Chapter 381
Sparks went off between them, sending rushing waves of emotion and love through the special mind link they shared, intensifying their already deep love for each other. The odd mind link that had connected them for so long now felt natural, almost like it was always meant to be there. ‘Perhaps it is I who’s the lucky one,’ Sandra thought to herself. For a brief moment, Jason was all that mattered. That brief moment felt like an eternity, and a blink in time all at the same time etched into her memory in great detail.
The couple stood together until the warmth of the sunset had left them. Jason had never found himself in a situation where he had nothing to say, but here he was... ‘What are the odds of me not having words to say to my mate?’ he mentally chuckled.
“You missed the sunset,” Sandra spoke up, turning to the darkening sky.
Jason chuckled, “I had something more beautiful to stare at... and the best part, this gem doesn’t vanish at the end of the day.”
Sandra turned red once more, “Do you have some sort of handbook or did you take a crash course in cheesy lines?” she finally asked.
“It comes naturally, I guess. It’s not hard for me to praise someone so wonderful,” he replied. Pulling away from their embrace, Jason held out his hand for her to take. It was time for them to go.
Sandra glanced to the far west, where the sun had just disappeared. The dark veil of night was quickly approaching. Turning away from the dissipating red rays, she turned to the small crescent that was now making its elegant climb into the night sky.
‘I guess all good days come to an end. I managed to make it to eighteen as a hunter... And I have a mate too, just like you did, Katie. Not that a mate’s something a human would be looking forward to. I hope you’re watching me... Katie.’
.....
Jason then led her to the car where he opened the door once more for the girl to enter. Sandra was reluctant to enter the car, “The day is coming to an end already. Everything goes back to normal tomorrow, doesn’t it?”
“Hmm, if you call me having to kiss you every morning and constantly boast about having the most beautiful and loving mate in the world normal, then yes, it will go back to normal,” he chuckled.
The hunter smiled at the thought and entered the car, “You won’t actually keep bragging to everyone everywhere you go, will you?”
“Why wouldn’t I? The looks on their faces when they realise I’m not as single as the rest of them. Oh, that will be golden,” the man smirked, his mind running various simulations of him trampling over the other pack warriors.
When he’d closed the door, she sighed, “I guess becoming an official beta alpha didn’t make you any more mature,” watching the jolly beta alpha rush over to the driver’s seat
“I thought you would hire someone to drive the car.”
“I would have liked to do the same, but Cole was early to call on everyone today... and quick to dismiss me. Honestly, I’ve never seen the castle this empty before.”
“What happened?” Sandra asked, concern seeping into her voice.
“He said he found one of the rogue generals while he was out hunting with a few of the pack warriors. Yes, I was shocked as well. Shocked to see him alive, that is, but considering the man’s practically indestructible, I couldn’t rule out the possibility. The fight was brutal and Cole had claw and bite marks all over him. He had a slight limp in his step and I could tell he was still healing.
I don’t know what amount of luck he had to manage to bring the monster down, but he’s doing well. When I asked him if I could help out, he shot me down, along with the queen. Considering you were trained by the Luna, he asked that I keep you in the dark about this and enjoy my date.
Kyle offered to help keep the date going smoothly. He’s the one who’s been running around making preparations before we got everywhere we intended to,” Jason explained, gripping the steering wheel a little tight while he did.
“In that case, let’s hurry back to the palace. We need to make sure they’ve returned. I would also like to personally scold him for being so stupid. Honestly, how is a date more important than the king’s life?” the girl pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.
Jason chuckled, “After finding out I had found my mate and that mate was you, you’d be surprised how different the reasoning between humans and werewolves gets?”
“So I’ve heard. I’m not sure I understand it fully either. Let’s just hurry back. That alpha owes me a good smack to the head,” the girl sighed, leaning back into her chair as the car sped through the city. With how fast Jason was driving, Sandra was sure they would hit something on their way home.
The look of seriousness and concern on his face and the speed he drove only brought her more worry and panic. At times like this, she often found herself checking to see if her seatbelt was fastened. ‘A rogue general, huh... If that monster is anything like the thing the wolf that attacked us in the reserve that time, he could have been killed... That’s if he can be killed. I don’t even know what to think. He was able to put Silver in the hospital. So... maybe he can stand a chance against a general. Still, it’s foolish to deal with a monster like that without all the help one can get.’
“How did Cole come across the general?”
“He was out on a morning run. I didn’t even notice him leaving the palace. Caden woke me up to look for him and that’s when we found him at the main entrance, covered in scratches from top to bottom and breathing badly. He took his time to catch his breath. When he was finally able to talk, he was giving orders. I understand he didn’t want to cause mass panic, but still... It was a grave matter.”
Sandra didn’t ask any more questions after that...
It took them half the time it normally would have to get back to the palace. The beta alpha, following his mate’s orders to waste no more time, rushed out of the car to get to her door.
Sandra groaned and pushed the door open herself, “Oh, for goddess’s sake, Jason, we don’t have time for that routine.”
“There is always time for chivalry, my dear. Follow me,” somehow, Jason managed to sound serious as he said this and led her from the courtyard with a sincere sense of urgency. They hadn’t even parked in the designated parking lot, not that it mattered. Jason opened the large double doors only to be met by silence.
The palace was eerily silent. There wasn’t a sign of life in the palace at all, “If they are not in the palace, who knows where they could be? I’m starting to worry. I’ve been trying the mind link and no one will answer me. At first, I thought it was obvious we would find them here, but now I don’t know what to think,” Jason spoke in a tone unfamiliar to his usual laid-back character.
Following as fast as she could in her yellow dress, the hunter followed behind him, terror starting to flood her system with adrenaline. She now started to wish she’d brought some weapons with her. Her memory flashed to the small knife that was hidden in her bag, but even that had been left behind in the car in haste. Jason silently led her through the first floor of the colossal palace. Judging by the direction he was following, he was going to... ‘The throne room? Did they start using it again... or are they hiding there?’
‘The weather was nice today, wasn’t it?’ was Sandra’s last thought before the large double doors of the palace throne room swung wide open. On the other side, darkness... but only for a moment.
The darkness lasted only a second long enough for the girl to get into the right spot before bright lights flashed through the whole room. The doors opened to reveal the largest crowd of familiar faces she’d ever been graced to see in a single place.
All at once, so loud she thought her ears would burst, they shouted, “Happy Birthday,” stunning the girl. This was followed by music, noisy poppers and celebratory ululations from the guests.
Jason smiled at the stunned girl frozen in the halls, “Surprise... Happy Birthday, Sandra.”
‘Why... why is my birthday being held in the Lycaon Throne Room?’ shocked Sandra was once again overwhelmed by the attention she was getting. She wasn’t that important, was she?