Chapter 2

Taelin-

“The last name I am about to call, I want you all to know, that I have watched this one very closely. I am not choosing them because of who their family is, but because they were the best in the class. This person trained harder than everyone and I think will one day become even better than me. Despite all the factors against them, they have achieved something I haven’t seen in many years.” The Alpha spoke.

The way he was dragging this out made my head hurt. The fact that he mentioned a family connection just proves that he is about to call out Seth’s name. I think the Alpha King may be full of shit though. I admit Seth is good, but he is also lazy when it comes to training.

“I didn’t think my uncle saw me like that.” I heard Seth whisper, sounding just a bit smug.

“Taelin Reyes.” The Alpha spoke.

This has to be a dream. There is no way I just heard what I heard. It was my name the Alpha King called, yet I couldn’t bring my feet to move. I just stared at him with wide eyes.

“This has got to be a joke.” I heard Seth say. “I should be standing up there.”

“You can reapply in six months.” The Alpha King said, his gaze moving past me.

“You know I am better than everyone here.” Seth said, moving forward until he was standing directly in front of the Alpha King.

“Do you really want to do this now Seth?” The Alpha King asked, his voice low, but I could still hear him.

“Fuck yes, I want to do this now. How could you pick a girl over your nephew?” Seth nearly screamed at the Alpha.

“Just because you are my nephew doesn’t give you an automatic entry to the Royal Guard. You must deserve it. You are good, but she is better. Maybe if you weren’t so hot-headed, you would see where you can improve. If I took you on, you would only get yourself killed, or worse, get others killed.” The Alpha said.

I still couldn’t believe I heard him right when he called my name. Before he called my name he gave this speech, and now that I think about it, it made sense. I did have a lot of factors against me. I also trained harder than anyone here. I had to.

“You said, my family.” I finally spoke up, completely ignoring Seth.

“Your father was a great warrior, he talked about you a lot. I knew you would eventually show up. He told me that you wanted to become a warrior. I can tell that he trained you well. I recognized some of the moves you made in your matches against the others.” The Alpha King spoke while grabbing the folder from the table and walking toward me.

“You remember my father?” I asked, a bit surprised by his statement.

“I remember all of my warriors.” He said, just as he came to stand directly in front of me.

Unable to respond, I just stared at the folder he was holding out to me. I was sure that I was in shock, considering that I just stood there like an idiot, unable to move or speak.

“Don’t look so surprised.” The Alpha laughed. “You have more than deserved this.”

“I…” I began but paused as I cleared my throat. “I honestly didn’t think I would get approved. There has never been a female warrior before.”

“It isn’t because they aren’t allowed. They just don’t normally make it through training. You did.” He spoke, still holding the folder that I had yet to take.

Finding the ability to move, I reached out to take the folder. It felt heavy in my hand, so I grabbed it with both, afraid I was going to drop it. I still couldn’t believe this was happening. I was now officially a warrior for the Royal Guard.

“You will regret this!” Seth yelled as he stormed out of the room.

I wasn’t sure who he had been talking to, but at the moment, it didn’t seem important. The Alpha King moved back to the front of the room, while I went to stand with the others. Every one of them patted my back and gave me a smile, which surprised me.

“You are all dismissed, I hope to see all your faces again in six months. Safe travels on your way home.” The Alpha King spoke to the others in the room, which hadn’t been chosen.

Looking down at my folder, I saw it had my name on it. Tears blurred my vision, but I quickly blinked them away so the others wouldn’t see. This just seemed surreal. After all this time, I was exactly where I believed I was meant to be. All my arduous work had paid off.

“Inside your folders, you will find your new credentials, along with all the paperwork we have on you and your progress here. You are to keep all of that with you, it is for your records. The assignment I have given each of you is also in your folder. You will have two weeks to prepare, visit your families or do whatever you need to do. All of you will receive a bag filled with the gear you are required to have, as well as instructions. Before you leave, you are to come to see me so I can officially accept you into the Royal Guard with a blood oath. Any questions?” The Alpha king spoke.

“No.” We all said together.

“You are dismissed.” The Alpha King said, stepping to the side so we could pass.

