"Oh no, oh no, oh no," Amora mumbled, running towards the cottage.
She had no idea when Epiales had decided to expand the search, for all she knew he could be in Scotland already.
She pushes open the door and rushed inside and looked around frantically. She gripped her makeshift cloak and threw it over her head, tucking her hair away neatly.
She groaned as she looked down at her belongings, she couldn't carry them and shift at the same time.
"Okay, okay, think Amora, think," she whispered to herself. Her eyes lit up as she caught site of her basket. She quickly shoved everything in, wrapping it up tightly and quickly stripped off her clothes. She shifted into her wolf, gently picking up the basket handle and began to sprint through the forest.
She had to run to the edge of the forest between Scotland and England, she would hide in England until Epiales finally gave up his search and then she'd return to Scotland.
________________________________________
Epiales watched as his guards shifted into wolves and began their journey to Scotland before he made his way to his pack.
He approached his pack cautiously, anxious to see what it had become while he was away. Being so focused on finding his mate, he had been neglecting his duties as an Alpha as well as a king.
"Alpha!" A chorus of voices shouted as he shifted from his wolf, pulling a jacket over himself.
He nodded at everyone, waving and greeting them as William approached him.
Jealousy coursed through him as memories of William's hands on Amora passed through his mind. As William opened his mouth to greet him, Epiales cut him off, "let's talk in my office."
As they approached his office Epiales couldn't help but glance into Amora's office. It indistinctly smelled like her, it still reminded him of her. He couldn't help but feel anger towards William for using her office, even though he was only working.
He sighed as he sat down in his chair, it was the most relaxed he had felt in months but he was still on-edge.
"Alpha, these last few months have been very quiet, nothing out of the ordinary, all I've been doing is organising the imports-"
"William, where is she?" Epiales asked urgently.
"I'm sorry?"
"Do you know where she is, William? She trusts you. You have to tell me where she is."
"I'm sorry, Alpha, I have no idea."
Epiales stood up, his breath rugged and fast, approaching William aggressively. He pushed him up against the door.
"You know where she is, tell me!" He roared.
"I don't know, Alpha!" William retorted.
"You may address me as king."
William stared back at him, his eyes wide in fear.
"Fuck," Epiales cursed, slamming his fist into the wall as he exited the office.
'I'm leaving you.' The words echoed through his head, tormenting him every day. All he could think about was her, how he treated her. He couldn't go a day without being reminded of how cruel he was and the memories caused an aching in his chest that he'd never forget.
He stepped into her room, everything was exactly the way he remembered it. He went over and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking around. He turned around and Amora's copy of 'King Lear' caught his eye.
'So I heard you enjoyed 'King Lear' by Shakespeare?' 'Yes, I enjoyed it thoroughly, but now I don't have time for such leisurely activities, being an Alpha requires a lot of time and effort.'
He recalled how cold he was to her when she was making an effort to get to know his interests. Even to this day he didn't know any of her interests.
He stood up abruptly, unable to bear the pain of the memories her room held. He walked across the hall and into his own room, deciding to pull out an old box of memories his mother kept growing up.
He opened it up for the first time since her death and rummaged through the objects. His hands skimmed through the piles of old letters and ruined jewellery before he reached the bottom of the box. He picked up the small book, looking at it cautiously, he had never seen it before.
He opened it up at a random page and began to read.
'Dear Diary,
the Alpha of the Silverlake pack came today. Alpha says he owes him his life and he could not save us if we stepped out of line. He made everyone line up together. I was so scared but Christopher stayed by my side the whole time.'
Epiales stopped reading as the confusion set in. He wracked his brain, trying to remember his mother ever mention someone called Christopher, but he could not recall at all.
'-I believe Christopher is my soulmate. I cannot describe this feeling any other way. Every time I see him I just want to run into his arms and never let go. Tomorrow is my sixteenth birthday, when I wake up, I will know.'
Epiales stared at the pages in shock, his mother believed another man was her mate? He wondered what his father would have thought of this. He could imagine him screaming, throwing things and starting an argument over it at the mere mention of Christopher's name. He flipped back through the pages, finding a page about Christopher when they first met.
'A boy called Christopher joined the pack today, he came from the army. We spoke all day and I think I love him already. It is too soon but that doesn't bother me. He is perfect. I never thought I could care for someone so much.'
Epiales re-read it over and over again. This isn't the same woman he knew. His mother couldn't possibly have wrote this. She never once spoke about soulmates or true love or anything of the sort. She said she grew up in a strict pack, with one purpose: learning how to become proper leaders. He forced himself to read on, anxiety building up inside him.
'I turned sixteen today. Christopher is my soulmate and I never doubted for a second he wouldn't be. I love him more than life itself, nothing could ever replace this feeling. Having a soulmate makes me excited to wake up every morning, knowing I will get to see him. I prayed to the Moon Goddess every night for a man half as perfect as him. She has blessed me and I will never stop thanking her.'
The book fell from Epiales' hands as his mouth fell open in shock. His parents were not mates. They had lied to him his whole life. He had to figure out what had happened. Why had his mother abandoned her rightful mate? How did she become Luna of the Silverlake pack? He needed answers, his mind was swirling with possibilities. He flipped through the pages anxiously, trying to find any mention of his father.
'The Alpha of the Silverlake pack returned today, this time he brought his son, future Alpha Silvio. He scares me. Christopher does not like him either, he told me to stay away from him. Even my Alpha seems nervous around him. I don't like it.'
Epiales carefully flipped over to the next page, shocked to see the change in handwriting. This time the handwriting seemed scrawled and rushed. It sent a despairing feeling through him.
'I do not have much time. He is coming for me. He killed him. He killed my own mate right before my eyes. My love, Christopher, laying in a pool of his own blood on his own pack grounds. He has come to take me. He says I will be his Luna. I do not want to go! I wanted nothing but to spend my life with Christopher. The rest of my life will be a lie. I have to live a lie with him.'
Everything suddenly made sense to him. His parents never once showed an ounce of love to each-other. They were strictly business. His mother was never happy. He thought that was what it was meant to be like. But they were never mates! Of course, that's why it never made sense to him. His mother's heart belonged to another man.
Epiales stood up quickly, all the memories of everything he ever said to Amora about his parents' relationship, their relationship, his leadership turned out to be a lie and he had never wanted to see her more. He had never wanted to get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness more in his life. He needed her more than ever.
(A/N- Not 100% sure about this chapter but I did love writing about Epiales' mother and a bit of her backstory! I hope you enjoy reading and stay safe 🤍)