Chapter 114
King Braedon POV
He looked up at me with tears brimming in his eyes and nodded, getting to his feet and swaying slightly. "Thank you Your Highness" he choked out and then turned away, stumbling and staggering as he made his way towards his home, weaving as though he was drunk, desperation in his steps as he sought to get away, needing the solitude that only being somewhere like his home could bring.
I watched him go with regret on my face and then began to head back to the pack house. Once again I had failed to keep a pack member safe and it was not sitting well with me. Julia stopped me just inside "The poor girl, did she..." she said in a hushed tone, a hand to her trembling lips.
We were alone in the front foyer. "She didn't do it to herself," I said quietly, causing her eyes to widen "Julia tell me, have you seen Liandra hanging around with anybody in particular?"
She looked surprised by the question. A look of uncertainty appeared on her face as she bit her lip and thought about her answer. I waited patiently. She let out a breath she had been holding. "Well there's her mate" she began as I nodded, "but she tended to keep mainly to herself. She wasn't exactly well-liked in the pack" she explained hesitantly.
This I already knew. She had come across as brash and arrogant, not to mention cold and contemptible. Julia wasn't finished "She occasionally spoke with some of the omegas, but it was mainly to order them around," she said timidly "Sometimes I saw her with Sierra" she added reluctantly.
Sierra. What reason did she have to be around her? "Was it for training purposes?" I asked tightly.
It would explain the circumstances for the women having a reason to be in each other's company. Julia slowly shook her head and I felt my chest tighten.To access the complete chapters for free, visit J o b nib.com.Could Sierra be responsible for everything that was happening? I had no proof and I needed to tread carefully. But I became worried about my mate, who I had put in Sierra's care.
"Keep this secret between us Julia, don't tell Sierra anything" I blurted out and then began to race towards the stairs, my footsteps rushed and frantic, heading upwards, my heart pounding in my chest.
Why hadn't I marked Blair yet? It would solve so many problems, I thought sourly, taking the stairs two at a time and running to the bedroom, shoving the door open, only to be greeted by an empty room. "Blair" I shouted, my voice echoing throughout the pack house, tinged with concern "Blair where are you?"
James came running up, out of breath, his hair mussed, and standing up on end "What's wrong?" he asked. "Blair is missing," I said "and she was with Sierra last."
What if something had happened to her during my brief absence?
James looked at me "They headed to the training grounds, I just saw them a few minutes ago before you got here."
I sighed. I needed to check for myself. I thanked him and headed back down, mind-linking Malcolm.
Are Blair and Sierra at the training grounds with you?
Of course Alpha King. Do you need them for anything? I can send them to you if you would like.
That won't be necessary, I'm coming to you I told him relieved, cutting the mind-link off.
I slowed to a walking pace and began to head back out of the pack house. I meandered to the training grounds, stopping well back from the crowd. I could see Blair and Sierra sizing each other up, paired against each other, and felt a flash of indignation and worry. What was Malcolm thinking? Blair was no match for a seasoned warrior like Sierra! She didn't have a wolf for heaven's sake. Was the man insane? I flattened my lips as Malcolm paired the other warriors up and then called out "Begin the sparring."
I watched in amazement and was more than a little shocked as Sierra and Blair began to attack each other with zeal. Blair successfully dodged Sierra's punch and then sidestepped, throwing her elbow into Sierra's ribcage and then swooping down and sweeping her leg out, sending Sierra flying onto her a*s. Wow. She had been so quick she had been a blur. Sierra got up glowering and then began to attack even faster, Blair dodging and defending herself with every move Sierra made. She managed to hit Sierra in the face, breaking her nose and causing the woman to let out a low howl of pain. Blair instantly looked contrite and apologetic.
"s**t, Sierra I'm so sorry" she babbled, dropping her hands and rushing to her.
Sierra nonchalantly readjusted her nose and put it back into place as Blair winced. They began again. I was seeing a completely different side to Blair. Her face was etched with determination, her arms were rippling with muscles and her body was slick with sweat. She was focused, her face etched with determination, her chest heaving, her eyes narrowed on her opponent. For so long I had been worried about protecting her, that it hadn't occurred to me that she might be capable of protecting herself. She had come a long way with her training. An immense sense of pride swept through me. Malcolm spotted me and gave me a wicked grin.
"It looks like Alpha King Braedon has decided to join us" he yelled, everybody stopping instantly "King Braedon why don't you show us what you are capable of so that everybody can see just what I'm aiming for in regards to their training?" he suggested with a sly smile.
Damn the man. It was the last thing I felt like doing, but I also wanted to keep Liandra's death from the rest of the pack, or at least from being gossiped about. I sauntered forward, Blair's mouth gaping open and surpassed my mate, a twinkle appearing in my eye. It was time to show Blair just what I could do and why I was called the Alpha King. My enemies didn't fear me for nothing. Malcolm clapped his hands together "Now all we need is somebody to challenge him" he said excitedly and I smirked, eyeing the crowd, and then pointed at James who had the misfortune to come walking up at that moment "him" I said gleefully "The Beta and I will spar."
Prepare to be impressed, Blair I thought with a small degree of satisfaction, my wolf almost growling as he wanted to show our mate just what we could do in order to protect her.