The Alpha Queen And Her Chosen Mate

Emmett

“We should take another way back, following the river. At least if we get chased down again we can lose them a bit more easily than before.” I suggested as Jonas gathered up his massive bouquet of flowers for Kelly that he insisted on bringing along.

“I couldn’t agree more.” He nodded, using a vine to tie the flower stems together.

“You sure you don’t want to present the moonflower to Kelly?” I asked again.

“I’m sure.” He nodded. “I trust that you, being the plant expert, will take better care of it than me.” He shrugged.

“Alright.”

“Lets get going, I would like to be back before sundown.” Jonas said, taking the lead.

It was obvious that we were both a bit on edge as we made our way back. I almost wished Jonas would take the moonflower so I wouldn’t carry the blame if something happened to it. But on the flip side, I was glad I had it, knowing I would go through great lengths to protect it. All in all, it was a stressful journey back. We hardly spoke, both undoubtedly listening to our surroundings, trying not to get into trouble.

All we had to do was go collect Kelly and Thorin and then leave the forest and find the nearest post office. Kelly could call her sisters and tell them to expect an overnight package and all would be well. We could go to the next part of our suicide mission. Overall, this part of it sucked, but it could have been much worse, if you asked me. I learned a lot about Kelly and have a new understanding of her wolf now. It suddenly made sense why Kelly was so desperate to find a solution, and why King Carson was so stern about not having any lapses in treatment.

Hopefully, Keres won’t make any more appearances and we can get back to the plane to get the rest of Kelly’s pills I brought. We shouldn’t have any more surprise visits from her from then on out. But I was going to make sure we all carried some of her pills, just in case. I’m glad I followed my gut and made so many before we left. I didn’t know how long we would be gone for, so I made a full year’s supply in addition to what Kelly already had. They would get used either way, so I don’t see it as a problem. Now I realize how important it was.

“I can smell a campfire.” Jonas said quietly, as we got close to where we left Kelly and Thorin.

I was so absorbed in my own thoughts, I hardly noticed that we had made it back. It was nearly sunset and we were both starving, evident from the sounds of our stomachs growling. Hopefully, Thorin was able to find enough dinner for everyone. I hate the idea of having to go out hunting now, especially now knowing there are other people who would hunt us down in a heartbeat.

“Lead the way.” I said, following after Jonas.

We were only a mile or so from the camp, thankfully. I could hear Kelly laughing as we approached, which was reassuring. Wait until she sees what we brought her.

– – – – – – – – –

Kelly

I sat on the ground with Luana, the young girl, playing with some dolls she had made from things she found in the forest. She was an innovative little thing, but very skittish. It wasn’t hard to imagine why. There were so many dangerous things in this forest and she was only a human.

Her grandmother, Isadora, was much more fierce, but also very weak overall. It was hard to understand them with the language barrier, but we managed to exchange names and would nod thank you to each other throughout the day, I think. Thorin and I agreed that we would do what we could to help them while we were staying here. We gathered firewood, Thorin killed some big game for them, I gathered some fruit, we even helped make weapons to offer them more protection.

But even as busy as we were, I couldn’t help but think of Jonas and Emmett, wondering if they were okay and when they might be back. I prayed that they would find the flower, but not at the cost of their lives. The sun was beginning to set and they had been gone for a full day and a half now.

“Kelly? Thorin?” Jonas’s voice called, followed by the snapping of a few branches.

I quickly got up off the ground, making my way to the sound of their voices with a skip in my step. I saw Jonas first, and gave him a big hug, despite still being slightly pissed at him. I was just glad he was alright and Keres didn’t kill him.

“Hey..” He said, hugging me back, our heads resting on each others shoulders. “Goddess I’m so glad you’re okay.” He mumbled to me. “You are okay, right?”

“I’m okay.” I nodded, pulling away from him, but still having him at arms length. “And you look okay, right?” I half laughed.

