The Prisoner’s Princess Chapter 22

Isabelle

Bryson woke up Zack about 2pm so he could watch me while I watched for threats. He held onto me while I sat on his massive bedroll, and refused to let me go. It would have been sweet if not for the fact that I wanted to do patrol too. I sighed in annoyance, but my wolf purred at the feel of his warm touch. He growled softly, and we had invited the new members to our pack, as they were from SalmonMoon, Zack’s old pack. Everyone else was awake now, but they tried their hardest not to make noise… because no one wanted to wake up Alpha.

“Al-Beta Zackery, thank you for talking with Luna and Alpha. I don’t know how much longer I could take this.” Said the woman, whose name was Wendy. Her, her mate Joel, and their baby Timmy were traveling with her father Orek because the new leader of their pack fired her father as an elder. Elders who knew the old ways and stories was rare, and coveted even. The problem was that the new Alpha was of ancient blood. He probably knew most of it as I did. He might have even brought elders with him, which was also likely.

“No problem, Elder Orekkeen, your advice was always welcome, and I’m positive you will guide Alpha Bryson as you did me.” Zack was picking wild herbs and anything edible around the makeshift camp so we could have something to eat, but the fire wasn’t started yet.

The elder stared at Hazel with distaste, but otherwise didn’t say anything. But I would make sure that she was protected from their glares.

“Do you all have a problem with Hazel?” I blurted, feeling my mate stir. On seeing this, the couple tried to stop Orek, but he seemed to not care.

“No, your highness, I know she is of the Fourth Seat’s line…. As is the new Alpha of my old pack. For her not to run to her family’s new pack, means she is like us… and it is sad. Sad that she cannot live with her own. Wolves must have a pack, no matter how strong, all eventually find one or go mad.” He stated, and reached for some sticks to make a small fire. He made a bow drill without any help, and I was surprised.

“I thought you were blind.” I said in confusion.

“I am from the Order of Secret Lore Keepers. I have been blind since I learned the Last Secret at 138. I am almost 5,000 years old now young one. I have traveled the world, and even met His Majesty’s father, all to be cast from my place of hiding.” He said slightly angry.

“Hiding place?” I question.

“Yes, you don’t live this long and know this much without making a few enemies…. most of the high court’s secrets.” He said with a chuckle. “It’s dangerous to know the secrets of the kings.”

“So, we’re harboring a fugitive?” I said half amused. Bryson snarled, but stayed asleep. I knew then he could hear us.

“Well yes and no. Yes, as everyone wants me dead …. Because out of all the older Lore Keepers… I have the loudest mouth, but also no… because I haven’t done anything.” He chuckled, and put some dried meat in a pot. He was making us all soup even though we just met. It looked to be the last of their food too….

“You don’t have to share your last with us…” I said looking at him continue to use salt and pepper. His containers of spices were full, but his bag that held the dried meat was empty.

“We are pack now. Though I may be a lycan, your hunger is my hunger. Your sorrow is mine as well, and I would gladly die and see the Lady again before I allow myself to let her majesty’s stomach growl.” He said with a frown.

“The Lady again?” I asked.

“It’s part of the last secret, I’m bound by duty to say nothing else.” He said sternly, and stirred the boiling pot. Zack found wild onion and spinach. This would be great with the dried beef, that was swelling into a large portion. I looked back at Orek, who was chopping the meat with the back of a wooden spoon.

I remember reading about lycans, but I didn’t know I would ever meet one because they were so rare, and they didn’t have packs. They were shifters as well, but it was recessive. It was rarer than being a white wolf. Rarer than being an albino, even rarer than being an ancient one with a title, as there are only five lines. All of this was too convenient. My journey started with dreams from the Pale Lady herself… and that my mate is apparently a legend that’s ‘just a scary campfire story’, means something…

But What.

What does all this mean? Every unranked wolf I’ve met didn’t even know I was real either. The Wolf King is also a bedtime story… yet he visits the packhouse every year with my grandma to play with the babies that are born and celebrate me and my littermates’ birthdays. Now there’s some big bad thing under my feet that could do only the Gods know what…. And some idiot wants to wake it up.

