I couldn’t rember the last ti Hawke and I had a conversation. He was Raymond’s son, the guy my father had left in charge when he went off on his travels. Raymond had been holding the pack together and Hawke had been helping.
Why was he so angry at ?
“What happened to your arms?” I asked as I rubbed my temples. My headache was going away quickly.
“Like you don’t know!” he growled, spitting on the ground at my feet.
“I really don’t,” I shrugged. Slowly, I stood up and brushed the dirt off my pants.
“You fucking cunt! If it weren’t for you, none of this would have happened!” He nodded toward , his entire body shaking with fury. “Don’t play dumb, bitch!”
“What in the world are you talking about!”
Hawke lunged at again and ramd his shoulder into my chest. My lungs seized and all the air was knocked out of .
Gasping and groaning, I rolled onto my side. I tried to breathe but my throat closed and I just gasped and wheezed.
“Ha... w...” Why was he doing this? What was wrong with him?
“I’m going to teach you what it ans to lose the use of your body!” he cried.
Hawke roared and his foot was kicking toward my stomach with all of his might.
I curled in a little ball, trying to prepare for the upcoming pain.
“I’ll teach y... NO!”
I cradled my head but the anticipated pain didn’t land on . I heard snarling and growling and felt a shadow pass over . Then Hawke wasn’t kicking anymore.
Glancing up, I saw a massive he-wolf standing over Hawke’s unconscious body.
Gasping, I sat up and stared at the sleek, silky wolf as its tail swished back and forth. His jet-black fur was thick and glossy with a red streak, his eyes deep and familiar. I was srized.
“Ciana! Ciana!”
It was my dad!
My father’s voice snapped out of my daze. I got to my feet, turned around, and saw his familiar, tall and strong form rushing toward . Without thinking, I ran to Dad and threw myself into his arms.
“Ciana, are you okay?” he asked, hugging tightly.
“Daddy! It really is you!” I couldn’t believe my eyes! “I’m okay. Soone saved just in ti.”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the he-wolf was gone. Who was he?
“Did you get hurt anywhere?” my dad asked worriedly.
“My arm is a little bruised but I’ll be okay. Hawke, he attacked for no reason, but a large, beautiful he-wolf saved . I wanted to thank him but he ran off.” I rested my head on my dad’s shoulder.
Dad didn’t seem to care about who my lifesaver was, nor Hawke who was unconscious on the ground. He replied dismissively, “Leave Hawke where he is. As for your rescuer, if he left, he probably doesn’t want to be bothered. Just let him be.”
I nodded and smiled, “Okay Daddy. I just wanted to say a quick thank-you, one mont please.”
Then I took a step back from my dad, put both of my hands on each side of my mouth to make a simple speaker, and yelled toward the direction where the wolf disappeared, “THANK YOU FOR SAVING !”
Dad chuckled lightly and dotingly rubbed the top of my head. “You monkey girl, haven’t changed a bit!”
I winked at him. “Admit it, you love for it! Daddy, I’m so glad to run into you here. They told you would be going to the palace, and I was worried I’d miss you.”
He let out so hearty laughter, and then patted my back lightly. “No, it’s all good. Best this way. Are you able to walk around?”
“Yes. Just so scratches on my arm, don’t worry.”
“Then let’s find a safe place nearby so that you can get so rest. How does camping out sound to you?”
It was a lovely evening. The moon hung high up in the night sky, round and bright, yet I was still able to see a few stars twinkling. The breeze was pleasantly warm. It indeed was a perfect night to camp out.
“Daddy, you know too well!” I jumped up and hugged his neck.
“All right, young lady,” he laughed, patting my back. “Get down.”
As happy as I was to see Dad, in my head, however, I had a million questions.
Why did Hawke attack ?
Who was the he-wolf that saved ?
Where had my parents been? Did they know about my mory loss?
Were they aware of the whole royal consort situation?
If they heard about what Theo said to , what would they think?
I didn’t know where to start, nor did I want to make Dad too worried. So I decided to just take it slow and see what Dad would have to say.
It took us less than half an hour to find a small dry dent and get a nice fire burning. I sat down on so dry grass, leaning on Dad, who had already hunted a rabbit for dinner and was now rotating the wild ga over the fire.
The grease dripped into the fire every few seconds, making the fla dance happily. It was almost ditating to watch. I let out a long breath, feeling my nerves soothed by the peaceful forest night.
“So... how is mom doing?” I asked.
I was a little surprised that my mother hadn’t co with my father. If what they were saying was true about my mory, I hadn’t seen her in even longer than I knew.
“She’s doing well. We got back just a few days ago and she had a lot of pack affairs to take care of,” he smirked, “You know her work habits.”
“I do,” I giggled, “Leave her alone when she’s busy. Goddess forbid if you get in her way during work. And once she gets started, she won’t stop until it’s all done.”
“Exactly, so I ca here to find you and that should give her enough ti to get her work done. That gives you and so ti to catch up, right?”
