"You know her?" the King asked.
"I- I'm sorry I didn't realize I spoke out loud," she muttered.
"Keira," Princess Julia said. "Do you know Victoria?"
Keira didn't know how to answer. There was only a slight chance that they were speaking about the same person.
"I had a childhood friend who went by Victoria Gauge," Keira replied. "I don't know if she kept her last name. Last time I saw her, she was mated."
"You're lying," the General said angrily.
Keira turned her head slightly to look at him.
"Excuse me?" she asked, confused.
"She's not mated," the General repeated.
"Wait," Keira said. "Are we speaking about the same person?"
"The Victoria I know has blonde hair, brown eyes, and a scar below her jawline," Keira continued.
"How do you know she has a scar?" Princess Julia asked.
"Because I gave it to her," Keira replied.
The General stiffened beside her. Keira could feel the rage coming off of him.
"Surely they can't be the same one," the Queen said, looking at her son.
"Victoria has a scar below her jawline," the General stated.
'There's no way we're speaking about the same person!'
"Is there anything else that you remember about her?" the Queen asked.
"She has three more scars," Keira said. "Two on either side of her wrists and one on her chest where her heart is."
Everyone looked at the General wait to either confirm or deny it. He slowly nodded his head.
"How is this possible?" Princess Julia asked curiously.
"Keira dear, you said that this Victoria that you know is mated," the Queen said. "Are you sure?"
Keira pressed her lips together in a straight line. She really didn't want to bring up old memories.
"This was before I started living at TF headquarters, " Keira began. "I was still going to school and training at the same time. Victoria and I were inseparable best friends. Something happened with Victoria's family, and she left school for a few weeks. During that time, I started dating Jason.
"When she got back, she told me what had happened, and I told her that I was dating someone. Everything was going well for about 6 months. A few weeks before my birthday, Victoria tells me that she is also dating someone, but wouldn't tell me who it was. That she was going to invite him to my birthday party.
"Well, my birthday finally arrived, and I was inside waiting for Jason to show up when I heard Victoria's voice outside. I rushed out and saw her hand in hand with someone. They hadn't noticed me since they were kissing, and as I got closer to surprise them, I saw that she was kissing Jason. I'm not sure what happened next because when I came to, I was in the hospital.
"My mother was sitting next to the bed. I must have startled her because she got up from her chair really fast, holding her chest. I asked her if she was ok, and she started crying. My father entered the room at that moment, and seeing me with my eyes open, he rushed out. A few minutes later, he returned with the doctor. I was confused. I didn't know what had happened. My parents wouldn't tell me either.
"It wasn't until I had been discharged from the hospital that I found out what had happened. They weren't sure why it happened, but I transformed for the first time without a full moon. I attacked Jason and Victoria. Jason had to undergo surgery, and he was in a coma. Victoria also had to get surgery done; she was unconscious for several weeks. Two months later, I heard people gossiping that Victoria would never be able to bear children due to the trauma her body had gone through.
"Sometime after that, I heard that Jason woke up from his coma. It was almost 6 months after the incident that I overheard my parents talking, saying that Jason and Victoria were mated and had invited us to the ceremony. My parents ended up going, but I didn't go since I was officially part of the Task Force."
"If you want proof," Keira continued. "My parents took pictures. I'm sure they still have them."
"Maybe they aren't the same person," Princess Julia said. "Either way, you won't know until you go and meet her."
"No," the King said. "I want her gone by the time both of you arrive at your territory. I don't care if they aren't the same person."
"I made a promise to her family that I would take care of her," the General said. "I can't throw her out."
"Taking care of her doesn't mean that she has to live with you," the Queen said. "You can give her a monthly allowance and send her on her way. You can have someone in your pack reach out to her here and there to make sure she's ok. Your father is right, this Victoria girl needs to leave. It won't help your relationship with Keira if this girl is still around."
"I don't want a relationship with her," the General growled.
"You don't have a choice!" the King barked back. "You will do as you're told."
Keira wanted to look at the General, but she thought it wasn't a good idea. She could feel his anger radiating off of him. Keira stayed silent the rest of the time as the royal family ate dinner.
No one really spoke except for the occasional chatter of passing the salt and such. As soon as the King and Queen left, Keira also excused herself and headed back to her room.
'I'm speechless,' Sabelina commented as Keira threw herself onto the bed.
'At least we know where we stand,' Keira said to her. 'There's no need to have false hope and illusions.'
