Chapter 4 : Protecting the Princess

*Wren*

All I could see was red. My thoughts were racing uncontrollably through my mind. How could this have happened to her? Who would do such a vile thing? I felt protective and disgusted. But also, if I were being honest with myself, a tad embarrassed.

I could’ve handled that introduction better. Done it properly. It’s hard to come back from a bad first impression, especially with all the horrible rumors of my kingdom and of me. Goddess only knows what she thinks of me.

I burst through the heavy wooden doors of my study as if they were made of paper. I hadn’t realized that my beta, Asher, was hot on my heels ‘til the whack of the door swung back and hit against his forearm. I turned to look at him and offered a halfhearted apologetic look.

“Sir, sir, let’s remain calm!” he pleaded between sharp breaths. He stood bent over with one hand on his knee and the other against the open door. His cheeks were flushed.

I waved my hand dismissively as I began to pace in small angry circles following the design of the rug that lay in front of my messy desk.

“I would hate–” he paused as he stood upright. “Just don’t make any decisions you’d regret later on.”

I sighed as I leaned on the top of my desk. I squeezed the bridge of my nose. “She looks like hell.”

Asher curled his lips to form a small knowing smile of agreement. “It’s only been a week, sir.”

I sighed once more. “I know, Asher. But I had our best healers work tirelessly to help her. Hell, I even called on the witches.”

“Fuck witches,” Asher said under his breath with a shudder.

I nodded my head in agreement. “I know, I’d rather cut off my right arm than be indebted to a witch.” It was never an easy debt to pay off, witches are a tricky lot. It was best to keep them at arm’s length. “I was desperate. She was going to die.”

“Then,” Asher sighed as he patted his hand once against the side of his thighs, “it was worth it.” His tone was cautious but optimistic.

I shot him an annoyed look and he quickly held his hands up apologetically before he leaned against the wall and flashed me a wry grin.

I stood up and walked lazily to my chair. I rummaged through a couple of the papers on my desk, picked one up, and then quickly threw it down as I threw my head back against the back of the chair.

Rarely do I ever grapple with what I should do but in this situation, I was completely lost. I wanted to let my guard off and be myself around her but I saw her face. The way her jaw dropped at the sight of me.

I know the rumors. Maybe I should just play the part of the monster of her nightmares. Isn’t that what I was? That was what she was told and I could tell she believed it.

“Got a lot on your mind?” Asher asked playfully.

I shot him my harshest glare. He laughed as he shook his head. I wanted to punch him but instead, I cleared my throat and sat up. I picked up another letter from my desk and asked, “Any word from Saunder?”

Asher cleared his throat as he straightened his stance. The time of friendly banter was over, it was now time for business. “No sir, no new intel from Emerald Mountain since we received word about the princess's banishment.”

I took a sharp inhale and nodded my head. Asher relaxed his stance and dropped the formality. “I’ll never understand it. Doing all of that, sending warriors and scouts after her like she’s a threat or something. She’s tiny! I could hold her in both of my hands,” he exclaimed as he mimicked carrying her like a feather in his cupped hands. “Because some asshole rejects her? That’s crazy!” he said as he shook his head in disbelief.

I leaned forward placing my elbows on my desk. I gripped my hands together as hard as I could so that my knuckles were quickly turning red. My stomach was in knots of disgust.

The Wormwood pack was too lowly of a pack to ever make it on my radar but under the leadership of the new Alpha, Caine Hightower, they had my full attention.

“Let me know when Saunder returns from Sunfall Coast. I’ve received intel from his men that there are rumors of a war brewing.”

I tried to distract myself from my overwhelming thoughts of Amaya, her banishment, that asshole Caine, and the curve of her smooth leg propped up on the pillow and the way it led to the curve of her hips. The way that leg could wrap around my waist as I gripped my hands on those hips…

“I wouldn’t be too worried about that,” Asher said jokingly, snapping me out of my train of thought.

“What?” I said confusedly.

I hadn’t heard a word he had said but he didn’t notice. He continued, “I’d be more worried about your cousin being left alone with the princess.”

“Huh?” Shit, he was right. I loved Jessa as much as anyone could love a cousin but damn, did she have a mouth on her and a deep lack of respect. She did as she pleased without ever listening to anyone which could be so great but also the absolute worst.

“Just say the word and I’ll put a muzzle on her. I’ve been waiting to do it for years, I’d be happy to take care of it now.” I shook my head knowingly.

“You’re both dicks,” a familiar voice interjected from the open door. “I hate you both,” Jessa sarcastically said as she brushed against Asher and flopped down onto the oversized couch beside the unlit fireplace. And with the grace only she possessed, she elegantly flipped Asher off with her long middle finger.

Asher laughed to himself as his face turned bright red. He hung his head as he began to apologize but Jessa cut him off. “Amaya is asleep.”

“Good, good,” I replied, my mind still too distracted to hold a conversation.

