more to bring her back here, where she will have to see Konrad. I know it sounds cruel, but sometimes, it is best to do nothing. She is an adult, and so long as she doesn't go East, she will find another pack where she can start over. I only hope that you and Konrad can do the same as well."

Sᴇarch the FindNovel.net website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.