Saving Her Broken Alpha

Chapter 11

The Royal Palace.

April

I stared blankly at the letter of introduction in my hand as if it was my enemy and wished I could just squeeze life out of it. The name of the pack they have assigned me to kept jumping out at me. I looked at it again just to make sure of I saw it correctly, and behold there it was, “the crescent moon pack.”

 “This must be a joke,” I thought to myself.

Talk about rotten luck. So of all the packs in the kingdom, my luck had me sent to the only place I wish to stay away from. My plan had been to go to the crescent moon pack to reject the sitting alpha and then carry on with my life. Now I have to go there to ascertain their welfare.

I thought about asking to be sent to a different pack, but felt it would be unfair to do so on my very first assignment. While I was musing over this, it occurred to me that there was no stipulated time that an emissary needed to spend while visiting a pack. Taking that as a good thing, I decided I would not spend more than a night in that pack. I will walk in there, hand the introduction letter to the alpha, reject him, and then ask for a written report from him to the king. A report that will explain the condition of his pack.

As I was strategizing on how best to handle this situation, the king made a statement that put a dent in my plans. He announced he expected all his emissaries to spend at least two weeks in our assigned packs. This, he said, was to enable us to make our own judgement on the happenings around the kingdom. For because he wanted to make sure all the packs were well off, he also wanted to make sure that we have enough time to judge pack activities. He did not want a repeat of what happened with the dark moon pack.

                 **************

After leaving the monarchs, April went straight to her room. She could not muster the strength to put her things together for her journey the next day. Her hands shook as she rubbed on the spot where her mate’s mark was supposed to be. The dull ache reminded her she was going to face both him and his now mate. The one that replaced her. How was she going to survive two weeks with them?

A knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. She pulled it open to reveal Talia.

“Hi April,” she greeted.

Talia flopped on the bed and looked at her distraught friend.

“Can you stop pacing for a moment? My eyes are getting blurry from following you back and forth.”

April gave her a look that said, “I can’t help it.”

“What is the matter? Are you still having problems with anyone else?”

“No, but I have a bigger problem. We have been assigned to our first assignment and my first visit is to the crescent moon pack.”

Talia thought the reason for April’s distraught was due to fear of falling short in her duty to the king, and so tried to encourage her.

“Hey, don’t fret, I know you may be feeling overwhelmed seeing as this is your first duty, but I have no doubt that you will be fine. You are very smart, and I doubt any dishonest alpha will be able to hide their shady deeds from you.”

A sad smile little smile appeared on April’s lip. She appreciated the fact that her friend was trying to make her feel better.

“That is alpha Duncan’s pack” she said in a quite voice

Talia’s eyes widened in surprise as the words registered in her head. She now understood why April was in distress. No one would want to spend that amount of time with a mate who had rejected and replaced them. Another thing that bothered Talia was the presence of a deadly evil that was beginning to converge in that area.

“This is a sticky situation; you may want to talk to your brother about it.”

April shook her head to indicate that she would not do that. She did not want her brother to fight her battles for her, and she voiced this to Talia.

Another knock on the door broke up their conversation. The door opened to reveal alpha Axel. He looked from his mate to his sister and could tell they had been discussing something serious.

“Is everything alright?” He asked, looking from one female to the other.

“Everything is fine.” April jumped in before Talia could respond to his question.

She explained that she has been sent to an outland pack and was only apprehensive at being so away from home. Alpha Axel looked at was a little worried for her too. He did not want his sister caught up in the evil that was lurking around that area.

They conversed into the early hours of the morning. Both alpha Axel and Talia felt reluctant to leave her alone. However, they worried only a little, because they knew they will only be about a week behind her.

“We need to allow her to catch some rest. She has a long journey ahead of her.” Talia said as she noted the time.

“We will be up to see you off.” Alpha Axel promised his sister.

April nodded and watched them leave her room. She felt so alone as she laid down on her bed. Afraid that she might drift off, she rolled over to the edge of the bed, and set her alarm for 4:30am.

            **********

April grumbled a curse as she turned in her seat. Her behind was sore from this journey. She felt cranky and hot. She wondered how convenient it will be for alpha Duncan if she were to keel over and die of exhaustion. “Too bad that won’t be happening. I intend to live a long and happy life.” She mumbled to herself.

As she was busy battling with her thought, one of the royal guards that have been assigned to her announced that they had just crossed into the crescent moon pack and should be at their destination before nightfall. The information caused her wolf to stir, but April assured her that they will be fine.

She looked out and the scenario that greeted her was breath-taking. The green scenery looked like something that was painted and brought to life. The late evening sun filtered orange light through the leaves and the forest floor looked carpeted by fallen leaves of different colours. She could hear the sound of trickling water and knew that a stream was not very far off. She fell in love with the landscape and her wolf stirred with excitement at the thought of running through this lush beauty.

However, that excitement was soon ruined as they drew closer to the pack settlement. She noticed the scenery gradually faded from one of great beauty to one that looked almost arid. These trees did not look as healthy as the ones at the entrance of the land, and the soil here looked darker and parched also.

She realised the closer they got to the people, the more devastated the land became, and she felt sorry for the inhabitants. This thought bothered and alarmed her, but she did her best to shun those mushy sentimental emotions.

“This land and its leader have already rejected me, and I am only here on duty.” She muttered to herself.