As if Jessa could read my troubled thoughts, she sat up and leaned in my direction. “She looks worse than she actually is. She’s healing exactly how the healers and those damn witches want her to and she’s healing faster than they expected.”

I let out a long breath of relief that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

“But,” she said before pausing. Jessa looked down toward her feet before she returned her gaze to mine. Her eyes were gentle and her tone was soft which was not typical for her. I could feel my lungs tightening, bracing for the worst.

“She’s terrified. There’s something amiss. She’s so meek and timid. She’ll barely say anything.”

“Well,” Asher began dismissively. We all knew the rumors, this was to be expected.

Jessa flashed him a dirty look before continuing. I could tell that Jessa was deeply troubled. “It’s more than that.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Jessa sighed defeatedly. “Wren,” she said softly. “It was so strange. Like, at the window, if I’d asked her to jump I know without a doubt that she would have. She’s just so, I don’t even know the word. Submissive? I don’t know,” she sighed as she leaned back onto the couch.

My study became silent as we all processed what Jessa was trying to say.

“There’s a fire in there, I could see it but I don’t think she realizes it yet. I don’t think anyone ever encouraged it within her,” Jessa finally said after a moment of contemplation.

I felt the rage building within me. This angered me more than anything else. For all the horrible things said about me and my kingdom, it was amazing to me how truly vile Emerald Mountain was but no one batted an eye at that.

No one said anything about how they treated their women as if they were nothing of value except to be breeders. No one had any issue with how they encouraged the women to barely eat to keep their small figures.

But they only encouraged that to keep them too weak to defend themselves or to even form a thought. And all of this was made worse the higher status a woman possessed. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Amaya had gone through as a princess.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. I began to fidget with my hands as I bashfully asked, “And the blob on her wrist?”

Jessa sucked her teeth sharply and shook her head. “The healers were unable to correct it. Even the witches were unable to. They said until her heart heals, there’s nothing they can do.”

“But you said she was healed,” Asher interjected.

Jessa rolled her eyes, “They meant emotionally, you dumbass.” She then waved her hand over her heart and mouthed the word “emotionally” at Asher as she gave him an annoyed look and tilted her head toward me.

Asher then nodded his head ever-so-slightly toward her when he finally realized what she was trying to say. I hate when they have unspoken conversations about me directly in front of my face.

“So,” Asher said slowly. “What’s the plan?”

They both turned their attention toward me but I didn’t say anything, my mind was drifting back down the hall to the woman asleep in my bed.

“Wren?” Jessa nudged as her eyes darted between Asher and me.

I shook my head as I returned to the present moment. “I’m sorry. What?”

Asher shifted his weight from the balls of his feet to his heels. He gave Jessa another knowing look to my annoyance. “Sir? Are we going to avenge the princess?” I could tell that Asher was trying very carefully to choose his words. There was so much more he wanted to say but I was grateful that he held himself back from doing so. “Or,” he continued cautiously, “are we going to, um, not do that?”

“Yeah,” Jessa chimed in eager for an answer. “Let’s do that, let’s avenge! I could go!” she said cheerfully as she began to wiggle her shoulders back and forth. “My training is almost done,” she sang playfully.

“No!” Both Asher and I said simultaneously in a stern protective tone.

“You’re not ready for that,” I continued. Jessa rolled her eyes and flopped back onto the couch. “Not yet, at least.”

“Not ever,” Asher said under his breath but Jessa heard and flipped him off once more. “Cute,” he replied sarcastically. “Such a lady.”

“Do you want me to show you what a lady can do?” Jessa spat. “Because I am more than happy to.”

Her body language quickly changed from lackadaisical to aggressive as she stood from the couch. Asher began to laugh as he playfully backed into the wall behind him much to Jessa’s annoyance. “Would you even know what ladies do? There are no ladies where you’re from.”

Fucking hell, Jessa! No one knew how to push Asher’s buttons quite like she did and how she loved to push them. I didn't have time for that now, though. There were much bigger issues at hand than this childish back and forth that’d been going on since Jessa arrived at my court when she was sixteen.

Asher was very sensitive about his background but, honestly, it was dumb. He should be proud of how hard he worked to move up as high as he had in station and in rank. He was my most loyal and trusted Beta, I never gave a fuck that he was from the slums.

“Enough!” I bellowed. They both froze in their tracks. “Do this later. Right now there’s too much going on.” They were both right, we needed a plan but before I could decide my next course I knew there was one other person who’s opinion mattered.

“I have to talk to Amaya before we do anything else,” I said as I walked out of the door.

I could hear them whispering insults at each other as I made my way back toward my bedroom. I paused once more in front of the door. I could hear Amaya’s deep sleepy breaths. What would I even say to her right now? She needed to sleep, I didn’t want to bother her with my frantic jumbled thoughts.

Asher was right, I did need to calm down. I dropped my hand from the doorknob and turned in the opposite direction. Things would be clearer in the morning, it would be better that way. I needed more time.