247 Chapter Two Hundred Forty Seven
Katie stared at the man on the ground before them. She had heard everything her aunt had to say about the situation at hand, âSo with just one phone call, this can all come to an end?â she asked her.
âThat is what weâre going for. I know itâs not the way you thought this would all end, but an ending is an ending. There is nothing more to it than that. When all is said and done, humanity hasnât seen a brighter day than today, Katie. Your union with Cole brings the tyranny of the rogue king to an end. You will be able to see the man thatâs been behind all this behind bars. His execution will be announced and the plan the hunters had come up with eighteen years ago will be seen to the fruition.â
âWhat plan are you talking about, Aunt Marie?â Katie asked her.
âWell, it went by many names, but one of the most famous names we used at the time was the purification plan. The hunters were to go through all no manâs land snuffing out the last of the rogues. They were to find all their hiding places and cleanse the world of the last of their kind. Without them being able to multiply and breed, it was only a matter of time before they would be completely wiped from the face of the planet.â
Katie listened to her adoptive motherâs words as though they were a fairy tale from a foreign land. After everything sheâd put herself through her whole life, this didnât feel like it was the way it was supposed to end and yet... Itâs what they all had wanted. She couldnât argue and it wasnât in her place to question their decisions. There was one thing she couldnât let go of in spite of everything, âWhy does he get to live?â she asked.
âOh, you mean the rogue king,â her adoptive mother sighed, âTo be honest with you, the world would be a better place if he wasnât in it and I completely agree with you. The man should be put down as soon as possible instead of wasting time giving him the chance to âreflect,'â the woman said, raising her fingers to quote the word âreflectâ, â...on his actions. He deserves to be put down and his power completely erased from this world. In my opinion, as long as he still draws breath, there is someone out there that heâs oppressing and those people deserve to go to sleep knowing they are safe as well.â
âKatie,â Cole called out to the girl. As she had now grown used to the attention his voice demanded of her, she replied by allowing her undivided attention, âThe phone call. We can make it as both of us. The rogue king would have less of a problem believing us if the both of us speak to him.â
âYeah... I guess that would make sense,â while the offer made sense to the girl, she could feel the warmth with which the alpha made it. He was also allowing her to feel like she didnât have to do it all on her own and Katie appreciated the gesture much more than he would have thought.
âIâll get in contact with headquarters then...â Aunt Marie replied, getting her phone out and dialling the necessary phone numbers.
.....
A buzz came from Katieâs pockets almost scaring her out of her skin. She retrieved the phone from her pocket and her eyes widened when she saw it was coming from none other than the king of Sirius, âHello, father...â
âKATIE, WHAT IS GOING ON OVER THERE?â the man yelled through the phone.
âWhat do you mean? What are you doing awake this late in the night?â she asked the man, trying to withstand his screams.
âWell, I have just woken up, to be honest, but Iâve been trying to reach your phones for an hour. Why couldnât I get through to you?â the man asked her.
âWell, there was a bit of an incident at the reserve,â the girl said to him, staggering a little. The royal by her side caught her just in time, steadying her just in time. With trouble gone, exhaustion seemed to be seeping in fast.
âAre you okay?â the king asked her.
âYes, I am fine, but there are injured students at the hotel. I was able to get communications back up, but I donât think some of the students will be able to make the return journey,â the girl said through the phone.
âI will get medical personnel closest to the reserve travelling as soon as possible. You and Lina are to come back to the palace first thing in the morning. I received an odd phone call while I was trying to reach you. Bring Cole as well... We have something troubling to discuss,â the king sighed.
âYeah, weâll be there as soon as we can,â she said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âThatâs good to hear. Katie...â the man paused, âTake care of yourself. I was given a full report on your tendencies, so donât go around trying to get yourself a few fractures. You might be able to heal but you can still feel a lot...â
âIâm fine, father. The rogues have been defeated. I have no more reason to break my bones, okay?â the girl chuckled, cutting the king short.
The king groaned, âHonestly, Katie, what am I going to do with you?â
Earning laughter from his daughter, âGoodbye, father. You should get a little more sleep as well. The reserve is quite far, so we wonât be back home until later today. You can do what youâve always done with me though...â
âAnd what might that be, Luna Katie?â
The girl, along with her mate gasped at the manâs words, âHow long?â
âIâm a royal thatâs one of the two royal families. Wouldnât you think Iâd notice on the day when most of my power was stripped from me,â the man chuckled through the phone, âHowever, when I heard the rogues were still gathering in Lycaon, I realized the rogue king hadnât noticed which was thanks to the way you masked your marking ceremony.â
âWe didnât know what would happen if we revealed our marking. So we didnât tell anyone and kept the two packs from finding out as well. Did we do the right thing?â the girl asked him.
âHmm... I cannot tell you if you did the right thing or not. Youâll have to see the results of that when you hear the outcome of the battle in Sirius and weigh the other possibilities,â the king groaned, âBut if you wanted to know what I think, you did the right thing.â
âThanks. Thatâs reassuring...â Katie replied even though something in the pit of her stomach turned when he mentioned the battle in Lycaon.
âStay safe, Katie,â the man said through the phone, âThe same goes for you, Cole.â
Katie leaned into her mate, âYeah, weâll be fine.â A beeping sound signified the disconnected phone call. Just then, Marie walked up to her with the phone in her hand.
âIs Katie with you?â a familiar voice came from the other side of the phone. It was feminine and she knew exactly who it was.
âYes, Iâm right here, Jackeline. I heard you were supposed to...â
âWhatever you heard might have been true. Iâm sorry for the hurry, Katie, but at the moment, we donât have that much time to chat. The battle is ugly, but if this works, then it will all be over,â Jackeline said to her.
âAre you okay, Jackeline?â the girl asked next.
The other side of the phone call went silent for a bit. It sounded like the woman on the other side was running. Where they were running to remained unknown to Katie, âOf all questions, you could ask... You havenât changed one bit, have you, Katie?â
âIâve changed a lot,â the girl responded smugly.
âYou always were such a terrible liar. Your parents came to your aid just because they detected you had something dangerous up your sleeve, but from what Iâve heard, you havenât done it yet. While I make it to the rogue king, spill it,â Jackeline commanded.
Katie couldnât believe theyâd read through her that fast. Jeremiah walked up to the talking crew and spoke before Katie had found the courage, âShe asked that I help her get to Kyle so that she can rescue him.â
âWHAT??? Wait, is that even possible?â Jackeline yelled.
âWell, from the last group of rogues that the beta alpha summoned, I can tell their base is almost abandoned...â
âSo he is your beta alpha after all,â the rogue paralysed on the ground surmised.
âI told you to think of it what you want. You know about him and me, so simply draw your conclusions. I wonât indulge you by confirming which one is true,â Katie responded.
âYouâre only trying to get me to stop suspecting you and youâre pretty smart with your words, but...â
âWhoâs that youâre all talking to? Is that the beta alpha youâve defeated? Wow, I still canât believe you were able to defeat one of those things. No, I donât believe it. Not after whatâs happened at the capital,â the woman mentioned.
âWhat exactly happened at the capital?â Coleâs voice finally sounded, sending the entire group into silence. Jackeline couldnât think of a way to answer the man... She would probably have to tell him everything she knew herself...
âIâm sorry, your majesty...â
âYour majesty...?â