Chapter 12 A bargain.

Piper

When I started to get a bad feeing about Leighton not returning I went to look for him, arriving just in time to watch the princess save him.

Racing back to the truck I thought we had made it out on time until we got smashed. I didn’t know how to help so I offered to go get help. Whoever was after us could be right in our tails.

I pushed my wolf faster than she had ever run before. I needed to get to Thea, I could tell from Leighton’s face he knew the princess was in a bad way.

Flying into Eclipse, Thea understood exactly what I needed when she saw the state I arrived in but she waited for Luke before setting of with me. I was grateful for the second to catch my breath but I knew we didn’t have much time.

I didn’t want anything to happen to the princess, my initial dislike of her had vanished when she started helping me. I have felt her power flow into me and it felt good. My wolf had been so happy we had managed to actually do something it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. I wanted to save her.

She wanted to help the girls too, she could have just turned a blind eye. It was strange to be in awe of someone who was so much younger but she just had something about her. It was a little bit like Iris did but on a much more obvious scale because she was a princess.

All these thoughts flew from my mind when I burst open the door, because I wasn’t expecting the burning jealousy I felt when I saw her cradled in Leighton’s arms. He clutched her tighter to his chest as we rushed into the cabin before he registered who it was an tried to move out of the way for Thea.

“No don’t move her.” Thea instructed. “You are keeping her calm. She’s lost a lot of blood, even once I heal her she won’t be able to walk home.”

Luke nodded and I could tell he was linking someone.

“Station some warriors around, we might be found at any time.” Leighton told him not moving an inch from her side, Leighton the wolf that would never stay the night, never held me after s** other than the briefest of cuddles, was still holding her tightly.

I quickly left the cabin, seeking solace in the crisp night air. It was just another sucker punch to the gut. First Kate, tricking us into coming, I didn’t quite get her agenda as she did help me get out but why did she want us there in the first place.

Then witnessing Leighton with the Princess. I knew I shouldn’t be jealous, he was my very best friend and he had made it clear that he didn’t want a chosen mate. But he hadn’t seemed a vested in his actual mate.

I had prayed to the moon goddess that she graced me with a pup from that night at the witches coven when he made me his own. The pleasure I had felt could only have been improved by him leaving something of his behind.

Alas, she hadn’t seen it fit to do so and he made sure to never risk it again, even when I tried to lure him spontaneously. I had been settled quite happily for what we had, until the princess came along. She showed me that my powers were accessible and if I could master them then maybe he would want me truly, and not hide behind the excuse of waiting for my mate.

I waited outside, not wanting to watch him watching her until a car arrived. Leighton brought her out once it was established it was safe. To my surprise I could see she was awake, if a little paler.

Luke and Thea rode in the car with her as Leighton and I ran back in wolf form to find a firing squad waiting for us.

Leighton

“Office now.” Boomed Luke, despite Thea frantically tugging on his arm.

“What were you to playing at, taking the princess. Do you have any idea what would have happened if anything happened to her? Are you trying to start a war that gets Greer killed?”

I immediately felt shame that I would let Greer down like that. I was saved from answering him by the princess barging into his office.

“Apologies Alpha Luke, they did try to stop me going but I’m afraid I can be rather insistent. But as you can see no harm done so let’s not be too hard on them as we work out how we go about rescuing the witches.”

Luke stood and stared at her, like he couldn’t believe the half dead princess I held in my arms was now bossing him about.

“Elle.” The other princess threw herself at her. “ I was so worried about you, what would I have told the Prince ?”

The prince ? I watched as Estelle clearly filled princess Isabelle in with what she had found. I didn’t like the look of sadness that crossed her face.

“Does someone want to tell me what is so important I had to turn around when I was finally going back to my mate.” Jackson’s voice boomed, shaking the very room as it did when he was angry.

Luke took it upon himself to summarise.

“Leighton and Piper here took it upon themselves to take the princess on a recon mission that failed dramatically, nearly killed the princess who is now harping on about saving some witches.”

“No.” Jackson said simply.

“No?” The princess pulled herself up to her full height which while she was not short was still dwarfed by the alpha wolves in the room.

“You are here to train and then return, in the exact condition you arrived in time for your engagement party. The King was very clear.”

Engagement party, she kept that quiet.

“I’m afraid plans change, alpha Jackson. I don’t need your help to rescue the witches but it would make it a lot easier.”

“I’ll send you home.”

She actually laughed in his face. “Try it.”

I could feel his anger at her defiance and I had to resist the urge to step in front of her.

“You are a wise wolf. My father sent me here for a reason, help me free the witches and I’ll tell you what he wants?”

“Why should I trust you?” He asked, clearly a little intrigued as he didn’t shut her down.

“Because you do. Which of us has more to lose out of this arrangement ?”

She possibly had a point.

“Why are these witches so important?” He asked her, his tone slightly lower making me think he was considering her offer.

“Doesn’t everyone deserve your help?” She fired back defensively. There was something she didn’t want to tell him.

“I won’t help unless I know why.”

The princess remained silent.

“Tell them about Lucia.”

Both princesses looked at me in shock,

“How did you know that name?”

“You might have mentioned it as you passed out.” I said sheepishly, feeling bad at the hurt in her eyes.

“She was her sister.”

“Izzy!” The princess said in a warning tone.

“If you want their help you need to tell them the truth. It wasn’t your fault Elle.” She went to the princess’s side.

“Despite what the history books say, Estelle wasn’t the only daughter of the King and Queen. She had a younger sister called Lucia, but one night there was an accident and Lucia died.” Isabelle started to tell us.

“It wasn’t an accident it was my fault.” The princess insisted. Wringing her hands together she paced up and down the floor.

“It was my 12th birthday and I snuck downstairs for some milk, I overheard my parents arguing, my mum was crying, begging someone not to take me away. My father told her that if she wanted to keep one of us then she had to let me go with them. I was scared, I didn’t want to leave so I ran upstairs to run away. I didn’t know what I was thinking but I thought if I ran away then mother could change his mind and I could come back.”

She turned so she was staring at the wall now.

“Lucia had snuck into my bed and woke up as I was quickly packing. I said goodbye but that I would be back soon but she begged me to take her with me. I thought I had got her back to sleep and I snuck out the window.”

Her voice broke. “I didn’t know she had followed until I heard a frightened shout of my name. She had slipped and couldn’t hold on. I tried to go back and help her but I watched her fall before I could get there. My screaming alerted everyone but by the time they found her she was already gone. My mother was never the same after that, and if I hadn’t tried to run away in the first place then Lucia would still be here.”

She cleared throat and turned towards us. “So I have to help that witch, and you can help me or watch me but either way I’m going.”