The 5th year of King Logan's Reign.
AUDREY'S POV
"I, King Logan, rejects you; Audrey Chadwick, as my mate, Luna to the Royal Moon pack, and Queen to the werewolf race."
No no no! He couldn't do that to me! I wanted to scream and beg for mercy, but no words were forthcoming. It felt like my lips had been sealed, preventing me from uttering a word.
Tears poured down my cheeks as I looked deeply into his eyes, hoping he would feel my pains and change his mind, but he only looked away. Just then, one of the guards pushed me to the ground and I fell down. I got scared when I realized my back was not hitting the ground, and I kept falling into a bottomless pit. I had been thrown into hell! I kept screaming loudly for help until I eventually got rescued by an unknown helper, whose arms were tightly wrapped around me.
"Audrey! Audrey!!" My helper screamed my name, and my eyes flung open to the thick darkness surrounding me. After a few seconds of scanning my new environment, I realized what had just happened. I wasn't falling after all. My face and neck were drenched in sweat, as tears fell from my eyes.
"Audrey." Rosaline shook my shoulders and I looked up to see her worried face. One of the perks of being a wolf, was having a clear and sharp vision even in darkness.
"Don't tell me you had that dream again." She said, all I could do was release a deep sigh.
"I did, Rosa. I did." I muttered, cleaning away the residual tears in my eyes. I would never really be able to get over that incident, would I? It had been 5 years already, yet I hadn't been able to stop seeing Logan in my dreams.
"Oh, sweetie." She released a sympathetic sigh. "You would be fine." She assured, but I shook my head in absolute denial.
"You and I, both know that I won't. Everything would only get worse, now that my cousin insists I join them to Logan's pack."
"But you know you have to. Your soldiers are nothing without you. You are their leader and motivation." Rosa reasoned, settling on the bed beside my curled up form.
Wasn't this such an irony? The most powerful Pack's army commander, being humbled by a dream about her former mate.
"You cannot just stay back here and let them all fight alone in this raging war, because you are scared to see your mate who rejected you."
"He isn't just my mate, Rosa." I muttered. "He is the Alpha king! The ‘tribrid’ Alpha King! Meaning, he has the power to make or break me. I am already broken enough, having lived such a secluded life for several years now. I would go crazy if he still hates me."
"Audrey, you have to brace up. I have always known you to be strong, and smart to make the right decisions. Neglecting your duty of leading your soldiers to war, would only steer a lot of gossip. Moreover, King Logan would barely notice you while he is busy making preparations for the war that is forthcoming."
"That is very impossible because my role as the pack's commander would always put me in a room full of strategizing Alphas. But then, I really hope he doesn't notice me." I released a sigh.
"Do you hope he doesn't notice you, or do you hope he has finally forgiven you?" She looked at me pointedly, and I went tight lipped. Rosa knew me so well, and that was the reason why she was my only friend. Rosaline was my late brother's mate, and had stuck with me ever since he died 3 years back. At least, going through life with her by my side had been much easier.
"Rosa...." I released some hot breathe from my lips. "He had literally given me the worst punishment possible. I would never be able to find my second chance mate, he made sure of that. He would forever hate me."
"Oh, dear!" She pulled my stiff body for a hug.
I remained unmoving in my place, and she released a loud scoff. "You would never hug me back, would you?"
Knowing I couldn't give her an answer to that, I blinked back the tears in my eyes and pulled away from her. Even I, couldn't tell when I had become this person. I was once a vibrant and fun loving girl. When did I become this boring loner?
"You became this person the day the Alpha King broke your heart." She muttered. Arrghh! I hated it whenever she read my mind like that.
"I broke his heart first. Crushed it, even." I mumbled in response, and there was this deafening silence between us.
Just then, we heard the loud howl of the herald wolf, and my heart fell to the pit of my stomach. It was morning already.
"Oh God!" I Whisphered, tears brimming in my eyes.
"My goodness!" Rosa's eyes widened in shock. "Audrey calm down, you would be fine. Remind yourself that you are going for the sake of your people. This is something you have always wanted to do." She reasoned, and I nodded stiffly.
She was right, but it was still a lot to take in. We had only been informed of the looming war yesterday, and were required to be at the king's palace by noon today. That meant we had to start our journey as early as possible. I started to hear incoherent voices and I knew that some of my pack's soldiers were on their way to my apartment.
"They are coming already." I muttered.
"I know, I can hear them too."