Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Jessica

I was very careful while marching with other warriors in the woods. I was armed with my bow and arrow and very few essentials that were inside my backpack.

It was no use bringing a lot of things since I have a plan of not staying with them for long. I have my plans to sneak my way back to the pack when no one is watching.

We have been walking for close to two hours straight as it was already daybreak. I kept wondering when Derrick men were going to show up.

The anxiety was killing me as I subconsciously looked around to see any sign of them.

“Let's take a thirty minutes break,” I heard Alexander say to his men and they all started gathering themselves into various groups to chat and have their light breakfast.

“Jessica,” I heard Alexander call out when I was still looking for where to sit down.

“Yeah, alpha,” I answered, not liking the fact that I was going to meet him where he was seated, as I was doing everything possible to avoid him. But since I had no choice I walked in his direction.

When I got there, I noticed he had opened his backpack and was bringing out some snacks.

“Sit down,” he said while offering me potato chips.

I sat down and hoped that for whatever reason he has called me, he should get it done in time so I can move away from him as soon as possible.

“So how have you been,” he questioned, taking one of the chips from his pack and munching on it slowly.

“I'm fine, thanks for asking,” I said honestly surprised to hear him ask how I was doing.

We have not had a real conversation since he let that slave girl into his life, she seems to have completely taken over his mind.

“I know you think I don't think about you or know how you are doing, but I do. Honestly, a lot has happened to me lately that if I am, to be honest with myself, I would say the best moment in my life. Do you remember how sad it was for my dad when I didn't get my mate on my eighteenth year birthday?” He questions and looks at me for a reaction, but I just simply nodded my head.

“He would be so proud to know that I have gotten a mate and she is everything I would ever have wanted and more,” he said absentmindedly.

The way he talks about the slave girl as if she is the next best thing after I become the luna makes me want to puke.

But I was trying to keep my face neutral so as not to give away how disgusted I was.

“I am happy she makes you happy” I managed to say with a forced smile.

“Oh Jessica you have no idea how happy I am when she is with me, you can only experience the joy I am having when you finally get to meet your mate,” he said as his eyes twinkles in delight.

“I do wish for you to meet him sooner than later and then you will understand what I am talking about,” he said taking another chip into his mouth.

What he said pricked my heart a little because unknown to everyone, I have already met my mate.

I met him on the night of the party for our eighteenth year birthday that was organized by Alexander's father, the late king.

But I was so disappointed with whom the moon goddess decided to match me with me.

I was mad and out of anger, I called him aside to tell him that if he ever dares to tell anyone that he is my mate, I was going to fucking kill him.

I rejected him right there and then.

What was the moon goddess thinking about when she decided to match me with an ordinary omega.

The stupid mate of mine disappeared from the pack after that night three years, and I have never bothered to look for him.

Hopefully, he is dead for all I care, I never spoke of it to anyone, not even Alex whom I called my best friend.

“So I have been thinking that since now that I already have a luna and have become the king, I will need to pick someone for the position of a Beta, and honestly, there is nobody on mind other than you,” Alex said to my surprise.

I have never for once thought about becoming the beta of the pack and that is because the position is mostly occupied by men.

With the position of a beta, I will be highly respected by everyone in the pack except the king and his luna.

“But the beta position is meant for men,” I said to him while looking at him unbelievably.

“Yes before I became the king, the beta position was meant for men. The king's right-hand man. But like you know, you have been my best friend for so long that I might even refer to you as a sister. And I know you have worked hard to become the best in your skills and have fought so many battles alongside me. It would be stupid of me to think of giving that position away to another person simply because you are not a man. What count most is your act of bravery and the love for your pack and kingdom” he said.

At that moment I felt my heart twist as I was completely smitten by his words. Why was I not patient, if only I had known that he was going to make me his beta, all I have ever wanted was to hold a key position in the pack and since the luna was the only position that was meant for women, I opted for that.

But how great it would have been to become the first female beta in the entire kingdom. my name would echo far and near.

I will be highly respected because no woman has ever held that position, and the good thing is I do not have to force myself on Alex.

What have I done? Alex has always had my back and it breaks my heart now that all I have ever done in these past few months was to hurt him.

“Are you alright?” Alex asked after noticing that I was absent-minded and lost in thoughts.

“Yeah, I am fine,” I said trying to act as normal as possible even though the inside of me was a total wreck.

“So are you going to accept being my beta?” He asked with a smile.

How I wish I could tell him the things I have done behind him, tell him how I have been conspiring with his evil uncle to bring him down, but it's too late now.

“I will love too,” I said for once looking at their eyes of Alexander and seeing his genuine love for me.

It was way more than anything I could have ever asked for, it was platonic.

It is the kind of love that comes with no strings attached other than having each other back.

“Good to hear that, I will make arrangements for you to be installed as the beta, as soon as this battle is over and we are back home. That is if I will get back,” he added sadly.

“What makes you say so,” I questioned with the utmost concern for him, he sounded almost as if he knew what was coming his way as his countenance suddenly changed from a happy one to a sad face.

“I don't know, I don't know. But I kind of have this weird feeling that I may never return to the pack,” he said sadly.

And that moment I was lost for words, I mean how was I supposed to comfort someone that I have been secretly planning his downfall?

“You will be fine, I'm sure God has a plan for us all and that we will not die until we have fulfilled every aspect of that plan,” I managed to say to him.

He sighed out deeply and smiled at me, you see why I like you a lot, you are just like Ashley, you guys know just how to say the right things at the right time,” he said still smiling.

“I'm sure Ashley would be so proud of you,” I said, but suddenly realized that I had just called the slave girl by her name for the first time since I have known her.

“Yeah,” I am sure she will, he said with a smile.

Then what happened next was like a dream, there was a loud explosion very close to our midst which sent most of our warriors flying in the air and some were already lying dead and covered in their pool of blood.

I woke up to find myself face down with part of my face badly burnt. I managed to get up and found that Alex was lying down unconsciously on the floor.

The loud bang from the explosion render me partially deaf as I stumbled my way around, but the whole place was covered in smoke, dusk, dried leaves, and the groaning of men in pain

The next thing I knew was that many arrows were flying toward us from different directions. Hitting our soldiers and killing them instantly.

From one glance one can tell that it was near impossible for any one to survive, I quickly lay on my stomach and crawled my way out of harm's way.

Luckily I saw a narrow route and ran into the woods with blood dripping from my badly burnt face.

The question on my mind the entire time was why Derrick did not give me a head start.