“Why?” she asked, sniffling as she tried to shift her body. I watched with sorrow as she struggled in her chains.
“Because I’m taking you away from him,” I replied, keeping my voice low. A look of raw terror passed over her features and she shook her head.
“You can’t. Please. I don’t want more people to die trying to save me,” she replied tearfully, and I shook my head.
“Thranar tried to kill me once already and he failed. He’ll try again and next time, I plan to bury a knife deep into his skull,” I answered viciously.
“Who are you?” she eventually whispered, her blue gaze looking at me with more curiosity than fear now.
“My name is Queen Freya of Valgertha,” I said simply and the surprise on her face was more than apparent.
“The legendary alpha female?” she asked, her disbelief obvious now. I nodded my head in confirmation.
“Thranar thought he’d killed you,” she said hoarsely. “He came back and bragged about it to everyone in a great speech.”
I grinned. I’d sent many a person with that message into the wilds and I knew that Aric had too.
“My people did our best to spread that rumor, yes,” I began. “This scar on my chest is from that fight, but I survived and now I’ve come back to conquer his city. I’ve yet to decide if I’m going to take it for myself or burn it to the ground.”
She didn’t answer. I wasn’t sure if her silence was fear or shock or even anger now.
“Flicka, come here,” I said softly and my shield maiden quickly moved by my side. I didn’t even have to tell her what to do. Immediately, she started picking the lock of the shackles. One at a time, she broke them open. Luna lurched forward and I grabbed her arm to steady her. She groaned loudly with pain. Slowly, she made her way back to her feet and rolled her shoulders, digging her fingers into her likely very sore flesh.
“How long has he kept you here?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“It’s been three days,” she replied, almost as if it was something normal. I licked my lips, swallowing my horror as I did so. It was a wonder she could even move at all. I turned to one of the larger alphas among my warriors.
“Luna, are you in any danger of going into heat soon?” I asked her.
She shook her head.
“Floki, you will carry her. When we emerge from the castle, you will return to Ludin at the southern gate and ensure that she is taken safely back to Valgertha. Consider it your new mission. You may take a squadron of men with you. Do you understand?” I commanded. He nodded. I’d known him a long time. He was a strong warrior, but most important, he was already mated to an omega of his own. She would be safe with him, no matter what happened. I was sure of it.
“Yes, my queen. I will make sure she makes it to Valgertha, safe and sound,” he answered.
“I will consider it a grave offense if she is treated as anything other than a royal guest,” I added carefully, and he nodded in understanding.
“Of course, Queen Freya,” he replied.
He knelt down and lifted the omega’s frail form up into his arms. She protested quietly, but he shushed her. She didn’t appear to have the energy to fight him for very long though, and she gave in after several moments. Quickly, we moved out of the room and back into the main hall.
The entire place was quiet. There wasn’t even a single servant rushing to clean and serve those that lived there. I wondered if they were hiding out in their quarters or if they had fled to their homes somewhere away from the castle. Maybe Thranar had forced them all on the battlefield, but I was left with little time to consider what it might be because in no time at all, we reached the castle gate. Very quickly, I saw that it was bolted shut with a thick wooden beam. Without needing to be told to do so, my warriors lifted the heavy plank out of position so that we could burst through the door as quickly as possible. I knew that Thranar’s forces would be facing away from us and we emerged from the castle ready to cut through them at their backs.
With a battle cry, I threw myself into the fray. I slashed my sword, catching one of the enemy’s arms in the process. He cried out in agony and grunted noisily as he flung himself around, hastily trying to block my next move. I feinted in one direction and he foolishly fell for it. Quickly, I threw myself the other way and swiftly hacked my sword across his throat. He swayed on his feet for a moment before collapsing to the ground in a bloody heap.
I moved onto the next target and cut through him too.
My elite force moved swiftly through Thranar’s army, segmenting them into two factions. We fought furiously and the ground rapidly became a muddy mess beneath our feet. The massive elephants stepped through the streets, swinging their tusks and destroying one building after the next. Both the dogs and wildcat mounts used their teeth to rip through the men, one after another as they charged into battle. Men screamed in the throes of death while my people roared with the adrenaline of battle. We fought long and we fought hard. It wasn’t long before our cries of victory echoed across the city.
Valgertha reigned supreme on the battlefield and when the tiny glimmers of the rising sun edged at the horizon, Ravenrath cried out for a retreat. When the battle finally quieted, I looked up to see Thranar watching from a balcony high above. Quickly my eyes flitted around the battlefield, looking for Floki and Luna, but they were nowhere to be seen. I was glad to not find them anywhere. They’d been able to get away and she’d finally be safe in the walls of Valgertha. Floki would make it back. I had no doubt.
I turned my eyes back upward, facing the man I’d sworn to kill. I tensed as he stared down at me. I was sure that my red hair stood out on the battlefield, making me an easy target to spot. It didn’t take him long to find me. I grinned up at him, knowing that I was probably covered in sweat, dirt, and blood. I snarled loudly in an open challenge, and I saw him tense straightaway. I chuckled under my breath as I watched the awareness of my survival passed over him. He hadn’t killed me. He’d failed.
My smile grew even larger as he glared at me, his fury palpable, which only served to make me even more gleeful at my triumph. I could feel Aric moving close to me, the bond between us pulsing as he approached. I felt him take my hand in his. He squeezed my fingers tightly in his own and I returned the gesture. The battlefield finally went quiet as the rest of his forces and mine waited for what came next.
“Queen Freya, I’d like to discuss the terms of Ravenrath’s surrender,” Thranar yelled down to us, his voice just barely containing his rage. He was pissed and that pleased me immensely.
Without delay, my elite guard returned to my side while Thranar sent out a single unarmed attendant to lead u