'Keira-' Sabelina began, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Keira stood up and opened the door.
"Captain," the individual greeted. "I am Marcus. Beta to Alpha Donovan."
"What do you want?" Keira asked.
"Donovan asked me to bring you to his office," he replied.
"I'll meet with him tomorrow," Keira stated, closing the door in his face.
'I'm not in the mood to see him,' Keira explained.
Keira quickly jumped in the shower and headed to bed.
**
Keira was walking back from grabbing breakfast when she saw Marcus waiting by her door.
'Persistent,' Sabelina muttered.
'I wonder what he wants,' Keira said sarcastically. Of course, she knew what he wanted.
"Good morning," Marcus greeted, seeing Keira approach.
"Hello," Keira said, going to open her door, but was blocked by Marcus.
Keira raised her eyebrow at him.
"Donovan would like to speak to you," Marcus explained. "Please, Captain."
"Lead the way," she said.
Marcus led them to another part of the castle that she was unfamiliar with. The General was sitting behind his desk when she arrived. He motioned for her to sit. Keira was glad there was no cherry aroma clinging to him.
"I hope I'm not inconveniencing you," he began.
"You are, but it's not like I could beat up Marcus," Keira answered. "I'm sure that is frowned upon."
"You said you wanted to talk," Donovan stated.
Keira took a deep breath. "I want to know what your plans are for you and me."
She didn't say us because there was no us. "The King said that we can't reject the bond, and you made your position clear."
Donovan was thoughtful for several moments. "We can mate without bonding."
Keira scoffed. "I dont think so. I'm not going to hand over my body for you to enjoy. Mating with you without a mark only benefits you, not me."
"I've chosen my mate, and you're not her," Donovan stated. "I'm not kicking out Victoria."
"Then we're not mating or bonding," Keira said as a matter of fact. "Since we can't reject one another, we won't. We'll just go our separate ways."
"No one can force us to mate," Keora added. "As soon as I can, I'm leaving. I don't care about the whole ritual thing. The King can brand me a rogue for all I care."
"He won't," Donovan shook his head. "I don't think he will let you leave either. He wouldn't want rumors to develop."
"So what? He's going to imprison me?" Keira shot back. "There is no law against delaying the mating or the mark."
Keira sat in her chair fuming. How dare they think they can treat her like a tool!
"Was there anything else?" the General asked after a few minutes of silence.
"I spoke to my father last night," Keira continued. "He mentioned that the King was guaranteeing a union between us."
"You dont think the King will plan to force us?" Keira asked.
She didn't think he would, but she would rather plan for the possibility that someone might.
"I dont think he would," the General said. "But I wouldn't put it past Ian or Drew to try something."
There was a slight pause before he continued.
"Since you won't mate with me without a mark as long as you help me stabilize my pack, I'll lie to the King. As far as anyone is concerned, you'll stay with the pack, but in reality, you'll be free to do what you want as long as it doesn't disturb pack affairs."
"We both know you won't be able to leave without me," he added.
'What!?' Sabelina asked, outraged.
"I'll stay for one month," Keira negotiated. "Take it or leave it."
"That won't work," he said.
"I don't care," Keira replied sternly. "Unless there is a higher force or danger that I can't avoid, I will stick to my plans."
The General stayed silent.
"Fine," the General said after a few minutes. "I'll write up the contract and have it sent to your room."
Keira stood to leave.
"The King has already sent people to pack up the Task Force Headquarters. All property in the building will be distributed to its owners. Anything not claimed will either be distributed to the TF members or sold off," Donovan informed her. "All accounts for the Task Force will be closed, and any money will be distributed."
"Your belongings will be sent to my packhouse until you figure out where you'll be headed," he continued. "However, if you need us to send it somewhere else, give Marcus the address."
'So he's thought of everything,' Sabelina growled.
'It would appear so,' Keira replied.
"When will we be leaving?" Keira asked.
"In two to three days," the General replied. "It'll take several days before we arrive at my territory."
Keira nodded and excused herself. It seemed like their conversation was over, and there wasn't anything else they needed to discuss.
'I don't like this,' Sabelina commented. 'This isn't how things were supposed to be like.'
'I'm not some tool to be used whenever they feel like it,' she continued.
'Like it or not, he's our mate in name only,' Keira said. 'We can't reject him, and we can't go against the King. There's not much we can do. Leaving is our best option.'
'I know,' Sabelina said. 'I still dont like it.'