Chapter 2 Exiled

Lex:

I could hear Alex's footsteps from three hallways away, his pace told me he was in a hurry. I stepped out to see what he was doing on this side so early, he turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks when his gaze met mine. He looked at me but not in his usual playful way, he didn't have his bright smile either. Instead he looked at me like standing there was breaking his heart.

I tried to give him a smile, but he just looked down and said to me in a soft voice and teary eyes that dad needs to see me. That can't be good, for him to look like that, dad must have bad news for me. I walked with him to the Alpha's chambers where I would hear what I assumed was devastating news, because everything about my brother right now told me to prepare for the worst. Inside the office, my father's eyes were somber instead of their usual stern, he refused to look at me. My wolf started to grow restless as she could sense something was incredibly wrong.

I sighed, "Is anyone gonna tell me what's going on?" I asked confused. My dad then spoke up, his voice booming with heartache, "Lex my dear, you are being sent to King Kaden's kingdom for negotiation on an alliance between our packs." He finally looked me in the eye after saying this. He said for negotiation, what he meant was he was sending me there as part of his deal, he sold me. He was going to make me the bride of the most terrifying and feared werewolf known to our kind.

I looked directly towards Alex, who was still looking at the ground, then back to my father.  "Am I being punished for something father? Have I wronged you in some way?" I ask this with tears swelling in my eyes. "No my child, this is for the good of the pack." I scoffed, I know we’re doing pretty bad at the moment, but this was too much.

"How could you do this to me?" Tears starting to stream down my face. He didn't answer, he wouldn't even look at me. I was getting impatient, angry. "YOU'RE SELLING ME TO A MONSTER FOR AN ALLIANCE THAT WE DON'T EVEN NEED?" I yelled I couldn't contain it, I didn't remember ever yelling at my father before now, but this wasn’t right, do we need help? Yes, but there has to be another way, right? "YOU WILL GO, AND YOU WILL MARRY THE KING!" He yelled back in his alpha tone, but not demanding. If it was demanding I don’t think I’d know, the alpha command never worked on me, it was as if my wolf didn’t follow the hierarchy that all shifters followed. Lunaria never bowed to anyone, regardless of status.

His expression changed. I could sense how this made him feel, the alpha in him swelled with pride but I couldn't accept that this was my fate. Almost five years ago King Kaden took his pack and wiped out six packs in the night. Slaughtering nearly everyone, the ones that survived said that they had no reason to come in and kill so ruthlessly. Kaden was truly a monster, he did this for power and nothing else, and I was terrified of him.

"Lexie, please, Kaden will be a great ally for us, I have spoken with his father, the former king. Mostly we need his resources, you know what we face without any help." My father said gruffly trying to calm his inner beast. He was right about that, our land, our pack, our family wouldn't survive much longer.

I wanted to refute that the Kingdom Kaden wiped out was also his ally, and that didn’t stop him. "When do I leave?" I asked instead, no longer wanting to argue about my future. It was perfectly clear, I was the one with no mate, I wasn't the one next in line to run the pack, I was the one who was expendable. "Tomorrow" was all he said, and I knew this conversation was over.

I walked out and waited for my brother to come out, maybe he could help me change fathers mind, although I know the possibility is slim to none. "Alex, why do I have to go, I could still find my mate, he could still be out there, it's not right to send me away like this. Couldn't you talk to dad, tell him this is wrong, that he can send someone else."

I tried to stay calm, Alex looked down at me, I could feel the sadness in his eyes, I knew this was also killing him. That he didn’t want me going there either, I can feel what he feels so deeply. "Lex, look I've done all I can in this matter, do you think I didn't already think of that? We can't send someone else because they wouldn't be the daughter of an Alpha, so they would be too low for the king and he would find that disrespectful. Honestly we’re lucky he settled for you, and even then I think that was more of his father than anything else. Father thinks your mate might have died in the slaughter, and I have to agree, why else would you still not have a mate. I mean you went to other packs looking, and came back empty handed. If he is still alive I hope he isn’t in Kaden’s pack, because that would most likely be a death sentence." I have to admit that I've had the same thought that my mate might already be dead, but I was still holding out a little hope.

