I was sitting in the main tent where we had folding tables set up with holograms of the kingdoms and the areas between the kingdoms and the packs. I was getting tired; it was late, and I started to miss my little brother. He wasn't happy when I left. I had just let him know he wasn't biologically my brother. I let him know that it wasn't blood that made us siblings but our love for one another. I explained to him he is a dragon, a rare dragon at that. I let him know he was to stay behind and train in the dragon ways. That he could continue to stay with nana or live with the king.
Gandor was not happy with what I had told him, thus he ran away that night and didn't come back until morning. His friend's mother let us know that he was at her house. This way we wouldn't be stressing where he had gone and send out search parties for him.
Rector brings me out of my stupor to let me know the sun has set and it is now time to leave for the Shadow Crown pack.
While I am away, I leave my warriors in the care of the witch Margot. She was a were-witch for a pack that was regarded as one of the most loyal. Margot also serves as the captain of the warriors of her pack. She does not take crap from anyone. During the time I spent with Margot's pack, I developed a great deal of respect for her.
Originally, her Alpha did not want her to accompany us on our journey. It was intended that he would offer a less experienced witch. A negation such as this made by the alpha would not be accepted by Margot. Despite her gratitude to the Alpha, Margot informed the Alpha that Malcolm killed her own parents, and that she needs closure by killing Malcolm.
It was time for me to grab the keys to my Range Rover. Before I left the dragon kingdom, I made sure my Range Rover was specifically designed to drive over large rocks if necessary. The preparation for war can never be too thorough.
Rector kept trying to persuade me to allow him to drive. As a matter of fact, he considered it his royal duty.
"I know that you are a queen. Come on Ashina, you are a queen. It is not advisable for you to drive yourself anywhere."
Laughing, I respond, "You could care less that I am the supposed queen. The male ego in you is being shattered by the fact that it is tradition for the male present to drive the vehicle. We are, however, on the same level of authority. As a side note, I have decided to make you, my beta."
"Ashina, you are right. All I want is a chance to drive.". You have always been the driver. It's not fair that you have never allowed me to drive." I apologize for sounding like a kid, but come on, it's not fair."
I am a bit amused by Rector's remarks; it is true that he behaves quite often in the manner of a child. Tossing the keys back to Rector, I hand them over. As he almost missed catching the keys, he did not expect me to hand them over to him.
The moment he catches them, I see him jump for joy, "Awesome!" he yells.
As Rector runs over to the Range Rover, he is filled with excitement at having the opportunity to drive the vehicle. As he opens my door for me, he assists me in entering the vehicle. I slapped his hands and told him to stop being such a suck-up. I am not an elderly woman who requires assistance in entering a vehicle. Although I appreciate him opening the door, he does not need to physically assist me into the vehicle.
It has been a daytime sleeping pattern and a nighttime waking pattern for our units. There is just something about the change in sleeping hours that bothers my body. It seems that my eyes are always attempting to close by themselves. As I drift off into sleep, I find myself in a valley of flowers with a sparkling waterfall to my right. I see my wolf, and she has a beautiful bluish black coat. The name of my beautiful wolf is Kiera, and as I ran up to her, I fell to my knees and hugged her. There is no question that she is not a small wolf; she is an Alpha wolf.
"I am so happy to catch up with you, Kiera. You have been avoiding me lately."
"I am looking forward to turning eighteen in a couple of weeks, and honestly, I am in need of beauty sleep. The size of my body is increasing every day. There is a good chance that we will meet our mate soon. There is a feeling that I can sense. There is a sixth sense in us wolves."
"It is necessary to have a mate, Kiera. It has been my experience that there have been good mates among the dragons, as well as the opposite. The thought of having a mate scares me. We become too vulnerable, and I cannot be open to emotions. I need to kill Malcolm."
I hear my wolf huffing, "Ashina, what makes you think that your mate will not support you and be an emotional burden for you?" It is he who is our other half, and we would not be complete without him."
When my wolf lays down, I place my head on top of her fur, nestling into her fur and closing my eyes. As far as I am concerned, this is heaven on earth.
There is someone nudging me, and I keep swatting away the hand. As soon as I heard the car door open and shut, I realized my door had just opened, so I ignored Rector's attempts to wake me up. Picking me up, he tossed me over his shoulder and threw me into a nearby pond.
