Chapter Three

My mate gently set me down after releasing Kyle, and with purposeful strides, he carried us both back to the pack house. As we entered, I was about to direct him to my room, but somehow he seemed to already know the way. In the sanctity of my room, he carefully placed me on my feet.

Quickly, I retreated into the bathroom to cleanse myself of the dirt and pain. Emerging from the shower, clad in fresh attire, I reentered my room. My mate reclined on my bed, his gaze fixed upon the ceiling, lost in deep contemplation.

Clearing my throat with deliberate intention, I sought to capture his attention. He rose, shirtless, unveiling a physique that seemed sculpted by divine hands.

"Is this how your pack typically treats you? With bruises marring your body and others taking advantage of you?" I hung my head in shame, overwhelmed by the thought that he might be saddled with a mate who appeared so feeble, unable to defend herself from the torment I'd endured throughout the day.

"Yes," I replied softly. He stood up and approached me, gently lifting my chin with his finger.

"No need to feel embarrassed about it. Everything that has happened to you today will never happen again, I promise you that. If I have to go to war to make sure of it, then I will." My eyes widened, and tears threatened to fall once more, but I regained control of my emotions quickly. I didn't want him to see me cry.

"You're not going to reject me?"

"Why would I reject you, my queen? I've been searching for you for decades." I was puzzled by the "queen" part, but I set it aside for the moment.

"Because I'm nothing more than just a maid."

"The Moon Goddess would never make a maid my mate. You have royal blood, I can practically smell it on you." I blushed, thinking his senses must be mistaken, and he's probably smelling Kyle on me instead.

"No, I'm sure that's just Kyle you're smelling. I don't have royal blood." He instantly growled at the mention of Kyle's name.

"It isn't him I smell on you. Your scent is rosemary flowers, and that's the scent I smell. It's a high-status royal blood scent. Only one wolf gets that smell every other decade, the Queen of Wolves." My eyes widened again. Surely he's mistaken. There's no way I'm the Queen of Wolves. There hasn't been a Queen of Wolves in decades. We only have the King of Wolves, and he never really shows his face anywhere. Then, a thought came to me.

"Wait a minute… who are you?"

"My name is Damon, I'm the King of Wolves." My eyes widened in shock. My mate was the King of Wolves. I sat down on my bed to try and wrap my head around that fact.

"Are you okay?"

"No one has ever seen what you looked like before. I'm just shocked that of all days, you came out tonight to my pack."

"I was forced to by my mother. She isn't getting any younger, and with it, she is getting very impatient with me, not finding a mate and all."

"Oh, I see. I guess she will be thrilled to find out you found your mate then."

"Yes, she will."

"I have a question. Being the Queen of Wolves is hereditary. Like could my parents have been a king or queen?"

"No, the King and Queen are chosen. I was chosen decades ago, but you weren't born yet, and that's why I never had a mate before now."

"I see. So it wouldn't matter if my parents were of royal blood or not then."

"It would actually. Only those born with royal blood can be chosen to be King and Queen."

"Oh! Okay." I was now more determined to find out who my birth parents were and what happened to them and my past that led me here.

"So what now?"

"We sleep, let the events of tonight blow over, and then we meet with the Alpha of this pack first thing in the morning."

"Like in the same bed?" I asked, feeling my cheeks heat up with a blush.

"No, I'll sit on this chair, and you sleep in your bed. I'll be watching over you tonight," Damon said. However, before we could even think about sleep, Mrs. Haggadah burst into my room.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alive! One of the maids told me what happened. I'm so glad you're alive. He didn't take your virginity, did he? Because if he did, I swear I'll kill him!" I blushed even harder, having my virginity brought up with Damon in the room.

"Oh my god, Mrs. Haggadah, no, he didn't. I was saved just in time before he could, but please," I said while glancing sideways at Damon, hoping to give her a hint.

"And who are you?! I'm sorry, but you have to go. She suffered enough for a lifetime, not to mention everything she has been through tonight."

"Mrs. Haggadah!" I said through gritted teeth.

"This is Damon, the King of Wolves. He saved me tonight from Kyle, and he's also my mate," I said quickly. Mrs. Haggadah just stood there in shock. I walked up to her and waved my hand in front of her face. She caught my hand, giving me a stern look. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"You're Damon, the King of Wolves, and your pack is the Blood Moon pack?"

"Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you Millie's mom?"

"God no, I adopted Millie. She was left in front of the alpha's doorstep as a baby, and she was given to me afterward."

"So, you're not her birth mom, but you are her mom in a sense."

"Well, yes, I guess you can say that. Well, this is great news then, you guys have to leave tonight, like right now."

