Fated to the King

Chapter 2

Alpha James Blackheart watches as his rejected daughter walks into the tree line and disappears into the forest. “I’ll never forgive that mutt for getting my fated mate killed. it’s her fault the rogues attacked, and murdered her mother. Miranda will get everything that wolfless b***h should have gotten. I’ll see to it.” He rants to himself.

“Why not just banish her to the forest? Let her be a rogue on our own packlands. She won’t last long.” Miranda says coming behind her husband, and snakes her arms around his waist. He rests his hand on hers, “I am considering that. She won’t be missed, and it will make things easier on Miranda. Not having to see that mutt. However she is 18 soon, and can leave.” He replies.

“That is an issue for later. You need to get ready for dinner and then the party. Guests will be arriving in an hour, and the king will be here.” Miranda says letting go of her husband.

“No expense was spared for Miranda’s dress, I hope. I’d love nothing more than for her to be mated to him.” He replies turning and watches Madeline saunter to the door.

Calista walks for what seems like an hour, she sees a tree stump, and sits down to rest for a moment.

“I want to run.” Onyx says excitedly pacing. “We can’t just yet. they might have sent a warrior to follow us. They can’t know about you. After we get to the cabin, we’ll wait for the howls in case that brat gets her wolf. I don’t want to chance them picking up our scent.” Calista says trying to reason with her wolf who rarely gets to run.

She gets up and stretches before walking on. After trekking up a steep hill, she turns to see that she can see a lot of the packland, and most importantly, the packhouse. ‘This will be a good vantage point.’ She thinks to herself, as she gets back on her way, following a small deer trail.

As the sun begins to set, Calista finds herself in front of a large and rapid moving stream. She smiles watching water rush over enormous boulders, and listens to the rush of the water. She turns, and sees a tiny cabin almost hidden in the tree line.

“We’re here, Onyx.” She says just above a whisper.

“I’m tired and hungry.” Onyx says curling up and covering her eyes with her great tail.

Calista tries the door, and it seems frozen in place. The window glass is thick with dust. “I bet nobody has been here in a while.” She mutters mostly to herself, and then tries the door, this time shoving with her body weight, and the door slowly creaked open. A pungent musty odor overwhelms her senses for a moment, before she walks inside and drops the backpack on the floor. She looks around to see the small wood stove, Sarah told her about. There is a wingback chair next to the stove, a small handmade sofa against the opposite wall, with a table and two chairs in the center of the room. She spots a door on the far wall near the stove. She nervously opens the door, half expecting someone in there. But, she just sees a bedroom, a simple bed made of logs, and a wooden chest with an opened lock. the moving parts long since frozen.

Calista shivers, her meager clothes fine for a fall day, but once the sun goes down its cold. She walks through the cabin and outside, and gathers up small sticks on the ground, and then carries them to the door, and sets them down. She walks around close to the cabin, gathering small logs and carries them back to the cabin.

After getting a fire started, she finds a sandwich packed in her bag and eats the first meal of her day after having walked ten miles into the wilderness.

The dining room in the packhouse is full of residents, and guests. Alpha James stands and looks down at his daughter dotingly.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming to celebrate my precious daughter’s birthday. May the Goddess bless her with her wolf on this night. I’d like to especially welcome, The Alpha King, His Majesty, King Magnus.” James says looking over at the king seated next to Miranda.

The attendees all lift their glasses, “Happy Birthday, Miranda.” They say as a crowd. Miranda has a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon, eating up the attention.

“I must be misinformed, James.” The king says before sipping his champagne.

James looks at him curiously. “About, what, Sire?” He asks feigning innocence.

“Records indicate that you have two daughters. I wonder why I haven’t met the other one, or even seen her. Surely, she'd attend her own sister’s party.” Magnus says.

James swallows hard, Madeline looks at her plate, and moves her steak around her plate out of nervousness.

“As you know, my fated mated was violently murdered by rogues 17 years ago. They also killed my infant daughter.” James says.

“I had no idea, I am sorry for your loss. Forgive me, on such a joyous occasion.” King Magnus says not believing a word that explanation.

Later, the guests all stand in the ballroom, where an elaborately decorated cake sits taking up most of a large round table. Gifts are stacked on another table next to it.

Alpha James and Luna Madeline stand as Miranda walks into the room, everyone singing “Happy Birthday’. She walks toward the cake that an omega had lit one long thin candle. She feigns making a wish, and blows the candle out and everyone cheers.

Calista bolts awake, confused about her surroundings, and then remembered where she was. She gets up and walks out the front door, and hears a faint howl over the wind.

“Miranda got her wolf. We’ll shift early in the morning and have a little run. It won’t be safe tonight.” She tells Onyx, and then walks back inside and closes the door. Onyx moves to the back of her mind, pouting.

Calista adds more wood to her fire, and sits in the chair. Realizing she's in the dark, she picks up a small stick she's using for kindling and sets it on fires to use as a torch. She walks around, and finds some old supplies, left by the last occupant. Finding a half-burned candle, she lights the dusty wick, and walks back to the chair carrying the candle carefully, and tosses her torch in the fire.

“Just have to survive the night.” She says to herself, and remembers the wood chest in the other room. Curiosity gets the better of her, and walks to the bedroom, and sets her candle down carefully on the wood floor. She removes the lock, and slowly lifts open the chest, and gasps as she lifts the flame to see old photos.