I agreed, “Nothing beats a delicious dinner and a nice long talk in the woods!”
My father laughed and put his arm around my shoulders. He squeezed against him in a side embrace and kissed the side of my head.
“I’ve missed you a lot, my dear. How have you been, really?”
His gaze looked into my soul, and I’d learned since a young age that nothing could escape his pair of piercing eyes. Sooner or later, he’d find out, so I might as well just be honest with him.
“I’ve been good, in general,” I sighed, “but I don’t want to lie to you, daddy. They said I lost my mories while I was in the palace. King Theo seems to like , but I don’t think I want to spend the rest of my life there, so I escaped and ran into you.”
My dad didn’t seem to be too surprised. He nodded, “I actually ca from the palace and I talked to King Theo.”
My eyes widened, “You have already t him?! He...he knows I’ve escaped then? What if he sends his guards after us?”
My dad smiled, “I bet if he really loves you like he claims, he would let you choose how you would like to live your life. If he had lied about his feelings for you, then it shouldn’t be a big deal for you to run away. Either way, you’re fine.”
“Um, you’re right.”
It was strange. When I was in the palace, all I wanted to do was run away. However, while I was relieved that Theo wouldn’t send n after , I was also a little...disappointed.
How ridiculous was that! I must be losing my mind. I shook my head and tried to push Theo’s dark, deep eyes out of my head when I heard a light rustling sound from the woods.
My dad’s eyes shifted toward the thick forest and I followed his gaze.
Between the trees, I thought I saw a shadow move... and then there was only darkness.
“What’s there?” I asked, turning back to my father.
“Probably just so forest predator,” he said, cupping my chin in his hand. “Now that you’re with , they know not to bother you.”
Rolling my eyes I scoffed. “You know, if those are forest animals, they’re more likely to listen to than you.”
“Ha ha ha, you’re probably right,” he laughed proudly, “but that’s because you learned from the best.”
I glanced over at him and smirked, “You have to pat yourself on the back, don’t you?”
Then I couldn’t help but laugh loudly with him too.
“Kiddo, so fresh barbecued wild ga?” Dad cut off a small piece of at and handed it to , but I shook my head.
“I thought this is your favorite?”
I looked down at my feet. “Actually, I haven’t had a great appetite recently.”
In fact, in the past few days, I couldn’t quite keep my food down, but I kept that to myself.
I looked up at my father and saw his eyes darken. He looked away from and his mouth tightened into a firm line.
“Daddy... It’s okay. I probably just had a stomach bug. I’ll be fine in a few days,” I tried to lighten it. “Also, maybe it’s part of the mory loss that I can’t rember what I like.”
My dad forced a smile on his face and shook his head. Then he pulled against him in a firm, warm embrace. “Ciana, rember, no matter who you are or what you do, we are your parents and we’ll do anything to support you. You got that, baby?”
I leaned against him and buried my nose in his shirt. It slled warm and spicy, a scent burned into my mory from childhood and all the tis he scooped in his lap and told stories.
“Dad, are you okay? Am I okay?” I asked as I pulled away. “You’re scaring .”
“I just want to make sure you rember who loves you and supports you.” He kissed my forehead.
“Daddy, is it bad that I lost my mory?”
“Honey, usually sudden onset amnesia is to shield the mind from a bad mory or trauma. I’m compelled to ask, are you happy now?” he asked, his eyes softening into the father I’d always known.
My heart ached a little. It was a complicated question. Honestly, I escaped the palace, but was I really unhappy there? Everyone treated nicely and I ought to have no complaints, yet I wasn’t satisfied.
Then I ran away, and I thought I finally got the freedom I wanted, but I felt sothing was missing within .
It was so strange and I couldn’t describe it to Dad, so I smiled and nodded. “Of course, I’m happy. With you at my side, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said, chucking my chin. “I didn’t an just right at this mont.”
“Well, I’ve got plenty of animal friends in the woods back ho, I can’t wait to see them again. You and mom are back so there’s nothing I need to worry about.”
“But you’re turning 21 soon and will have your wolf. What do you want to do afterward? What will make you happy?”
“I want to explore the world just like you guys do, Daddy. Ideally with a few friends, but if I have to, I’d do it alone. I want to visit different places, try different foods and et different people, and maybe help out when soone needs help.” I smiled, looking forward to my dream life.
“One day, I may find a place to settle down, and who knows, maybe I’ll find my mate.” When I talked about finding my mate, I thought of the teenage boy I t in the woods. I tried to rember his eyes, but all I saw was Theo’s face in my mind. Instantly, my heart started to flutter.
No, King Theo would never live that kind of life with ...
“I’ve got things to look forward to, and that makes happy,” I concluded.
“If that’s the case, let’s not cling to the past then. We can move forward and make new mories,” Dad suggested.
“I like that idea, Daddy,” I agreed, nodding. “Let’s go ho.”
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