The Scarred Prince (The Wolf's Pet Book One) by Aubrey Rose Page A

way to do it?
    “Then you will fight?”
    “We will defend ourselves if your Scarred Prince declares war. And we will see how your pack fares against us now.”
    “You will not have to wait long. The pack marches forward. Even as we stand here.”
    My mom nodded.
    “The scouts have picked up scent at the northern edge of our territory. Their own scouts, no doubt.”
    Alekk turned to her.
    “Perhaps you should take this proposal to the council and see what they decide.”
    I never saw my mom look as furious as she did at that moment. Her eyes blazed with fury. The scent of it radiated off of her.
    “I won’t give up our child to this madman. Your pack is hard, aggressive. And the Scarred Prince is known throughout the territories as a madman. He’s a scary story to tell to children, not a legitimate alpha.”
    “Your pack will die if you don’t do this.”
    “Who are you to say that?”
    Alekk motioned toward me.
    “She’s said that your women will kill themselves rather than be taken captive.”
    “And a marriage will stop them?”
    “I don’t know. Let me go back to the prince with these terms and we will see.”
    Damien shook his head.
    “No. We won’t do it.”
    Throughout all of this, I hadn’t spoken up. Now, I stepped forward.
    “It’s not your decision to make,” I said. Fear bled into my heart at the thought of war. Thinking about Blaise and Erroll and Francis and the rest of them fighting against warriors like the messenger… They would all die. My mother and Mara would die. My father would die. And Dee…
    “Kinaya…”
    “I’ll do it to prevent this war.”
    “You can’t give yourself up like this. Kinaya,” Dad said sternly. “This isn’t an option.”
    “You always talk about doing things for the pack. I’m willing to do this. Let’s talk about it as an option.”
    “No.”
    “Dad, you’ll die !”
    My voice echoed off of the cabin walls, and I realized before the echo was gone that my eyes were stinging with tears. I could not let my pack die, not like this. It didn’t matter what happened to me, if it could save the pack.
    “Kinaya, go back to the house.”
    “Dad—”
    “ Go! ”
    His voice boomed, and tears ran down my cheeks. My mom’s hand was at my back, but it wasn’t a comfort anymore. None of them understood. None of them. Sobbing, I pushed past them and out the door. My mom followed me.
    “Kinaya, don’t—”
    A yelp from the storage cabin made me spin around on the trail. I turned to see Alekk leaping out the door. He shifted into a wolf before his feet hit the ground, his black robes fluttering to the ground. My dad was at the doorway. I was about to shift and chase after Alekk, but then my dad shouted out.
    “He hurt Blaise!” my dad said. “Max! Ziv! Where are you?”
    My heart dropped as I saw Alekk in wolf form, bounding away through the trees. His dark pelt rippled as he ran, and in three leaps he had disappeared into the forest. I stared agape, unsure of what to do. My mom had already run back inside the storage cabin. Max came running.
    “Track him,” I ordered the guard. “Run him down, if you can.” I turned back to the storage cabin and looked in through the door. Blaise was lying on the ground, his leg bleeding. He hissed a breath through his teeth. My dad held his leg.
    “Get a doctor,” my dad said.
    “Ohhhh ,” Blaise moaned, clutching his leg. I stared at him in terror.
    “Kinaya!” my dad shouted. “ GO! ”
    I turned and ran, my heart beating a million miles an hour. Oh, god, Blaise was hurt. The prisoner had escaped.
    What had I done?
     

Chapter Fifteen
    The next morning, after a fitful few hours, I woke up alone in my bedroom from a nightmare. My fingers gripped the sheets tightly. I had been taken by the Scarred Prince’s pack in my dream. They had come and killed everyone else, but they had left only me. I gasped a few breaths before realizing that it was only a dream.
    Blaise. Where was Blaise?
    It took me a second