01. Keep My Princess Safe

Isla’s POV

I sighed as the last of Papa’s subordinates left the room after a hectic meeting. Usually, he would never let me sit through meetings like this.

But, as his only child, and since I already had my transformation, I was now allowed to decide on meetings.

“Padre, I don’t think we can hold out anymore,” I started, finally voicing out my true thoughts that I had kept during the meeting.

“Mio caro, you must remember that the most important part of a battle is in the heart.”

“I have sent word to the teams in the cities. They can leave the human matters for now and come back to protect our base. But, if I let the ones here believe they can’t handle it, then they would have lost even before the reinforcements come.”

I nodded my head in understanding as his words made sense, but I still couldn’t stop the uneasy feeling in my heart.

In the last two weeks, our defences have been broken through twice, and even though we have caught all the invaders, I couldn’t help but feel like more were coming.

No, I was certain that there were more coming.

The Vicious Canines was a pack of ruthless wolves that would not stop until they were either dead or their enemy was dead.

“Padre, I think that we should ask Dario for help also,” I said, finally saying what I felt was the true solution.

Although he was in a different city, Dario, my father’s best friend and my godfather, was the one person who could stand against the Vicious Canine without suffering any losses.

Papa heaved a deep sigh and leaned back against his seat.

“You don’t trust your Papa anymore?” he asked with a teasing and doting smile on his face.

However, beneath all that, I could see the clear signs of fatigue on my papa’s face.

“I do,” I answered honestly because I knew that my father would put his life on the line for mine.

I was his little princess.

But I didn’t want a world without my Padre in it. He was my only family, and he was all I had left in this world.

“I can’t call Dario,” Father started, and I sat up, my eyes twinkling with interest. A special interest that I for only my godfather.

“Is anything the matter? Did you both fight?” I asked with a slight frown.

I had found it strange that he missed my eighteenth birthday and my first transformation.

After all, he had never missed any important events or celebrations that involved me.

“The last time he was here, he vowed to me that the next time he set foot in my home, he would break our friendship vows; since then, he has been outside the country, and we haven’t had time for a real conversation.”

Papa sighed, the situation clearly having more effect on him. Seeing how he was affected made my heart lurch with guilt. After all, more than anyone, I knew exactly what had happened the last time Dario had been here.

However, I didn’t expect that he would hate me so much that because of that one simple action, he would decide to put the friendship of more than three decades that he had with my Padre aside.

I also felt a little guilty because I was the one who had broken their friendship, yet Papa had no idea.

I made a mental note to send him a message when I had the chance to sneak his number from Papa’s phone.

“Mio Cara, don’t worry that mind too much. From tomorrow, reinforcements will arrive, and all of them will come with more weapons,” Father said, and I nodded.

We stood up at the same time, and Papa pulled me into a warm hug that had most of my worries disappearing.

However, the moment we separated, and I turned to leave, the door to Papa’s study was pushed open with a loud bang.

“Alpha! Things are bad!” the man announced as he fell to his knees and took loud and fast breaths.

“What’s the matter? Speak quickly!” Papa urged, and he grabbed his pistol that was on the table and another one from behind him.

“The Vicious Canine has launched another attack…” before he could finish his words, a loud explosion rang out from outside, and my heart sank.

This was nothing like the two breaks that we have had recently.

Pete, my father’s beta, rushed inside and glanced at the guard, who was still sprawled on the floor.

“Alpha,” he said with a low bow before closing the door.

“How many are they?” Papa asked with another sigh.

“About thirty thousand. They must be here for a total wipeout.”

If I didn’t know Pete before now, I would have suspected that he either had a hand in this or didn’t care about the pack.

But I knew this was how he was, always unfazed and still as water.

“Alfred, the reinforcement cannot arrive in time. They have taken down the entire west side of the pack’s security. Since I came down here, they might have taken the other sides.”

I could see Papa’s face ageing with every report, and my heart ached with fear.

Even though I had known that we didn’t stand a chance, I hadn’t expected that we wouldn’t even have the chance to get any form of reinforcements at all.

That they would come this quickly.

“I would call my personal army…” Papa started and then glanced at me.

“Take Isla and leave this place, Pete.”

“What are you saying, Papa?” I interrupted before Pete could reply.

There’s no possible way that I would run when the pack was in danger.

“I can’t fight with you around me, Isla.”

I didn’t want to run away to safety when all of them were putting their lives on the line.

“Papa, is there no way we can negotiate? Perhaps ask them what they want?”

“Mio Cara,” Papa calls out in a low and warning tone that had me keeping quiet.

“Pete, keep my Princess safe,” Papa said, stood up and left the study.

Every step we take out of the study has my heart breaking, and in a split second, I yanked my hands from Pete’s hands and rushed after my papa.

“Papa, let’s call on Dario. I’m sure he has the resources to get here in time!” I shouted as I ran after my papa’s figure.

On hearing my voice, Papa stopped and then turned back. From where I am, I can’t see his expression clearly.

“Isla…” I didn’t hear what he said as another loud explosion shook the walls and filled the air.

“If you can’t call him in such a desperate time, then he doesn’t deserve to be called your friend.”

I hated that I was the one who caused their rift, and I also hated that Papa didn’t want to call him.

He was the Lycan King, for fucks sake!

How could he not call him at such a time?

“This life that I have was given to me by him. There’s no reason to blame a person for the things that fate has arranged.”

“La mia principessa, be good, okay?”

Tears rolled down my eyes, and I nodded my head repeatedly.

Papa pulled away from me and cocked the two guns that were in his arms.

“Let’s go, Isla,” Pete said, grabbing my hands to go in the other direction.

Without saying anything, Pete grabbed me, carrying me princess-style, and then made a high jump into the building.

Pete’s speed was impressive, and soon, we were climbing into the underground cellar underneath my room.

“There’s only two ways to open the safe in this cellar. You either open it from inside, or someone with the key opens it from outside. Other than that, it is completely indestructible.”

“Isla, regardless of what happens, you are not allowed to leave here.”

“Even after all of these settles?”

“There’s more than enough for you to eat and drink, and the underground pipes would make sure that you have more than enough oxygen…”

“You have no reason to come out,” Pete added, and I nodded, eager to have him go so that I could decide the best way to help my pack get through this.

“As for the key, only one person has it, so you don’t have to be scared.”

“Who?” I asked curiously, and Pete shot me an accusing glare.

“You would know when it’s time.”

He stood up, his height too small for the space of the cellar, so he had to bend his head.

“One last thing before I go,” Pete said, pulling out a small box from his pocket.

“I know you would be mad at me for a month when we see again, but this is the only way to ensure you don’t run off from here, Isla.”

My heart raced as I tried to make sense of his words.

However, Pete was faster than me as he pulled out a small piece of clothing from the box and then placed them over my nostrils.

My arms flail beside me as I struggle with the overwhelming pull and darkness that was trying to wrap over me.

Unfortunately, it was a losing battle.