"Why is that?" Damon asked, wearing a questionable look on his face.

"Because it's too dangerous for Millie to be here any longer."

"I can understand that, but who do you know would think about challenging me?" Mrs. Haggadah's eyes widened for a second.

"You're right, I apologize, I forgot what your status meant for a second. Still, though, I'll feel at ease if she was far away from this pack tonight."

"No can do. We are meeting with the Alpha and his evil spawn in the morning to talk about what happened and what has been happening her whole life. Then after that, we will leave."

"Very well, I guess there is no sense in arguing with the King." Mrs. Haggadah said before turning around and walking out of my room, closing the door behind her.

"I never told you my name, how do you know it?"

"Your wolf Ellie talked to my wolf Midnight, and she mentioned your name. Now get some sleep; we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

***

The next morning, I was awakened by Damon, who was already fully cleaned, dressed, and determined to get things done. He had a look of unwavering resolve, as if nothing could deter him from his mission. I groaned and attempted to shoo him away, but he refused to be deterred. When he saw that I wasn't going to budge, he unceremoniously threw off my covers, exposing me to the cold air that nearly sent me toppling off the bed.

"We have important matters to attend to with the alpha and his son," Damon declared in his no-nonsense tone. I groaned once more before reluctantly dragging myself out of bed. I shot him an irritated glare as I went about my morning routine.

A refreshing shower helped me shake off the sleep, and I dressed quickly. I took extra care with my hair, which was currently a tangled mess. Slowly, I worked through the knots, allowing my hair to cascade down my back. Gone were the days of the mandatory maid's bun – I now embraced my royal heritage by letting my hair flow freely.

We strolled through the hallway and into the kitchen, where Mrs. Haggadah had thoughtfully prepared some breakfast for us before her departure.

Our hunger was evident as we devoured the eggs and bacon in record time. Afterward, we quickly rinsed off our plates and left them in the sink before heading out of the house. The rest of the pack was likely gathered in the cafeteria for breakfast, as the house appeared empty on our way to the alpha's office.

Inside the office, a heated argument was in progress. Kyle was vehemently protesting his father's decision.

"You can't let her leave; she belongs to us. I don't care if Damon is the King of Alphas; I won't allow Millie to go," Kyle argued, his voice filled with determination.

"I won't shy away from going to war with the King of Alphas. You witnessed his strength last night. What were you thinking, forcing yourself on her anyway? You're an alpha, and she's a maid," the alpha retorted, his voice just as resolute.

"You know as well as I do that Millie has never been a mere maid. You were aware of her royal blood, even if it's faint. She could rule our pack, by my side," Kyle asserted firmly.

"That's enough! I won't hear any more of this. I'm not going to lose my life for you or Millie," the alpha roared in response.

As we approached the alpha's office, the heated argument inside grew louder. Damon, not one for waiting, took action. He kicked open the door, which swung wide and slammed into the wall with a resounding crash. My eyes widened at the abrupt entrance, and before I could utter a word, Damon marched into the office with an air of authority.

"King Damon, last night was a mistake…" The alpha's voice trembled with fear as he rose from his seat, his eyes reflecting genuine apprehension. It was a side of our alpha I had never witnessed before.

"Save it. Millie has endured this torment her entire life, and not once did you try to stop it," Damon retorted, his voice seething with anger.

The alpha's response was callous. "Why would I? She is just a maid, a servant. An ant beneath my shoe. She has no royal blood, so she isn't of importance to this pack. If I were you, I would have already rejected her."

Damon's patience snapped like a twig, his rage palpable. In an instant, everything unfolded rapidly. Damon seized the alpha by the neck, hoisting him from the ground. Kyle recoiled into a corner, behaving like a coward attempting to vanish. Damon brought the alpha's face perilously close to his own, his hand tightening its grip, squeezing the life out of him.

"Alpha John," Damon spat with venomous hatred, his voice dripping with disdain. "Millie has royal blood, she has always had royal blood, but only I, your king, could sense it. A mere weakling of an alpha such as yourself could never feel a queen's power. Her King, her soulmate, her other half could, though. And the moment I laid eyes on her, I could smell the scent on her that told me she was my lost Queen! If you disrespect your queen like that again, I will kill you and anyone else who stands in my way."

With those words, Damon dropped Alpha John with palpable disgust, seized my hand, and led me out of the room.

"When we get back to your room, we are going to pack everything you have, and we are leaving this pack far behind. Your life from here on out will be better, and you will be happy. I promise you that," Damon said, raising my hand and pressing his soft lips gently against it.