Autumn's War

Chapter 27

I relax into Braeden's arms. He cradles me tightly to his chest and buries his face into my hair. "You have no idea how much it pains me to see you suffering and not be able to do anything about it." His breath is shaking and I realize that he's on the verge of crying again. "To know that I'm supposed to be the one who can heal you and help you through everything, when in reality I can't even touch you. I can't even let you know that I'm here, beside you. It's the worst feeling I've ever experienced."

I wrap my arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry, B. I wish it were different, but I wouldn't trade it. If it means that you and your people and my people are all safe, then I would gladly take this pain over and over again."

"I wish you would let me take some of it," he whispers into my hair.

"It's my pain," I respond. "I don't want you to go through it too. One of us is good, alright?"

I meant for it to be a joke, but he takes is seriously. "How about neither of us is in pain?"

I smile ruefully. "We can't help this, but aside from this, let's stay away from that. I can't give you any of my pain because I can't stand to see you hurting any more than you can see it for me."

He stands up and swings me into his arms. "I know."

"I can walk," I protest, though I don't actually mine being carried, as long as it's him.

"Shh," he says commandingly. "You deserve to rest. Take a nap."

I chuckle. "You're always telling me to sleep and you never do."

"That's different. I don't need to sleep."

"I know. It's just funny." He gives me a look telling me how strange I am before laughing himself.

"We're going to go back to the cabin. I think you might have lost some support when the pack saw you like that."

"What?"

He looks at me from the corners of his eyes. "They saw that and I think it freaked them out. They don't want a leader who can't help this. I know you haven't seen how it looks, but Autumn, it doesn't look good. It's pretty awful to watch."

I cover my face with my hands. "Great, just what I need. How many people do you think will see me differently?"

He shrugs helplessly. "I honestly have no idea."

"How many saw me like that?"

"Probably about two dozen, I'd say." I groan. "Do you want to go back there now or rest first?"

I sigh. "Well, I know which one you want." He chuckles and my heart stutters at the deep sound. "But I think I want to talk to everyone. Let's go talk to the pack before I lose all of their support because they think they have an unstable leader."

He nods and changes direction. For the walk, I lay my head against his chest and my eyes drift shut as I slip into a very light sleep.

Braeden hums happily when he sees me resting, even if I'm not completely asleep. He kisses the top of my head and slows his pace, giving me more time to relax.

Finally though, we reach the end of the forest. Braeden sets me down and takes my hand, intertwining my fingers with his.  "If you do lose the support of this pack, my clan will still fight. They're pretty riled up, knowing that their future queen is taking on the strongest wolf in history. They're proud of you already."

"But I haven't even met them. They don't know that I'm the Alpha King's daughter. Won't that change the way they see me?"

"Even if it does, it won't last." He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "Once they get to know you, they will love you again."

I smile. "Thanks."

He kisses my cheek. "Anytime." He peeks over my shoulder. "It would appear you've got a crowd, my love. Go prove to them that you're the leader they imagine."

I grin. "Come with me. After all, we'll rule together."

He squeezes my hand. "Alright."

When we step out of the trees, the pack erupts into questions. I put my hand up and tell them to take turns.

An older man with salt and pepper hair asks the first question. "What happened?"

Most of the buzz dies down and I realize that that's what most of them were wondering. "It was an episode that I have. It causes me to be sick."

"Why does that happen?"

"My wolf merged with my human side, and this is a side effect."

"How often does it happen?"

"Every day."

"How long does it last?"

I look to Braeden for this question. "They usually vary in length. So far, she has only had a few. The longest one has been three hours and the shortest has been an hour, though I'm given to understand that they can last much longer."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

This question takes me off guard. "I didn't want to make any of you think that I was incapable of ruling or not deserving of your respect. I want both of those things and you deserve to have a leader who puts you above themselves."

The older man who asked the first question suddenly takes a knee. Everyone else soon follows and I stare at them in confusion.

"My Queen," the man starts, "You already have our respect, and we trust your leadership. You have proven yourself to us time and time again, and it is time we prove ourselves to you. We are loyal to you always, from now until the day we die."

My heart pounds at their words and I can't help but stare with wide-eyed shock. "Thank you all so much for that. I'm glad to know that we can work together so well and I know that if we stay like this, the Alpha King will be no problem at all."

As those final words slip out of my mouth, Braeden's body goes slack beside me. His fingers fall from mine and he lands on the ground, his eyes closed as blood trickled from an injury on the top of his head.

I turn around, the familiar scent already overwhelming me.

My father stands there, a large rocky stone in his hand. It must be what he used to hurt Braeden. "I'm no problem, huh?"

He hurls the rock at me and I shield myself with my arms. The rock falls to the ground without having done any damage. I'm about to turn to him with a smug smile when he jumps at me.

The wolves of El Diablo pack, my loyal supporters, step in immediately. They deflect his every blow and he quickly begins to back away.

I turn away from the fight and to my mate on the ground. Panic surges in my veins at the thought of him being hurt because of me, but our bond is still strong.

Thank the Goddess for that.