312 The Princeâs Rogue Mate
Amanda spent her night in one of the numerous caves the rogues had become accustomed to in no-manâs-land. She had been doing this for a while.
Following the kingâs latest orders was hard to accomplish and worry about Sean at the same time. Luckily for her, this time, her mission was in the same place as her mate.
At least, thatâs what sheâd thought. The news about him being locked up in a prison was like a stab in her heart. In her rush to find someone who would tell her about Seanâs situation, she had only crossed paths with Ginger, a bitter girl who wanted to use her to achieve her own selfish and treacherous goals. She could have just ignored the obnoxious girl, but after hearing the girlâs intention, her plan to do so had changed completely.
However, that situation had gone by. She had killed the traitor and resumed her mission. Everything was supposed to proceed normally.
The royals were bound to understand why she did what she did. After all, they all didnât think twice before killing rogues. That had been no different.
Her hopes, however, had been crushed that night when a familiar voice invaded her mind.
The message from the prince that night worried her so much that she barely got any sleep that night. When it was soon clear that she wasnât going to get any sleep, she left the cave and started her run through the night following the location of the royal through her mind. His power was weaker than she was used to and this fact only scared her more.
The wolf came to stop when she caught the scent of someone else near Seanâs location. She slowly circled the area, staying as quiet as she could and staying downwind in the almost still air and keeping to the deepest shadows to hide her form.
Her stalking paid off when she saw a girl resting not far from a sleeping royal. The girlâs sleeping form held a knife in one hand and the other rested on a bag. Within the bag, she could barely make out the contents. âIs that a gas mask? Whatever...â she took her eyes off the girlâs bag and froze when she recognised the person before her, âWait, what is she doing here?â
.....
Almost as though heâd sensed her presence, the king snapped awake and looked around, staying silent even after waking up from the deepest depths of his slumber. The general sighed, relieved and proud of the manâs diligence. Their eyes soon locked with one another. The female wolf was about to approach him when his eyes began speaking a different language.
The woman took note of the chain that was tied to the manâs ankle but was now confused as to why he hadnât yet broken it, âWhatâs the problem? This girl is barely powerful enough to bring you down even with your hands tied behind your back and a blindfold covering your eyes,â the woman asked him through the mind link they shared.
âShe poisoned me, but I donât know when. I canât use any power from my wolf side. Using the mind link alone makes me dizzy,â the man replied, his voice sounding strained.
Amandaâs eyes snapped back to the girl as she regarded her in a new light. She was among the ones sheâd captured not so long ago. Sheâd just gone and betrayed the kingdom that had saved her. âIs the other one just the same? No, that one seemed to be the victim of that situation.â The woman was trying to judge Crysta, but found no reason to believe her capable of this same kind of action, âI should have killed her as well. It doesnât matter. Iâll put her down right now,â she said through the mind link.
Just as she was coming out of her hiding place, the girl stirred awake and rubbed her eyes, âAre you going to just stand there and look at me? Shift back into your human form already. Unless you want to faint and experience unimaginable pain,â the girl yawned.
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â the prince asked.
âOh, havenât you noticed it yet? Youâre definitely dense. Sheâll collapse soon if she continues to use the divine energy coming from her wolf. So I would ask that you tell her to shift back into her human form,â the girl spoke again, this time adding emphasis to her words.
Seanâs eyes darted around and landed on the gas mask that was peeking from her bag. It was when he squinted that he finally saw what heâd been looking for. It was almost imperceptible, but small wisps of pale white gas were escaping the gas maskâs inlets, âThat gas mask... Itâs constantly spraying poison into the air.â
âSo your brain works after all. It cost me a ton to get these, so I would ask that your mate not waste my time,â the girl said, walking up to the prince.
Amanda made an effort to rush to the girl, but her legs gave the moment she thought of exerting herself. The black wolf before them collapsed to the ground, âAmanda, shift back into your human form. The poison has no effect on you in that state,â the man said to her.
Amanda followed his instructions and shifted back into her human form. Sean went silent when he saw her shift back. The woman lifted herself to her knees, âThatâs one neat poison sheâs got there,â she cursed, however, the words flew in one ear and out the other for the prince.
âItâs been long, little Alexa,â Sean greeted.
The woman froze at the nickname heâd used to call her, deep memories of the past spreading through her mind. She felt as though something of a shell had cracked to reveal her true self. Tears tinged her eyes... âItâs been so long indeed.â
âOh, this is rich. I was sure this was all impossible, but the royal actually has a rogue mate!â Bree exclaimed as he watched the two of them.
However, neither of them paid her any attention. Sean had his attention completely taken by his mate before him. The two of them hadnât met in a long time... So long that Amanda found herself letting her tears through.
âWhen is this all going to end, Sean?â was one of the questions she had burning in her mind.
