Chapter 5: Alpha Kade
Lyra's POV
5 Months Later
“Your Highness, His Majesty has asked for your presence in the…” I had no intention of allowing her to complete her sentence. I knew that she was Alpha Riven’s personal messenger; it was not her explicit role, but wherever I saw her, she always seemed to have a message for me from Alpha Riven. Her presence always saw me sighing.
“Tell him I'm not coming, I do not take orders from anyone,” I said, directing my fury at Alpha Riven at the maid. I had loved being here at first because Alpha Riven had made me very comfortable. I had been impressed at first by the attention he had shown me, but as time wore on, I only found it suffocating. It was a good thing that he treated me right, but I just wished he would give me some space.
I could not believe that sometimes I missed being a servant. My life had been governed by rules all my life, as was the life of a servant. But here, my life seemed to have taken a different turn; it felt like I was living on the whims of Alpha Riven, and it was getting stuffy. The man wanted to occupy every single moment of my life, and I was fed up with it.
“Your Highness, His Majesty knew you would say that… he insists that…”
“You will leave me this instant!” I cried out and stood up from where I had been enjoying the view of the trees from my private balcony. I had chosen this room because of its view. However, if I were to go back in time, I would choose the room that was farthest from Alpha Riven.
The maid bowed her head and left my room, but I knew Alpha Riven well; he would come himself for me. I did the next best thing I could think of to avoid him. I jumped down from my balcony and landed on the floor in a squat.
“Who is there? Show me your hands!” a guard pointed a flashlight at me. I put up my hands in the air until he saw me. I knew that if I did not obey him, he could end my life. It surprised me how Alpha Riven, a rogue Alpha, was very particular about security. There were many things about this place that surprised me besides the tight security. One of those things was how organised the outbound pack was. It was refreshing to see so much order and respect among the people. I had always thought that because they were termed as rogues, they were disorderly and only wanted to cause chaos, but I had been very wrong. If anything, they were more civilised than the people I had met in Alpha Kade’s pack.
“Your Highness?” he was surprised to see that it was me. He looked up at my balcony and then at me, “Is everything alright?”
“Yes, can I leave now?” I demanded.
“Of course,” he replied, but he did not leave. He looked at my balcony as though expecting someone to fall off the balcony.
I ignored the guard and walked away as fast as I could. I needed somewhere quiet to retreat to, somewhere Riven will not find me at least for another hour or two.
I walked towards the stalls where the horses were kept. I saw my horse, Laila. I stroked her back lovingly, and she nuzzled me fondly.
I released her from her stall and led her out of the stable. When we were in an open place, I climbed her back and began riding with no destination in mind. I just wanted to get as far as possible as I could. I worried little about getting lost because I knew that no matter where I went to Alpha Riven would follow me.
Without being conscious about it, I found myself in the exact spot I had met Alpha Riven. I could still remember the experience rather clearly. I had been so lost then, and he had come out of nowhere to claim me as his mate. I rode further until I could see that I was at the very edge of a stream. The place where my horse stood was steep, and I knew that one more step and we would be plunged into the water.
I tried to climb down from Laila’s back without startling her, but I only ended up losing my footing, and I was certain that I was going to fall onto the rocky ground and possibly sustain a nasty injury. If that happened, I could forget the little freedom I had; Riven would never allow me to leave his side again—he was possessive that way.
However, the moon goddess smiled upon me as someone broke my fall.
The person's scent smelled vaguely familiar, but I doubted that it was anyone I knew. I was just grateful to this person because otherwise I would have sustained a serious injury.
I looked up to thank the person who had caught me, only to realise that I was staring into Alpha Kade's eyes. I pulled myself away from his hold at once, surprised to see him. As I stared at him, the rush of emotions I had thought were gone forever flooded through me. I was instantly reminded of his harsh rejection that had driven me out of his pack. What was he doing here now? I knew this was not his territory, and quite frankly, the other Alphas under the council did not like coming anywhere near Alpha Riven.
“Lyra!” he exclaimed, but I only stepped further away from him.
“Why are you here?” I asked him when there was a good amount of space between us.
“I'm here for you, Lyra,” he said, his voice smooth as silk.
“What do you mean? You rejected me, remember?” I could not forget the humiliation I had faced when he had rejected me publicly without any pity, as though I meant nothing.
“Let's go home, Lyra.”