“You’ll give yourself wrinkles your highness.” Said Orek with a smile.

“How do you know that?” I interrogate.

“You can see without seeing…. Something taught to me a long time ago young one. Also, it helps that I can hear your little mind buzz.” He said with a smile, and stirred the pot one last time before taking it off the fire.

Bryson’s eyes were black when he woke up, and his stomach growled. “Little mate you ask too many questions.” Said Ven with a smile, and he kissed me roughly, before getting up, and rolling up his bedroll. Everyone greeted Alpha with bows and ‘good afternoons’, and he nodded, letting his eyes go red. He sat crossed legged in front of the fire, and everyone all sat around him, making him in the middle. There was 11 of us now including the little sleeping baby in Wendy’s arms. I smiled at that thought. There was life, pups, the old and the young in our small pack. So small that it could never be official, but that wasn’t important. It never would be.

I was put in Bryson’s lap swiftly, and he was served a bowl of soup first. He took his spoon, blew it gently, and tried putting it to my lips. Everyone was silent, this was an act not seen by many Alphas… it was an act of acceptance of me as his Luna. It was also him submitting to me. He was willing to kneel, and give me his right. This was his to have, but he would bow to his Luna…. I accepted it.

I took the first bite.

I looked to my mate, who looked at me with vibrant eyes of endearment. I put my hand on his cheek, and craned my neck to kiss my mate, who would show the pack how much he valued his mate. It was a small gesture, but it held power. “You kneel to your Luna?” I whispered to him gently giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

“I kneel to my miniature Luna.” He said with a soft chuckle, and kissed me back, holding me gently. He caged me in his arms, and he smelled my hair. The growl he gave me was from deep within his chest, and I returned it as best as I could, though it was nothing like what he could do. He Laughed deeply, throwing his head back and showing his fangs at my terrible attempt to be romantic, and put the spoon in my hand. “Where you go, I will go little mate…” He whispered in my ear, letting me feed him this time.

We ate together, and everyone chatted until the sun went down. We walked with full bellies and light hearts. I rode on Bryson’s shoulders while he had his backpack, and carried mine with the other hand. He did this all while barefoot and refused to let me down, because we both could feel the sparks, and smell each other’s scents like this…

When the sun rose, this was the last day of travel, because we did not rest. During the day, everyone who could, stripped and shifted. Zack let Libby and Gabby ride his back, while the woman who had the infant rode her mate Joel. I was tempted to ride Bryson, but I figured there was no way he would allow that. I stared at him intensely when he stripped, showing his perfect male form. This was not something an Alpha would do, that was asking too much. I shifted into my wolf, which impressed most of them. I was about as big as Beta Zack, though my fluffy fur made me appear taller.

We trotted a slow pace, but it was still much faster than walking. It was interesting to see Orek gallop as his lycan self. His head was higher than Bryson’s though his build was less muscular. Bryson… was a giant compared to everyone. He was muscular even as his wolf, and you could see it through his dark brown, almost black fur. He shook his thick neck, and with his tail like a brown flag, trotted at a calm gate that we all could keep. Everyone made sure to let him lead, as he was Alpha… also he was the one who knew were this camp was.

It was late into the night, and everyone, except him, was tired when we arrived at the new campsite. I then noticed it… no howls, no Rouge scents wafting on the wind… wow.

He set up everything for our tent, and it began to rain cold slush. Me and Gabby helped the new wolves with the 3 month old pup first, then we helped Zack set up theirs. The campsite that Bryson had made from years of being a nomad showed, as they all were very well maintained and already had logs in a makeshift wood pile rack. He used my lighter, some birch bark, and some pine resin to start and keep the communal fire going even in the rain, so that everyone could be somewhat warmed by it. After that, with the sun rising, everyone went to sleep, because I had 1st watch. I also thanked the lady that the slushy rain had stopped.