The Lycan Prince’s Defiant Mate

4. A Second Chance

Ara's POV

[A month later]

"Come on, Ara! Faster!" Amara's voice cut through the morning air like a whip.

My lungs burned. My legs screamed. Sweat poured down my back in rivers as I stumbled through my tenth lap around the training field.

I found my serenity in a small town called Carsten after I left my pack. I thought I would spend the rest of my days there. The keyword ‘thought’. I came across a group of rogues not long after I started my days in that small town.

Amara and Kade found me in Carsten and brought me here to this unrealistic rogue pack which was thriving in secrets. A huge underground sanctuary the outside world was oblivious of.

"I— can't—" I gasped, my chest heaving like a bellows.

Amara jogged up beside me, barely winded. "Goddess, that was just the warm up."

“Easy… for you… to say," I panted, remembering my first day here when I couldn't even finish one lap without vomiting. Now, after a week here, I could almost pass for a real werewolf. Almost.

I flipped onto my back, staring up at the artificial sky of the underground training grounds. The painted clouds looked so real! This entire city was a masterpiece of illusion.

“Give me... a break..." I huffed.

“Come on, Valecrest, no more slacking. Unless you want to be kidnapped again,” Kade chuckled as he walked in. His golden eyes scanned every cell of mine.

Right! Did I mention I was kidnapped by Kade and Amara initially when they kind of dragged me here to this rogue pack?

I sat up reluctantly, “goddess, I really need to reconsider. Living here maybe a curse.”

The moment I arrived here, Celestine, the Luna of their pack, assessed me first to see if I was a threat. After I passed the test, I was given a choice to join this rogue pack.

Living alone as a rogue could be dangerous. The royal army would hunt me down and kill me on sight. But here, I would have protection. Hence Celestine proposed I stay here for a few days on a trial basis.

“Did you ever train, Valecrest?” The six-feet tall brute asked who could bench press a car!

"Not... really..." I panted. "Since, you know..."

"You found out you're wolfless," Amara finished, her voice softer than usual.

I nodded. She was wolfless too.

"How do you move like that? Like you have a wolf?" I asked.

Amara's eyes lit up as she explained, "we might not have wolves, but we have the gene. The more we train it, the stronger we become— better healing, sharper senses, more strength and speed. We could manifest our wolf abilities in human form."

My breath caught. "Really?"

She leaned in as if she was about to share a secret. "Luna Celestine says if we train hard enough, some of us might even shift one day."

“I gotta go. Five more laps, Valecrest, after you are done with the chitchats,” Kade walked off the ground lazily as he spoke.

“Come on!” I protested, earning one of his heart-melting smiles.

I always heard rogues were bad. Rogues were brutal. Rogues were merciless. And here I stood, two of them, who kinda cared.

Amara plopped down beside me, a comfortable silence settled between us before I asked, "What's your story? Why did you leave your pack?"

Amara picked at the grass.

"The usual tragedy. Alpha's daughter with no wolf. What made you leave?” she shrugged, but I saw the pain in her eyes.

"My husband and my best friend were mates." The old shame twisted in my gut. "What about Kade?”

Amara lowered her voice. "He's a… half Lycan. His wolf is... different. His father's family made him leave."

My mouth fell open.

"Ly-lycan?" The word came out as a whisper.

In our world, lycans were like gods! Massive in size. Brutal strength. Most of them were in the royal court. They were royalties, they ruled over us. I heard how a royal lycan could take down an entire pack.

And Half Lycans could have Lycan abilities depending on the rank of their lycan parent.

"Yeah." Amara grinned at my shock.

I thought of Kade's effortless strength, the way he carried himself— like royalty. His weird aura. It all made sense now.

"Ara, stay with us." Amara grabbed my hand, her dark eyes earnest. "This place can change your life. You could find a new family here."

Lucian's betrayal flashed through my mind— his hands on Bianca, his lips on hers. The memory still cut like glass. Besides, I was dying. So what was the point?

"Chop chop!" Amara jumped up, pulling me with her. "Back to training!"

We took off running again. My muscles protested, but something felt different— lighter. Maybe it was hope.

I pushed harder, but the world tilted. Colors blurred together. A metallic taste flooded my mouth.

"Ara!" Amara's scream sounded far away as I collapsed to my knees.

Warm liquid dripped from my nose, splattering crimson on the dirt. I wiped at it numbly, my fingers coming away red.

“I'm fine,” I huffed.

"You're not fine," Amara hissed, hauling me up. "We're going to the healers."

"You have healers here?" I slurred, my head swimming.

Amara rolled her eyes. "Duh. We're a real pack."

The medical center stunned me— gleaming equipment, organized shelves, everything a top-tier pack hospital would have. How did rogues afford this? Where was the money coming from?

Amara dragged me into an exam room where a kind-faced woman looked up from her charts.

"Lina, check her out," Amara demanded. "She collapsed and started bleeding from her nose during laps."

Lina gestured to the exam table. "Have a seat."

“I'll be right outside,” Amara hesitated but stepped outside. The door closed behind her.

As she checked my vitals, her brow furrowed. "Has this happened before?"

The truth spilled out like poison I needed to expel. "I have stage four brain cancer. My old pack's doctor gave me a year, maybe two."

Lina's hands stilled for just a moment before continuing her exam.

"I see." She made notes on a chart. "I'll prepare some medications. And give you some tests to assess your situation. But I need to inform Luna Celestine."

"Please don't," I begged.

Lina's smile was gentle but firm. "It's for your best. Our Luna... she has knowledge beyond regular healers. There may be hope."

My heart stuttered. "You're saying I could survive?"

