Chapter 2: Caught

Sadie’s POV

I walked quickly through the packhouse, my head down. To my surprise, no one stopped me. I slipped out the back door of the dining hall and burst out into the night air. I was hidden under the blanket of night as I scurried across the garden towards the forest.

My heart pounded so hard I thought it was going to break my ribs. But nothing was going to stop me. My mate was waiting for me and together, we were going to start a new life.   

A happier life.

A better life.

I weaved my way through the dark forest, ducking under branches and stepping over logs. The crunching of leaves under my feet mixed with the chirping of crickets and the odd, lonely cry of an owl.

The moon was full, and it cast just enough light for me to find my way. Not that I needed it. I knew this path by heart.

Once or twice, I felt like someone was following me. I glanced back but sure enough, no one was there. Soon enough, I came to the clearing. It was our special spot, Karter and I. The place where we’d shared our first kiss. It was the perfect spot to meet.

I broke into the clearing and saw Karter, his back turned to me. He was looking up at the moon.

“Karter,” I exclaimed, rushing towards him.

He turned around, a wide smile on his face.

“Sadie,” he said, taking me into his arms. I inhaled his familiar, musky scent. I let it linger in my nose while I held him tightly.

“I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered, my head nuzzled into his neck. I was overwhelmed with emotion.

“Come on,” he said, taking my head. “We have to go.”

But as we turned to leave, a sharp voice stopped us.

“Sadie, wait!” My father’s Beta, Luca, suddenly appeared. He was panting from the run. My heart sank. No! It wasn’t possible. We’d been caught?

But his next words caused me to freeze on the spot.

“I followed you. But you run fast. Your father,” Beta Luca panted heavily, “he’s been,” He paused briefly, his voice laced with urgency, “captured by the Lycans!”

“What?!” I asked, shocked.

The Lycan Prince was at the packhouse? We knew they were coming but we hadn’t expected them today. That meant I only narrowly missed them, but a mere couple of hours.

But what was Beta Luca talking about? He said my father was arrested? But why? I looked at him quizzically.  

Beta Luca quickly explained. “The Lycan Prince arrived at the pack earlier this evening. They went to your room to fetch you, but you weren’t there. The Prince took your absence as an insult to the Lycan royal family.” Beta Luca paused to catch his breath. “The prince ordered his soldiers to arrest your father. He’s being held for questioning. You have to come back, Sadie. You have to explain everything to the prince. It’s the only way to save your father.”  

My breath hitched in my throat.

Seized? Arrested? Being held by the Lycan Prince?

Despite my father’s coldness and distance over the years, he was still my father. I couldn’t bear the thought of him being punished because of me. I had to go back.

I turned to Karter with a guilty expression. Karter nodded, understanding my unspoken decision.

“I’m coming with you,” he said.

Together, with Beta Luca, we went back to the packhouse. The moment I stepped foot inside though, I was roughly seized by Lycan warriors.

“Sadie Ambrose,” they said, dragging me away. “You’re under arrest for insulting the royal family,” one of them declared coldly.

Karter hollered for them to stop but it was no use. All our guards had been replaced by Lycan soldiers. They dragged me all the way to the dungeon and threw me in, locking the door behind me.           

The cell door slammed. I sat in the dark cell, my mind racing. According to the Royal Decree, the Lycan royal family had the authority to take control of any pack at any time, although they rarely exercised this right. So the fact that they’d done so now showed me just how seriously they viewed my actions.

I knew the Lycan Prince was coming. We all did. It was one of the reasons Karter and I were in such a hurry to escape. We wanted to leave before they arrived. I had no idea they were coming today though. Just as I had no idea they’d be this offended by my absence.

They left me in the dungeon for days. I thought being locked away in my bedroom was bad. It was paradise compared to the damp, wet, musty cell. No one came to visit me – not Delphine, not Karter. I was literally all alone. I tried to stay strong and not become too despondent, but it was really hard.

The wolf suppressant my father had ordered was still in effect. I couldn’t contact my wolf, couldn’t shift, and couldn’t mindlink anyone. My eyes were permanently red and puffy from crying.

I was desperate to know what was happening outside. Was my father still alive? Was Karter safe? The isolation became too much for me to bear. But just as despair began to consume me, the cell door creaked open. 

A Lycan soldier appeared, his expression stoic.

“The Prince has decided to give you one more chance,” he announced. “If you willingly participate in the Luna Selection and win, he will spare your father’s life.”

My heart sank. I wanted desperately to refuse, but what choice did I have? I couldn’t let my father suffer because of me. I’d made a selfish decision to run away with Karter and now the weight of the consequences bore down on me.

For the first time in my life, I fully grasped the responsibility that came with being the Alpha’s daughter.

My heart felt like it was tearing in half. If I entered the selection and I won, I’d never be with Karter. But if I refused, my father’s blood would be on my hands. I loved them both, my father and Karter. It was an impossible decision, or at least, that’s how it felt.

I was torn between saving my father and the heartbreak of leaving Karter behind. But I knew what I had to do.

I locked eyes with the soldier and lifted my chin.

“Tell the Prince I will enter the Luna selection,” I said, my voice sounding a lot more confident than I felt.