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I nodded, although I still felt troubled.
“Son, is there something else that worries you?”
I glanced up at him, feeling shame flicker within. It was hard to share these feelings with anyone, especially my father. I had been raised to be disciplined and strict with myself, but that had all gone out of the window as soon as I had seen this mysterious girl. I licked my lips before I spoke.
“It doesn’t worry me necessarily, it just… it’s strange. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. There is just something about her that strikes me as odd. When I saw her for the first time, I felt… different.”
Dad smirked and a low chuckle rumbled out of his mouth. He set down his spear and walked across to me, placing a hand upon my shoulder. “I don’t think you should be worried about that. It’s natural. I suppose, like me, you have a preference for women who are not of this world. I would caution you about these feelings because they may not end well. This girl is not of this world and she does not have a place here. She has no connection with lions and so she will return to her other life. Perhaps it would be wise for you to look closer to home in the future, if you are indeed looking for a mate. I was fortunate to find your mother, but bringing someone else in from another world… it is an unlikely prospect.”
I smiled and nodded, although I cringed with embarrassment at the word ‘mate’. I wasn’t even ready to start thinking about that just yet. It was a shame he had to tell me this though because there weren’t really any girls in the pride who had ever had this effect on me. It was hard to wrap my head around because I didn’t even know this girl’s name. Perhaps it was just the novelty that I was attracted to…
I picked up the spear and whirled around, using the opportunity to try and catch Dad off guard. I saw the spear flying towards him and thought that finally I would be able to break through his defenses, but at the last moment he raised his own weapon and blocked mine. The reverberations ran down my arm, shuddering intensely.
“Is there anything else on your mind?” he asked.
I debated whether to tell him the truth. In my experience nothing good ever came from hiding things. “I’ve just been thinking about the future again. Everything seems ordained and I don’t know if I really want to be by Divad’s side for the rest of my life. I wish I could know that I was capable of more.”
“Of course, you are. You can do anything that you set your mind to,” he said.
“But that’s not true, is it? He is the special child, the world walker. He is Axanar’s son and will become Alpha one day.”
Dad arched an eyebrow. “It is likely yes, but remember that the position of Alpha does not necessarily get passed down from father to son. In times of need it is a matter of strength.”
I had been in the process of twirling my spear around, but I stopped abruptly. “You think I should fight Divad?”
“I would never encourage violence between you boys. I’m merely saying that there is always a path to become the Alpha. If the need arises then I’m sure that you will make your case known, and I would not wager on anyone else taking the position from you. But that aside, I feel as though you are not properly appreciating your role here. You are counsel to the world walker, and the Alpha. This gives you the leeway to influence the direction of the pride without bearing the scrutiny that comes with it. Do you think I have simply been standing by Axanar’s side without offering any of my own insight? I have always been able to speak about things with him and talk to him about what we must do. He may be the Alpha, but there has always been a partnership between us. That is why we have worked so well together.”
“I think that’s easier for you two than it is for us.”
“You are brothers.”
“And we’re nothing alike. Divad is so… so careless. He doesn’t seem to worry about anything. I never know how I’m supposed to act around him.”
“Then perhaps you two help cover each other’s weaknesses. I would not worry too much about the future until it arrives. There is plenty to keep you occupied until then, like escorting this girl back home. I’m sure you will have the opportunity to have a conversation with her,” he said.
My heart lifted at the thought of this. She was alluring, and her very presence had made my heart glitter with excitement. There were so many questions I had for her and I wasn’t sure where I was going to start. I hoped that she would not be afraid of me again, because it would be a shame to feel her cower when all I wanted was a chance to know her.
Then the world tumbled around me as I felt my feet getting swept from underneath me. I yelped as I crashed on my back, my arms splayed out beside me. I blinked through the pain as Dad towered above me, his shadow falling over me like the night.
“You should never forget that an attack can come at any time,” he said. It was a lesson that had been repeated to me over the years, but one that it seemed I still needed to learn.
Chapter Five
Emilia
Pain throbbed in my head. I whimpered a little. It was a struggle to open my eyes. The last thing I remembered I had been in the forest by myself. I was thinking about Peter’s proposal and then… there had been the two men. The men. And then something else.
Fear immediately seized my heart as my eyes shot open. Where was I? Were they still chasing me? I looked around, craning my head up. I wasn’t in the forest any longer. I was in a room, a strange room. There was a woman in the doorway speaking softly. She had dark hair and a single long braided ponytail. She turned, and I closed my eyes again. I lay there in silent terror, horrified by what was happening to me. Someone had kidnapped me. I’d heard all about human trafficking rings. Was this the first step before they shipped me off to Eastern Europe? Crap… now I really wished I had just said yes to Peter. Why did I have to go and act like this was some big drama? When someone asks you to marry them you have to say yes because it offers security and comfort and it means that you don’t have to wander off in the woods and get kidnapped by two men.
My thoughts were hazy. I tried to shake them away as I played dead. I heard the woman walk towards me. I kept my breaths shallow and my eyes clamped shut, even though every terrified instinct in my body was torturing me and urging me to open them. I needed to examine my body to make sure everything was intact. God… what if they had stolen my organs? I should have known there was something odd about them. Who bathed in the middle of the forest like that?
As I thought back, I was sure that I had seen something else, but no, it couldn’t be. The thoughts in my mind were of lions, but how was that possible?
“I think she’s going to be okay. The wound has stopped bleeding. She probably needs rest now before she’s on her way. We can’t send her off like this. She needs to be in as good condition as possible,” the woman said. Her voice was lilting and it would have been comforting, had I not been in the throes of terror. I couldn’t hear who she was speaking to. She sighed though.
“Yes, yes, okay. I’ll come outside for a short while. I don’t think she’s going to wake up anytime soon.”
The footsteps faded into the distance and a door closed. I was afraid that it was a trap, so I waited a few moments before I cracked open one of my eyelids. The other soon followed, and I then swung my legs over the side of the bed and sat up. My head was groggy. I gave myself the once over, and I lifted my shirt checking for scars. There weren’t any. Good. I hadn’t been cut open and scavenged. There was still a dull ache in my head though. I reached up and touched a small bandage that had been applied to my forehead. There would be time enough to tend to that later. I had to leave before I discovered whatever it was they had in store for me. I pushed myself off the table and became confused at my surroundings. There was a giant throne in the middle of the room, as well as strange artifacts dotted around the place. I had never seen anything like it before.