âI havenât spoken to her in a while. I donât know. She doesnât actually speak much these days,â Sean replied.
âI havenât spoken to her either. The king is looking for her, by the way,â the woman replied.
âIsnât that supposed to be impossible? Itâs not like there is a place on earth that can take you straight to the moon palace. That would be impossible,â the man scoffed, but he felt his words were somewhat more wishful thinking.
âI donât know about going to the moon palace. I donât know what he hopes to achieve by going where he is going, but if he manages to somehow contact her, I donât know what that might bring him. It might just spell doom for the rest of the world,â the woman replied.
âNothing... It would get him nothing,â Sean replied firmly.
âYou might be wrong about that. There is a new goddess. From what I can tell, this might be what heâs gone to find out,â the woman replied.
âWhat are the two of you talking about?â Bree yelled, âI didnât call you here so that you might have a loversâ quarrel.â
The two mates stopped their discussion and turned to the girl theyâd completely forgotten about, âThat reminds me... youâve now captured two royals, what do you hope to achieve? Do you now plan on capturing all the royals and having the one called Lina sacrifice herself for them?â the woman asked.
âThat would be impractical,â the girl yelled back, âAnd no, thatâs not what Iâm going to do. I only need one dead. There is several ways for me to do that...â
âBecome a rogue already,â Amanda snapped at her.
The girl was taken aback by the invitation, âWhat...???â
âYeah, I would like to ask the same question,â Sean now turned to his mate with a quizzical expression.
âHonestly, I donât care what you want to do. Iâm going to kill you whether Iâm poisoned or not. Thatâs just how it is for you at the moment. Become a rogue because I wonât let you choose any other option,â the woman said to her.
âYouâre insane. Iâll have my wishes fulfilled by you. There is a girl that doesnât deserve the family she was born into and I will see her put to an end,â the girl gritted her teeth in anger, but continued, âWe are going to find the rogue king...â
âOut of the question... The rogue king will kill you the moment he talks to you,â Sean intervened. With Amanda by his side, he felt the fog over his mind finally lift. There werenât many more secrets to keep and the two royals now outnumbered the girl. Not to mention how long heâd wanted to be reunited with Amanda.
âNot necessarily... She has information and she has a conviction to have the royals put down. Maybe she just hates one of the royals... Itâs more than enough for a king with almost no army,â the woman observed thoughtfully, once again confusing her mate.
âWhy are you telling her that?â Sean asked his mate. âWhoâs side are you on?â he wanted to yell at her.
âBecause I want her to know more about her options. I, wonât let her rejoin the Sirius pack. Sheâll be taken down just like her friend earlier, but if she joins the rogue king, thatâs different,â the woman replied.
âI donât understand you one bit. Are you on the side of the rogues or the royal family?â the girl asked.
âI am on the side of balance. The rogue army is full of angry wolves that live in chaos. There is a constant struggle to rise to the top and be more important to the king. Greed, bloodlust, malice, and so many negative emotions that make up one side of this war.
The other one, however, is full of people that only seek peace in this world. You only get to choose one and when I find anyone that claims to be on the side of the empires yet they donât fit in, I offer them only two options... if they can take them.
That anger will allow you grow stronger as a rogue, but if you choose to go after the royal family as you are now, you will only become weak and you will be captured and taken to the dungeons like all the other criminals whoâve tried,â the woman explained.
âArenât the rogues scattered now? The hunters are going to sweep through no-manâs-land and completely cleanse the world of the rogues,â Sean replied.
âItâs that operation that has spread the rogues out this much. They are to blend in with the common population and pretend to normal. Clear themselves of any form of malicious emotions so that the empire wonât be able to use the Chase family to filter them out,â the woman explained.
âAlexa, what are you trying to tell me?â Sean asked her.
âI know you werenât supposed to break out of that dungeon. This girl cannot go back either. As it looks right now, the three of us are stranded with nowhere to go,â the woman spoke up.
âI do have where to go. Iâm...â
âJust going to get yourself killed. Iâll strike a deal with you, young girl. You either join us... Dump that silly poison of yours... The three of us will pretend to be a model family while we await the rogue kingâs orders. Until then, none of us can accomplish anything.â
âWhatâs happened to the rogue king? Why do you speak of him like heâs inaccessible?â the girl asked the woman, panic setting into her voice.
It wasnât just that, however. The fact that the woman and man werenât in the least bit worried even after she had the upper hand only told her she was cornered. She knew the power of the poison she had procured, but the two wolves before her were still moving like normal. It wasnât like they had gone lame. They could still move just fine.
âThe rogue king... is not available at the moment,â Amandaâs voice was blunt and emotionless, like the ruthless voice of a mother that was finally tired with her childâs stubborn and meaningless antics, âThat was what we were talking about when you so rudely interrupted us.â