~ NYSSA
The entire room went deathly quiet at my admission.
No one dared to move or even breathe. They watched Henry, as if bracing themselves for his inevitable outburst. With each passing second, his cheeks grew darker and the vein on his forehead pulsed harder.
"You can't be his mate! Don't you see that this is all a ploy? He is trying to get to me and you are letting him use you!"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not playing this game with you, Henry. Not everything is about you. We got the assistance we needed from the palace. It is about time we moved on with our lives. I've accepted what is to come and I think you should to."
Without another word, I stood to my feet and headed for the door.
"Don't you dare walk out on me, Nyssa!" he yelled, but I ignored him.
I made a show of slamming the door hard to prove a point and stormed out of the pack house.
I'd suffer for my insolence later. It was one thing to disrespect the Alpha, and it was another to do so in front of others. For now, I didn't care, I was just grateful for the chance to be free.
I drove home before anyone could stop me and locked all my doors. The last thing I needed was an unwanted visitor in my room like the last time.
I must have underestimated just how tired I was because as soon as I took a shower, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I sat down with the intention of resting for a few minutes but woke up to the sound of pounding on my front door.
I groaned, forcing myself to rise and head down the stairs. I pulled the door open without checking who it was and immediately regretted it when I saw Alisa standing in the doorway.
She took me in, a look of disdain on her face, and that was when I realized I was still in my robe. I never changed after getting out of the bathroom earlier.
The tips of my ears burned red with embarrassment but I forced my face to remain neutral and impassive as I stared at her.
"What do you want?" I asked her, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"No," I said coldly. "You can either state your business or leave."
She chuckled. "You must think you're so special now because you're the king's mate. Henry is right you know, he's only doing it to settle the score. He doesn't love you."
I knew he didn't, but hearing it from her stung more than it should have.
Alisa had a way of rubbing salt in my wounds and making things seem bigger than it should have. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that we were friends for years, so she knew what insecurities to poke at.
"Is that all?" I asked.
I'd be damned if I gave her the satisfaction of knowing that her words hurt me.
"He's meant to get you in what… three days? That's what Henry said after you left. What happens if he doesn't? What happens if he realizes that you're more trouble than you're worth?"
When I didn't respond, she continued.
"I'm just saying, I wouldn't get too attached if I were you. After all, Henry already left you. If one mate did it, then who is to say that the second wouldn't as well?"
My cheeks were as bright as a tomato at that point. Her words had hit their mark. "Get out of my house, Alisa!"
She held up her hands in mock surrender. "I'm only looking out for you. Have a good day, Nyssa."
She turned on her heels and sashayed over to her car. I had to fight back the urge to lunge at her and wrap my fingers around her throat.
As appealing as the visual was, it would end with my head on a fucking spike. Not only was her father the General; she was also the Alpha's fiancée, and as long as I was in this pack, she was my superior.
Going to the palace was terrifying, but the one reprieve I had was that I wouldn't have to see Alisa for two weeks.
I couldn't fucking wait.
****************************
The next three days passed in a blur.
I went about my work as usual, trying to keep my head low and ignore the whispers that were going round the pack.
Someone had taken it upon themselves to spread the details of the King's agreement and with it came a truckload of attention that unsettled me.
Most of the pack considered it a betrayal. After all, everyone knew that Henry and the King didn't get along. No one could understand why I'd choose the King over our Alpha despite the fact that said Alpha had embarrassed me merely a few days ago.
The soldiers arrived sometime around noon, and with it came a wave of relief.
I was nervous about leaving, but I was also excited about getting away from here. Rowan was a mystery to me, and I'd always loved a good mystery novel.
I went with the team that welcomed them.
Each warrior was a force to be reckoned with. They were all tall and built like mountains. There were only twenty of them, but even I could tell that twenty of them would do a lot of damage.
"King Rowan sends his regards," one of the men said.
He seemed to be the leader of the twenty because they parted ways for him and bowed as he passed.
"We expected an army, not a handful of boy scouts," Henry drawled as the men approached. "Tell your king that he didn't meet up to his end of the bargain."
His jaw ticked. "If you have any issues with the alliance, then you will have to take it up with the king himself. I do as I am told. We had a long journey, we would like to retire now."
Henry huffed but said nothing.
"Which of you is returning back? Perhaps I can talk to the King when we arrive at the palace."
The soldier turned to me, brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand."
The weight of his stare unsettled me, and coupled with Henry's, it almost made me swallow my words.
"I'm supposed to return back to the palace with you," I explained. "Rowan said-"
"I don't know what your arrangement with the King was, but I was not informed of any return to the palace. Our instructions were to stay here."
Behind me, Alisa snickered.
Shame descended on me like a weighted blanket. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would come out.
It was just as she'd said, he'd changed his mind.
At ;east he kept to his deal regarding the assistance.
"I must be mistaken," I mumbled, taking a step back. "My apologies."
I turned on my heels, rushing out of that clearing as fast as I could before the embarrassment could swallow me whole.
I brushed past Alisa when I heard her speak, her voice as clear as day.
"Two rejections in one week. It must be some kind of record."