“Yeah, but now I know I’m going to have to work on my cardio.” He laughed. I punched him playfully and he handed me a large bouquet of tropical flowers. “For you.” He smiled.

“Oh, they are beautiful.” I said, the smile on my face feeling forced. I’m sure this was the high before the low.

“But not as beautiful as this one,” Emmett said, finally catching up with Jonas.

“Oh my goddess. You found it?!” I exclaimed, running over to Emmett, my eyes fixed on the beautiful white flower.

“Actually, Jonas found it. I just carried it.” He shrugged.

“You found it?” I asked, looking at Jonas.

He nodded, a serious look crossing his face. “I hope you can forgive me for…everything.” He said.

I sighed and nodded. “We’ll talk later. But for now, why don’t you two come and eat? Tonight’s special is fire roasted alligator with a side of star fruit.”

“Thank goddess.” Emmett said, handing me the moonflower before making a beeline for the campfire.

Jonas walked with me to the fire and I set him and Emmett up with food. They happily ate while recanting their story of how they got to the flower. Jonas surprised me with how he was literally carrying the team, and even more so, that he was the one to find the flower. It was nice seeing him starting to take this more seriously. Hopefully, the rest of the time will be the same. There was still a lot ahead of us.

Thorin and Emmett went to bed early, while I took the first half of the night shift. Thorin and I agreed to split the night shift so that Emmett and Jonas could get some well-earned sleep. I was mesmerized as I watched the moonflower glow under the moonlight. It was so beautiful, I could watch it all night long.

“Ready for that talk?” Jonas whispered behind me, making me jump.

“Sure.” I nodded, patting the spot next to me. “Let’s talk.”

“I’m sorry for not taking the Keres situation more seriously.” He began, staring at the moonflower. “I had no idea what you were going through.”

“I’m sorry I never told you.” I sighed.

“Why didn’t you?” He asked, his eyes searching mine. “You know I would have been there for you.”

“You were there for me.” I said, thinking back to all of the special days he planned for us. “I guess I just didn’t want another person to look at me like I was broken. I wanted us to stay the same when everything else in my life was falling apart. It was comforting knowing you’d be there for me at the drop of a dime.”

“And I still will. Nothing has changed, except now I better understand what you have been going through. I wish I had known sooner.”

“Well, better late than never.” I shrugged.

“When I took you to your mates’ pack…what happened?”

“She killed him.” I sniffled. “I know he was a douche bag, but he was still my mate. And she killed him in front of me.” I shrugged. “She has always been a nightmare but that day it felt like everything changed.”

“I’m sorry that it happened.” He said, pulling me close to him, my legs over his lap.

We sat quietly together, my head resting against his chest, the occasional crackle of the fire and sounds of nature filling the silence. I picked my head up off of Jonas a few minutes later, his eyes already peering into mine. He was hardly a breath away, so close, yet so far. He must have been reading my mind, his lips slowly drawing me in for a k**s. It was gentile yet heated and packed with so much unspoken. His hands wrapped themselves around me, pulling me closer. I deepened our k**s, savouring the familiar feeling, and was about to readjust myself when I heard someone clear their throat.

Jonas and I pulled away from each other so fast, Isadora standing on the other side of the fire, giving us a side eye. She quietly began scolding us, I think, and then used her walking stick to put a few more inches between us before going back to bed.

“Did you understand any of that?” I laughed quietly.

“Something about a waisted fertility blessing?” He said, eyeing me up.

“Oh goddess.” I rolled my eyes. “She was trying to be nice, but it was a big misunderstanding.”

“Oh okay…glad I missed it.” Jonas laughed uncomfortably.

“Would you ever want pups?”

“Yeah, definitely. A whole litter actually.” He winked.

“Okay Mr pup maker.” I threw my hands up in surrender. “I think you should get some sleep before it gets too late.”

“Hmm…five more minutes?” He nudged me playfully.

“Fine, five more minutes.”