While everyone left, I stayed behind. Technically I was already ready to leave. I packed the moment I woke up since I knew that one way or another I was going home. I had already arranged a flight to fly me back home, as well as rented a car to get me back home. Since I hadn’t heard from Theo in a few months, I figured I could just surprise everyone.

“Did you need something?” The Alpha King asked.

“Well, I am already ready to leave, so I was planning to head out right away. Is it possible to do the blood oath now?” I asked.

“We can do it now.” The Alpha King said, pulling the folder out of my hands and placing it back on the table.

“I, Alpha King Atlas Lars, accept Taelin Reyes as my warrior. Do you, Taelin, agree to uphold your duties as a warrior within the Royal Guard and put your duties above all else? Do you agree to protect those who need protection and to answer to me? Do you understand that by giving me your oath, you will be tied to me through your blood, and I will be able to locate you and communicate with you through a blood bond?” The Alpha King spoke.

I hesitated, unsure how I was supposed to respond. Was I going to sever my pack link by accepting this? It wasn’t that I minded, but I felt the weight of guilt slam into me as I thought about my mother and Theo. What would they think if they found out I was no longer a member of the pack?

“Why do you hesitate?” The Alpha King asked when I didn’t respond.

“Does this mean I will no longer be a part of my pack?” I asked.

“No. You will still be tied to your pack. Your link with them will remain. As the Alpha King, I am tied to all packs. This just makes it so we can communicate through a link that is similar to a pack link. The only difference is, that there will not be any limit on how far you are to be able to connect with me. Whereas with a pack link, you are limited to connecting with them only if you are within a certain distance from them.” The Alpha King explained.

“Okay. Then, I agree and accept.” I said, holding out my hand.

“You must state your name and give your oath.” The Alpha King said.

“I, Taelin Reyes, agree to uphold my duties as a warrior of the Royal Guard and put my duties above all else. I agree to protect those that need my protection and answer to you as my Alpha King. By giving you my blood, I understand I will be tied to you through a blood bond. I give you my oath that I will honor and abide by what is asked of me as your warrior.” I stated, hoping I spoke the words correctly.

Taking my hand, the Alpha King extended a claw from his index finger, slicing it across the palm of my hand, before doing the same to his hand. Using the hand, he sliced open, he placed his hand in mine. The moment our blood mixed, I felt a surge that reminded me of an electrical current, fill my head.

“Thank you for your sacrifice.” I heard the Alpha King’s voice in my head.

Before I could say anything, he removed his hand from mine. He left the room, while I stood there in utter shock. It was now officially official, I was a member of the Royal Guard. Smiling, I picked up the folder and left the room to go gather my things.

Once I retrieved my stuff, along with the bag that the Alpha said we would receive, I made my way to the airport. Excitement filled me as I thought about what kind of mission I was being sent on. Part of me wanted to look in the folder, but I wanted to wait until I got home.

As much as I wanted to start this new journey, I wanted to get back home so I could see Theo and my mother. I know my mother was upset with me, but I hope that enough time has passed for her to be proud of me. I also missed Theo more than I thought I would.

On the flight back to my hometown, I kept staring at the folder. How much has changed over the past two years? In the two years, I was training to become a warrior, we were all prepped for what to expect, but none of us knew for sure. Would I be able to make a difference on this mission?

Doubt started to fill me once the plane landed. Was I getting in over my head by doing this? During our training, we were sent out on group missions to help other packs and help defend against the ones that had been exposed to the parasite. That was different though, this time I was going to be going in on my own.

Leaving the airport, I tried to push away my doubt. I was about to see my mother and Theo, along with the rest of the pack. Who knew when the next time I would be able to return home. I only had two weeks, I was going to do everything I could to enjoy my time and not worry about the mission that I hadn’t even looked at.

As I made my way home, a sense of dread filled me the closer I got. What has changed since I left? Did Theo find someone else? I wanted him to be happy, so that wasn’t the issue, even though I wanted to be with him. Perhaps more now, than before.

Yet it has been about four months since I have heard from him. The letters I have sent have gone unanswered, but I figured he was just busy. It wasn’t that I was worried about them. The wall we built had held out the parasite for years, yet I couldn’t shake this feeling of dread as I got closer.

Maybe it wasn’t dread, but merely my mind trying to put a name to this feeling I was having. It could very well just be nerves. I was possibly worrying over nothing.