DUSK’S POV
I was so scared when he suddenly slammed me against the wall. My bones could have almost cracked, and that made me view him more as a heartless being. Why would he do such to me? I should have known he wouldn’t treat me any better because no one wanted a weak mate.
When he stormed out of the room in anger, I slid down to the floor and hugged my knees as I sat on the floor. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks. The way he acted towards me made me feel pain like never before, and this was heartbreaking. I squeezed my chest as I continued to cry and wonder why I was this way and had to go through all sorts of bad treatment.
This wasn’t the way I dreamed that my life would be with my mate. This was the direct opposite, and I felt that my life could never get better since my mate, who was supposed to love me, despised me so much like an enemy. My hope was dashed, and I felt lonely and didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t have any urge to keep living life and was trying my best to stand strong.
After a while, I decided to apologize to him, but I was told he was not around currently, and I asked that I be informed if he was.
After waiting for too long, I decided to go out of my room to find out if he was back myself, because I suspected that I wouldn’t get feedback from anyone when he returned.
I was right; he was back and no one informed me. A maid was right in front of the door when I got there, so I rushed there and stood beside her. The second I stood in front of the door, it was yanked open, and Lucius appeared in front of me. He stared at me coldly before slipping through the door and shutting it behind him. He didn’t even acknowledge my presence as he walked past me.
~
The next day, I looked around my room, and it felt like I was seeing it for the first time. The designs were captivating and nice. I got ready for the day and went out for breakfast, but neither Alpha nor Lucius were at the dining table.
"Hello. Please, where is Lucius?" I asked one of the maids, hoping she would know his whereabouts.
"Young Master and the Alpha went out for a meeting regarding the kingdom." She replied as she lowered her eyes.
~
I went out to the garden and was admiring the beauty of nature until a raid suddenly happened. Some strangers had come in and were fighting with the warriors in the palace.
"What’s going on?" I asked a warrior, who drew out his sword, ready to charge at the enemy.
"Go and take cover, young lady." He shouted as he charged towards the enemy.
I wasn’t recognized; Lucius had not introduced me to anyone, so they probably didn’t know I was his mate; if not, some of them would have come over to protect me. I quickly ran to take cover to hide, but someone used a handkerchief to cover my nose until I passed out.
~
LUCIUS
I went to see my father, as he had requested. His back was to me when I got there.
"I heard you brought home a mate. A weak omega." He said, with his baritone voice.
"Yes father." I replied dryly.
"Of what use is a weak omega? She would only add to the burden that is on your shoulders.” He said as he turned around and sat down.
"I guess the moon goddess decided to punish me for a sin I did not know of." I said, feeling bitter.
"Aside from that, the alpha of the sundown furs reached out to me, and they have decided to strike a deal with us, with 80% of both parties’ armies present as witnesses to the truce we are going to make." He informed me as his expression looked more serious.
"They agreed to a truce?" I asked in disbelief.
They were very adamant, and it was weird that they actually agreed to a truce, but if it were to be true, that was good news and progress as well.
The following day, my father and I went to the spot where we had agreed to meet with the enemy, and, as they said, they came with 80% of their army.
"I am glad you kept to your side of the bargain." The Alpha of the rival pack said, smiling widely.
"I am also glad that you have decided to settle with a truce." My father said, keeping a straight face.
"So, we would like it if we could coexist and also trade different products. What do you think?" He suggested, as he rubbed his chin like he was thinking deeply about it.
"Yes, that is also a good idea. It is the start of a new system." My father said, finally showing a smile.
We discussed some other things that promised a good trade relationship between us, and we agreed to what each of us wanted because it sounded reasonable. After what seemed like an eternity of the discussion we had, we turned around to go back home.
We had almost gotten home when my brother came rushing to us, panting hard.
"The enemy raided the palace and took some women hostage." He informed us as he regained his breath.
My mind immediately went to my mate, dusk. She was weak, and if she had been seen at that moment, she would certainly have been taken captive, as she couldn’t fight for herself.
My wolf would not allow me to rest, knowing how weak she was. I ran as fast as I could to the palace and searched everywhere for her, but to no avail. No doubt, she had been taken captive too.
The people whom we had gone to meet for a truce had played tricks on us; they knew our weakness at that moment and used it to get to us.
Without thinking twice, I quickly rushed back to the forest, heading to the enemy’s territory along with my beta and some other skilled warriors.
When I got there, I roared mightily, directing all attention toward me in their palace.
"Where the hell are my people?" I asked, shouting at the top of my voice.
Their Alpha came out and smirked.
"Bring me his head." He ordered his warriors