"Possible. You're still a werewolf— genes don't lie,” Lina smiled.

Tears pricked my eyes. For the first time since my diagnosis, I dared to hope.

As I stepped out, Amara jumped on me, nearly tackling me. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing serious." I wiped at my face, surprised to find myself smiling. "Amara... take me to Luna Celestine. I want to ask permission to stay."

Amara's whoop echoed through the halls as she grabbed my hand, pulling me toward our future.

The heavy oak door of Celestine's study loomed before us, its intricate carvings seeming to watch as Amara and I waited. My palms were slick with sweat. Why was I so nervous? This was what I wanted, wasn't it?

The door creaked open. The Luna sat behind her massive desk.

"Ara," Celestine's voice wrapped around me like a warm blanket, "have you decided?"

"Yes," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "I want to stay."

Her smile could have lit up the entire underground city. "Excellent."

Then her eyes— those impossible, knowing eyes— glowed faintly. A shiver ran down my spine.

"Amara, leave us," Celestine said gently.

Amara squeezed my shoulder before slipping out, the door clicking shut behind her. The sudden silence was deafening.

"Lina mindlinked me." Celestine steepled her fingers. "She told me everything."

"You can mindlink?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "But that's only for—"

"Packs, yes." She smiled, and for the first time, I noticed the power thrumming beneath her calm exterior. "I've created something similar here. We may be rogues in name, Ara, but we live as one pack."

My breath caught. "You're from an Alpha bloodline."

"I am." She stood, circling the desk to stand before me. "Once you're one of us, your scent will change. The outside world will never know what you truly are."

Right! Rogues always smelt like their scent plus the rotten eggs. That's how others could point them out.

"We have businesses, trades, everything a normal pack would." Her hand came to rest on my shoulder. "You'll train, grow stronger, and I swear to you, Ara, we'll find a way to beat this illness."

Something fragile and hopeful cracked open in my chest. "You really mean that?"

Her eyes softened. "You're part of my pack now. That makes you my family, my child."

Family. Pack. Things I'd thought were lost to me forever.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

I nodded with a smile.

Celestine placed her hands on either side of my face. "Tell me your full name."

"Ara Vaelcrest." My voice barely shook.

"I, Celestine Mooncrest, Luna of the Rogues, welcome you, Ara Vaelcrest, into my pack. Do you accept?"

"I do."

The moment the words left my lips, warmth exploded through my chest—a golden thread snapping into place, tying me to this place, these people. The bond sang through my veins, so overwhelming that tears pricked my eyes.

Gods, I'd missed this.

"You're special, Ara." Celestine brushed a tear from my cheek. "I can feel it."

"I don't even have a wolf," I whispered.

"Time will tell." She stepped back, all business again. "Now, let's find some work. You'll train under Kade, scout for new rogues, and keep watch over Carsten and the neighboring towns."

She trusted me with something important! I nodded with a smile.

As I left her study, the world seemed brighter, the air sweeter. I was halfway down the hall when a familiar deep voice rumbled:

"So you're under me now, huh?"

Kade leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his massive chest, that infuriating smirk playing on his lips.

"I'll train hard," I promised.

Amara appeared out of nowhere, tackling me in a hug. "This calls for celebration!"

I laughed, the sound foreign but welcome.

"Let's go to Carsten. And we're getting ice cream!" Amara declared.

The normalcy of it, the sheer mundanity of planning for ice cream, made my chest ache. This was what belonging felt like.

Emerging from the hidden city, the forest air tasted different—cleaner, wilder. Kade and Amara moved through the trees like extensions of the woods themselves.

As soon as we reached the woods, Amara got a mindlink, and she had to stay back. So it left me alone with Mr. Tall-broad-handsome.

Dusk painted the sky in violets and golds as Kade and I wandered the town's edge. The moment the sun dipped below the horizon, I felt uneasiness, a prickle at my back.

Before I could react, Kade's arm snaked around my waist, pulling me flush against him. My eyes widened at the sudden gesture. Before I could protest, his voice rang over my ears.

"Don't panic," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear, “we've had tails since we left the ice-cream shop."

My pulse skyrocketed. "What do we now?"

"Woods. Now." His grip tightened as he steered us toward the trees. "Play along. Just a couple out for a moonlit stroll."

Every nerve was on fire. Kade's warmth at my back, his scent, sandalwoods, filling my nose. Everything was overwhelming. The way his fingers splayed possessively over my hip. But his little act didn't really shake off the pursuers.

“They are still there,” I said in a low voice.

"Remember what I said about learning the woods?" His grip tightened as he steered us off the path, his movements sure and silent. "Time to put that to use."

We ducked into the forest, Kade navigating the darkness with terrifying precision. Branches whipped past as we zigzagged through the undergrowth, the pursuers' presence fading with each turn.

When we reached the hidden entrance, Kade did something entirely unexpected— he wrapped himself around me from behind, one large hand covering my mouth as we fell through the opening.

The world tilted. My heart hammered against my ribs. Then we reached the solid ground. My legs were still in the air though. Finally, Kade let me go.

"What the hell was that?" I gasped when he released me.

"Making sure you don't scream this time. We don't want everyone to know we are living here," he teased, rolling off with infuriating ease.

“You…” I stood there, breathless for entirely new reasons, and he smirked. The first time I was brought here, I yelled my lungs out the moment I was down this tunnel. But that didn't mean I would scream every time I was here!

A chuckle left his lips. I could have never guessed what a flirt he was! Then he stepped back and turned around, ready to leave as if nothing happened. As if he didn't just stole my breath.

"Come on, new recruit," he called over his shoulder. "We've got rogues to report."

He winked with a smile. And just like that, my new life began.