Lily's feet carried her forward of her own accord, and until that moment, she hadn't realized just how much she'd missed this forest and the small town she'd grown up in. Despite how resentment had festered in her heart and soul these past years, it was still her home. The wolves here were still her pack, her family, whether she liked it or not.
"Come on," Lily called behind her at Theo, "Ryel will probably be at the town hall doing paperwork at this hour."
They went through the forest together in silence, eventually coming to the quiet morning streets of Kaldron. A few people were up and getting ready to go to work or open up their shops, but most were still asleep in their homes. The bakery was just starting to get ready for the day, and the scent of fresh bread made Lily's stomach grumble.
Lily led Theo to the town hall, a squat, two-story building with a wide set of steps leading up to the double doors. It was made of wood, like most of the buildings in town, but it was newer and well-maintained. Lily pushed open the door and stepped inside, Theo following close behind her.
Together, they walked up to the front desk, where an older woman with graying hair sat behind a stack of papers. She looked up as they approached.
"Good morning," she said cheerfully. "What can I help you with?"
"We're here to see Ryel," Lily replied without hesitation. "It's urgent."
The woman frowned. "He prefers not to be disturbed at this hour."
"It's fine if you don't know who we are," Lily said, her voice terse, "but Ryel will be pissed if you make the king and queen of the goblins wait to see him about a matter of utmost importance."
The woman's eyes widened when, at last, she seemed to put a name to Lily's face. She nodded and got up from her chair. "Of course, I'm sure he'll make an exception. Please, follow me."
She led them down a short hallway to an office with a large glass window looking inside. As Lily got closer, she could see Ryel through one of the windows, poring over some papers at his desk. A cup of tea steamed in front of him. It looked like he was alone, so Lily went to the door and knocked quietly.
He looked up in surprise when they came in, and a smile spread across his face when he saw Lily.
"Lily!" he exclaimed, getting up to give her a hug. His muscular form enveloped her with his surprising show of warmth. "We've been trying to contact you for days, but our contact in the goblin village told us that you and Theo had left suddenly without a set return date. We were going to put it to a vote tonight whether to storm the stronghold and get some answers by force."
"Then we've arrived at a good time," Theo said cooly. "With the answers you seek."
Ryel released Lily, and a frown set on his face when he looked the prince up and down. He stood close to Lily, guarding her from Theo as if he, as the alpha, were her protector. His bulky frame would surely put Theo's slimmer, more elegant body to the test if they duked it out, but Theo looked disinterested in her, and the confrontation that Ryel was threatening.
It had taken Lily leaving the pack and returning for her to realize that Ryel had always been this way. Protective. Not just of his wife and kids, but also of all the pack members who needed him.
Maybe Lily just had never truly needed his help before, at least not like this.
"First things first," Ryel growled at Theo, then turned to make sure the bulk of his body was positioned between him and Lily. "Lily, has he hurt you? Where did he take you?"
She was touched by his concern, but she gave him a small smile and touched his shoulder. "I'm okay, really. Theo hasn't hurt me; he's been doing his best to keep me safe." She looked past Ryel to the tall man on the other side of the office. Although he feigned indifference, she wanted to believe his eyes softened just a bit when she said that. "There was an attack on us after our wedding night. That's why we had to go into hiding for a few days."
"An attack? What the hell are you talking about?" Ryel turned from Lily in a flash to confront Theo. "Was this your plan all along? Ally with us, get the info you wanted, then murder your bride?"
"Ryel."
He ignored her, pinning Theo with his gaze. "Answer me!"
"I never had any intention of harming Lily, or any wolf, for that matter, unless any of you harmed me first." Theo released a tight breath through his teeth. "But I was not entirely honest about my intentions with the alliance, exactly, and that is why we are here. To tell you the truth before it destroys us all."
Ryel sat back on his heels, his anger sobered by the unemotional delivery of the facts. He didn't even look frustrated or angry anymore; he'd taken on the calm confidence that had earned him his place as the pack alpha, despite being almost a decade younger than Lily.
He returned to his comfy chair behind his desk, and gestured for Lily and Theo to sit. They did. "Then tell me what's going on, and be quick about it."
With a deep breath, Theo began to explain the complicated history of their situation. He described how a faction of goblins had grown within his populace over the past few years that was dedicated to violence regardless of Theo's wishes as their ruler. And from it, how the rebellion rose to what it was today, ruled by Theo's cousin, Kaleus.
"A lot of this is speculation, admittedly," Theo said, "as our sources about the rebels have been stifled until now. I had hoped that our alliance with your pack would quell the rebellion's concerns and usher in an era of peace ... but rather, it seems my union with Lily has given them more cause for concern. Their attacks have grown in significance since our wedding night, and although they are isolated to the goblin territories for now, we have every reason to believe that they will begin causing chaos in Kaldron, too, if we don't put an end to it."
Ryel listened intently, nodding along as Theo spoke. He revealed nothing of his thoughts on everything that Theo and Lily came here to tell him.
"You're asking for our help to squash your rebellion," Ryel clarified.
"That's right. Should it get out of control, or should I perish, the rebellion will take over and hunt the wolves to extinction. I've done all I can to prevent this on my own. I hoped I would not have to come to you for help at all, or at least not so soon ... but the situation is dire."