Chapter 9
Mr. and Mrs. Christian
“Dad, we need to talk, a serious talk,” Clara tells her dad with a serious look.
“About what, Clara? I am busy with everything happening and trying to find a way to stop Felix.” Matthew states with a raised voice to his daughter.
“It’s time we had a father/daughter chit-chat about what is happening with me for a change and not about the pack. I have questions that you keep avoiding, and if you do not sit down and talk to me, I will go elsewhere and find the answers to my questions! After all, you do not seem to care what I have to say since you keep blowing me off unless it’s about business.” she says sternly to grab his attention. Clara has a loud booming voice and wants to be heard by her father. And she wants her father to stop and hear what she says now.
“Later, Clara, I do not have time for any of your pettiness; now get out of my office unless you have something about Alpha Felix, UNDERSTOOD?” He yells at her.
“FINE! I will ask the workers, guards, chefs, and everyone around here since you refuse to give me the time of day. You will regret this one day, Father, and you can take that to your grave.” She stomps out of the office, slamming the door behind her.
“Clara, he’s your father; you should not have talked to him like that, but I get it he ignores anything you have to ask about your mom and family,” Lydia says, talking reason to her other half, telling her she needs a run and Clara agrees that letting off some steam would be good. Lydia does not like the king at all. She has an easy feeling about him and can’t seem to shake it; he’s not right.
“Princess, where are you going may I ask?” one of her guards asked her.
“Going to let Lydia out, we need to run. You both want to come with?”
“Hell yeah, we do! We need to let our wolves out too, and it seems too long, as they are getting antsy!” her guards exclaimed excitedly.
All three got to the edge of the woods and undressed so they would not rip their clothes and have something to put back on when they returned. They started to run and jump around, climbing trees and jumping down, then changed into their wolves midair and took off running faster than they ever could. Clara can run on all fours or stand upright when running, but she leaves it up to Lydia as she is in control.
“Princess, why are you running like you want to become a rogue?” One of them asks.
“I demanded, Dad, that we sit down to talk about who and what I am and whether I have other family members. He refuses to talk to me as usual, but it’s a long past due conversation, and he owes me that much. I have no friends except you guys, but only because you all are forced to be my guards ever since I was little, and we are around the same age, right?”
“Yeah, it is time he tells you that information since he is your father, but I wouldn’t count on it too much as he can be an asshole about family matters. You may have to figure out who to get your information from, and it won’t be us, so get that thought out of your pretty little head Clara.”
“You two are complete assholes, you know that?” she laughs.
“You are just now figuring this out? Geez, Clara, it took you long enough.” They both are laughing and howling at the same time in both forms of, human and wolf.
They continue taunting each other while running until they come to the lake, with fresh spring water running into it that is so clear you can nearly see the bottom. They would come swimming when growing up and doing more pack business and training; they haven’t had time to come. On their way back to the castle, they encountered some rogues off in the distance, so they all three masked their scents and took off running again. This time they climbed the trees after turning back into their Lycan forms. Moving from tree to tree being very quiet, they moved closer to the rogues to listen to their conversations.
“You need to find her now; I know she is here in the forest with those two idiots of guards!” the elder yells.
“We could not find her scent, sir; it disappears four clicks west of here.” the second rogue advised.
“Look for them all; kill the two guards, take her, and tie her up. If she fights, you kill her; her father won’t miss her.”
“Yes sir, men spread out. We need her by sundown, and it sets in three hours.”
The three look at each other, mind linking her father and Xavior; fifteen rogues are looking for and willing to kill them. And to kill the princess if she fights; her father won’t miss her. Clara could not believe what she had heard from the elder and the rogues.
A few of the warriors came to find the fifteen wolves there looking around for Princess Clara, and they killed them by ripping their hearts out or dethatching their heads. They captured the elder and the other leader for questioning. They put them in their cells to interrogate later on, but now everyone was ordered to return home and to the king's office.
“What incarnation were you doing out in the forest Clara?” her father screams at her making her jump. It seems that he has been doing this a lot lately. She is furious with him and glares her evil eye along with Lydia, making her presence known to the king she does not like her princess being treated like this.
“You’re going just to sit there and scream at me for letting my Lycan out to run? I had my private guards, and when we saw the rogues, we let out our Lycans, hid our scents, which had been hidden the whole time, and climbed the trees to get a closer look and inform the warriors. And this (she is waving her arms) is what I, we all get? Are you screaming at us? Do you want to know why I went out there? Because of you, Father, because of you!” She screams back at him while the others have already left the office.
She turns around, running out the door towards her room; when she reaches her room, she rushes in, slamming the door shut and crying her eyes out. At this very moment, she hated her father more than anything. She went into her bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the hot water run over her head and back, relaxing and calming herself down. When she got out, she called Keelie, her only friend. She had to vent to someone other than her guards.
“Hey, I need to ask a favor; what do you know about my family? I need answers fast, please. Father is refusing to tell me anything and being a jackass.”
“You need to talk to Mom; she’s in the kitchen.”
“Thanks; I’ll get dressed and go seek her out. Thanks, Keelie. I appreciate it.”
They said their goodbyes, and she went to the kitchen to see if she could see Mrs. Christian, Keelie’s mother. She found Mr. Christian standing by his mate so she could talk to both of them.
“Hey guys, how are you doing?′ she asks them, shaky.
“We are good, Clara; what brings you down here?” Mr. Christian asked.
“I have questions about my family, and Keelie told me to ask you, Mrs. Christian. Can you please tell me about them? Father refuses to give me information, and I am way past the age of curiosity. He keeps yelling at me, and I need to know.”
“Yes, it is past time, Keelie just texted us letting us know that you have been asking questions with no answers, and we will give them to you, dear. But let’s get the food out for lunch, and we will talk where it’s more private.”
“Great, I will help you with the food.”
“No, sit, eat. You are going to need your strength now more than ever before. We will talk once lunch is served and you have finished eating.”
“Yes, ma’am, I will eat. I am famished.”
She started eating her lunch and was excited about who she was, who her family was, about learning, or if any were alive. She knew then her father did not want her as a daughter and did not care for her too much since he refused to tell her anything about family and only wanted to groom her for the throne. She loathes him now.
(Please remember that she knows who her mom and siblings are; she does not know all what has happened and exactly who they all are. She finds out now precisely who she is and why her mother left.)