For Her Love - Sequel to An Alpha To Claim and Love

Twenty One

Juniper and Valerie entered the room filled with shuffles of people moving out of the way and people eagerly looking for Valerie. Valerie's eyes that were casted on Juniper's back, moved around the room to look for her family and when she made eye contact with her mother, her heart just dropped to the pit of her stomach from how skinny she has become now. Dark bags occupied below her eyes and her once radiant hair was now thin and dull looking. Before she knew it, she had approached her mother who eagerly reached out for her daughter.

"Mom-," Valerie calls out and just before she could reach Leena, Juniper stops her. Valerie looks back at him desperately as he gently pulls her back by the arm. Seeing this, Sebastian jumped forward to snatch her back towards them. Valerie whipped her head to Sebastian as he kept glaring Juniper. "Let go of my mate," he growls out in a deadly tone. Juniper scoffs. With a simple tug and a shove to Sebastian's shoulder, he pulls Valerie towards him and wraps a secure arm around her to help Valerie keep her balance from the pull. Before Sebastian can make another move, Dante and Sky both stop him though they themselves want to do nothing but have Valerie back.

"Juniper-."

"I refuse," Juniper cuts her off, tearing his glare off of her family and looking down at her. "Are you really going to refuse my request?"

"I haven't forgotten your request," she said in a low tone as her shoulders go slack. "Please let go of me."

Juniper hesitates but reluctantly lets her go. Respectfully extending his elbow to her, she receives it and walks with Juniper to where they were supposed to stand. She quickly turns to her family and Sebastian. "Stand down. Please," she begs and turns back around. Once they got to the front, Juniper and Valerie stand off to the side where his parents sat.

"Now that you've seen her, let us finally get down to business," boomed King Alec's voice. "I gave you options, Dante. What have you chosen to do?"

Valerie looked to her father who stared at King Alec with an unwavering look. "You gave me the option of giving up my title or lose my life. What kind of option are those, Alec? Before any of this, we did not even know that this place even existed. You have targeted my daughter from the get-go. As I told you before, there were no letters from you. Since this empire is so advanced in such magic, why did you not send a messenger to deliver your letter personally? Had you done this, we wouldn't be in such predicament."

King Alec let loose a growl that sent out a spine-chilling fear down all their backs. Noticing that Valerie had taken a startle step back, he moved ahead of her, blocking her with his body. Valerie had never felt such a powerful aura that was greater than her father's. Such a growl called for utter submission that nearly brought her to her knees. She grasped onto Juniper's arm out of fright and bowed her head in submission.

"Now dear," Queen Irene intervened with a touch to his hand and a gentle smile. King Alec looked to her as she stared back with her unwavering stare. "He, is, correct on this. Juniper....have we found the person responsible for this?" Queen Irene looked to her son as Juniper shook his head.

"No, your majesty. My men are still investigating this as we speak."

She nodded understandingly and then looked to Dante. "What about on your end? Have you found anybody suspicious?"

"We have and we have also brought him along." Dante turns his head and two people brought a man forward all battered and bounded by chains. "This man here claims he is of your empire. It was also he who showed us the missing letters and a way for us to come here."

The people of Aster Empire looked upon the man and when he lifted his head for all to see, they all murmured amongst each other, confusion in their expression. The man grinned up to King Alec with his bloodstained teeth. "Hello your majesty....it's an HONOR to finally meet you....after. So. Long!"