Page 81 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“I agree. It’s time to be honest with him,” I say. “As for a gift, we will find something.”
“He doesn’t want me to bring home my prey,” he grumbles.
Ita and I burst into giggles. “I think he would even prefer flowers over that,” Ita jokes.
“Flowers…” Tynan’s eyes widen. “Wait… we are passing by my hometown. I can collect some seeds from there and give them to him. He said in the Everlasting Desert they have lush oases, so he can grow something here, too.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I say, surprised. “Actually, I find it very romantic and thoughtful.”
“She is right,” Ita says. “Who knew you had it in you?”
“Very funny,” Tynan grumbles.
“Alright, we need to be quiet now,” Ita says as we approach the pack my father wants us to research. The pack is mostly deserted. The survivors have retreated to a neighboring pack, but the alpha has come to greet us.
“Alpha Blaine,” I jump off my horse to greet the man.
Alpha Blaine looks tired and rugged, but his eyes light up in hope when he sees me. “Princess Alana in person,” he exclaims, bowing towards me. “It’s an honor. And Gamma Ita.”
“And, nobody Tynan,” Ty grumbles quietly. Ita elbows him, making him glare but he stops his complaints.
Alpha Blaine waits for us to attend to the horses and have them secured safely, before he leads us through the pack. It’s eerily quiet here. “Werebears?” I ask.
He nods. “We weren’t prepared. My pack is too small.”
“And now?” I ask. “What are you planning to do?”
“We will fuse with our neighboring packs, that is, if the king allows it,” he explains. “The alpha there is old and has a daughter, Caitlin. She lost her mate last year, and I lost mine two years ago. We get along well and wanted to take each other as chosen mates.”
I nod. Chosen mates are not too uncommon for those werewolves who have lost their mates. Second chances are very rare, and if two lonely souls find comfort in each other, I don’t see why anyone would say something against it. If an alpha takes a chosen mate, though, my father does need to take a look at it. It’s to prevent alphas from abusing the mate bond and rejecting their mates if they are of lower rank.
Blaine and Caitlin obviously didn’t do that. “I am sure the king will understand,” I tell him.
Once we have reached the center of the pack and Alpha Blaine leaves us alone for a moment, I look around with a frown. I might lack the experience Ita has, but even I can tell it’s not normal for werebears to attack like that. With so much strategy and vengeance. Werebears are not vicious by nature, but their current leader doesn’t want to follow the werewolves, or even acknowledge them. Something seems to have truly riled them up if they’ve started attacking packs. This is a rather worrying situation.
“Do you think someone is leading them; someone other than a werebear?” I ask Ita. “Something feels off about this.”
Ita nods with a frown. “I’m starting to agree.”
“Do you think it was one of the creatures Prince Endellion saw when the blizzard hunted them? Maybe it was a bear?” Tynan asks.
“No, my brother can tell the difference between a bear and something else,” I point out.
“Maybe it was a dragon?” Ita offers. When we both look at her, she shrugs. “They are still around, it seems, and they are big enough to chase a whole group on their horses.”
“But why would they do that?”
“Maybe it’s something else?” Tynan offers. “There are many mythical creatures. There were some sightings…”
“But, no one has seen anything for real,” Ita says.
“Azadeh did,” I say. “She saw the woman in white, so maybe the other sightings aren’t so far off?”
Ita takes a while to ponder about what we just said, then she nods. “You are right, it’s an option we haven’t considered so far, but we should gather more intel. Let’s go to that neighboring pack Alpha Blaine mentioned. Maybe someone has seen something there.”
I nod, following her and Tynan back to our horses. The ride to the pack is a short one, leading us over a hill and through a forest. I pause as I feel an eerie feeling climbing upon me.
“Alana?” Ita asks. “Is something wrong?”