Upon breaking the surface of the water, I gasp for air, coughing up water. There is no way I will not kill Rector; I am not even joking at this point.
With my hands continuously removing water that was dripping from my hair and entering my eyes, I yelled. "Rector, get your arse over here!"
Upon hearing Rector's response, I heard him yell back, "Nope! Those drippy eyes convey vengeance to me; I am not stupid. It is my pleasure to wait right here next to the Rover."
"There is nothing I hate more than you, Rector!"
I said as I was dragging myself out of the wet pond. Upon entering the dry grass, I feel as though my clothes are glued to me and they weigh a great deal. The look on Rector's face causes me to growl! With pride, he smirks like a cat eating a canary.
Rector doesn't even get dry clothes for me. OOOH, I'm hating him right now.
I punched Rector hard in the arm as soon as I reached the Rover. He screamed in pain, "That hurt so much, Ashima. You punch like a guy.".
Gritting my teeth, I reply, "No, it did not, you big baby!"
Taking my suitcase out of the back, I grabbed my clothing. Black jeans, a t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and black knee-high boots complete the ensemble. There is a hidden pocket in my boots for a switch blade. A revolver is tucked away in my jacket.
In order to keep my hair in a messy bun, I brush out my long black hair. Rector pulled over to the side of the road in the country before we met the King of the East, giving us time to wake up and prepare for our meeting. We are being followed by our men who are parked in a black SUV behind us. It is evident that they are snickering at what Rector, and I exchanged.
I walked over to the SUV and threatened to cut off their balls if they continued to laugh. Immediately, they roll up their windows and lock their doors. "COWARDS!" I scream.
I dislike the name Rector; it reminds me of a church building. As an infant, he was abandoned on the steps of a church where he was raised until he transformed into a wolf. In fear, he ran away as he did not know what was happening to him. A young lad was spotted by my grandfather, and instead of killing him for being a rogue, he took him under his wing. Rector was the nickname given to him by the people at the church.
Rector informs me we are only twenty minutes away. Taking a look around the countryside, I can see trees for miles in all directions. It is a different viewpoint from that of growing up in the mountains. In the distance, I can see wolves running from their pack alongside us. While keeping a straight face, I maintain my composure. Our tinted windows ensure that they cannot see us, but a wolf's ability to see and hear exceeds that of any human.
There is a need for me to have respect and not act like a little girl who is giggling. Regardless of whether I must fight every Alpha in order to earn that respect, I will do so. They do not realize what a powerful individual I am because I have not only Alpha blood, but also royal blood as well.
There was a dirt road to our left, and the warriors stationed there motioned for us to follow it to their castle.
As we drove another ten minutes up the road, we were surrounded by wolves which were following our vehicle as we drove. This is a common occurrence for wolf packs; wolves are warriors and always ensure the safety of their packs. On reaching another road, we are instructed to take the right fork in the road, which will lead us to another road. Also, our kind are buried deep into nature in order to be hidden from humans who could be frightened if they knew about our existence if they heard of it.
After driving fifteen more minutes and turning left onto the last road, I could see the castle in the distance. The structure is beautiful, all white with gold trim, with ancient Greek pillars adorning the entrance. The doors are flanked by wolf statues seated on pedestals.
The thought occurred to me that I do not know what the appearance of my castle is like, but if it is not like this one, it is undergoing a remodeling process.
Hector runs back to the back of the vehicle to grab our bags, and I exit the vehicle. My warriors who are with me park their SUVs. A beautiful woman wearing a pencil skirt, wearing 3-inch heels, walks down the stairs in a graceful manner. There is no doubt in one's mind that she is royalty based on her aura.
The girl smiles as she approaches me, and then she stops. As she looks around, she inquires as to whether we brought baked apple pies.
"No, your highness, we have not done so. As a matter of fact, I cannot detect any smell."
She shakes her head as if she is having a mental breakdown.
My luggage is being dragged by the rector, who is complaining under his breath that I arrived with an excess of luggage.
From the back of the vehicle, Rector shouts, "Ashina.". "Why do I smell peppermint fudge?" he asks. Would you mind telling me if you are hiding them?"
"Rector! Please come over here." I reply.
Rector looks at me from the SUV and then stops to look at our hostess. After a few seconds, Hector freezes, and it finally dawned on me that Rector and our hostess are mates.