I went back to my chambers, to pack my belongings, I honestly didn’t even know where to start or how much to pack. Packing made me feel like I was being exiled from my home. This felt like betrayal. I didn't want to go, it was my duty so I had no other choice, but this, this wasn't going to be easily forgiven. I decided to just pack a couple of bags, I can have the lower pack wolves pack up the rest and send it all to me.

When I was done packing I decided to go for a run, let my wolf blow off some steam, I put on my shoes and went to the garden, usually that did the trick, but not this time, that wasn't enough. We call this place a garden but in reality it’s just dirt now, it was once a real garden, with vegetables, and fruit trees, we also had a corner for medicinal herbs. I decided to go into the woods, there I could really let go in my wolf form. Feel free, I know I needed to run off this anger because with the way I’m feeling I’d likely burn this whole place down, and I really don’t want that.

I was almost to the tree line right before I shifted into my wolf, Amilia caught my attention, "Hey you mind if I join you?" She had the sweetest smile on her face as she approached. I question myself if she knew I was being sent away to a monster, a man I wasn’t sure even had an ounce of humanity in him.

"Hey Ami, what's up? Come to see me before my departure?" I joked, but it was far from funny to me. "Departure?" She looked at me confused, I guess that answers that question, she did not know I was being banished, exiled, thrown out? That's not what it really was but it was how it felt.

Father always says to be a great leader you must take your emotion out of it, but how can I do that? My father made a decision about me, without my consent. I knew he was friends with Kadens dad, they went way back, but that wouldn’t stop Kaden from killing me.

"I leave tomorrow to go to King Kaden's kingdom, father has decided to make me his new bride" I tried not to let her hear the break in my voice, it was hard to say goodbye to her, she was my best friend. She looked like she wanted to cry, but instead she turned around and ran in the other direction.

After seeing her I was no longer in the mood to run, I needed to sleep, I needed to prepare for this long trip tomorrow. Walking back in the manor I heard them arguing, I don't believe I've ever heard them have more than small disagreements. I felt bad that they were arguing about me.

"You can't let her go there, you know who he is, you've heard the rumors like everyone else" "This is out of my hands, I can't go against father any more than anyone else" That was true, as the future Alpha he had to do what was right regardless of his personal feelings. "And if she dies there the-" I stopped listening, I didn't want to hear the rest of that.

I didn't want to consider that thought. I went to my room, not in the mood for food, I got in bed and decided to sleep. I could hardly sleep though, I kept thinking of all the ways the King could kill me. My wolf was oddly at peace with this, I thought she would put up a real fight, but she didn’t, she was anxious and I was confused by her behavior.

Alex:

Fucking great, my sister is mad at me, my mate is pissed at me, and my father says that if I'm going to be a good Alpha I need to take my personal feelings out the equation. Lex is my twin, I can't take the thought of her going to that place, she's too good hearted for that scum, she needs to stay here where I can protect her. Going against my father isn't really an option, my mate doesn’t understand that, I need to think of something before the official wedding between them.

Maybe Kaden wouldn’t want to marry her, and he'll send her back, but that's not likely, she doesn't notice her beauty, but I notice the way the unmated males look at her. There were so many men that were upset when we turned sixteen and she wasn't their mate. I was relieved, I don’t want my sister with anyone not worthy, there is something special about her. I’m not saying that because she is my twin, her aura is different from anyone I've ever met, there’s a power in her voice that demands respect and attention.

I’m also sure she has magic, when she gets mad or her emotions were unstable, and her eye’s turn crimson. When we were younger our room caught fire once and I’m almost positive it was her. I’m not sure if dad noticed it and never mentioned it, or if he was too busy after mom died that he never really noticed at all.

I lost my mom when I was five, and dad shut down for a while, Kyle, our dads second, or beta if you will, took over the pack for a few months until dad pulled himself together. I crawl in bed and pull my mate to my chest, and I sniff her hair, and kiss her shoulder, she lets out a soft moan, "I don't want her to go, I can't picture her being there, but I can't come up with a real alternative overnight." I kiss her again and she snuggles deeper against me.

"I think our pup should know and be close with its aunt." Wait, what? Did I hear that right? "Did you just say our pup?" She turns around and faces me with a smile. "Yes, baby, we're going to have a pup." I hug her tightly, and start falling asleep, I'll think of how to help Lex tomorrow. How is it that while I’m getting what I've been working at for years and should be the most ecstatic person on the planet, I can’t because I’m losing one of the most important people in my life.