They both knew that was a lie. She had lost a lot of blood, fought rogues, and had been unconscious for hours. Still, Thornak chose not to challenge her.
"Good." His gaze remained on her. "I need you to answer me honestly."
Lara swallowed and nodded. Thornak noticed how rigid her posture was, and how tightly she was clutching the blanket.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said.
"I know," she whispered, though she wasn't sure she truly did. She didn't like how she was feeling in his presence.
"What is your name?"
"Lara."
"And where do you come from?"
She hesitated. "A small village."
"What village?"
"A village south of Pine Ridge."
The moment the words left her lips, something changed in his expression. Caspian's golden eyes narrowed.
"Pine Ridge?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."
He was silent for several seconds. Pine Ridge is a small farming village. His mother's words replayed in his mind.
"You will reject her."
"What were you doing in the forest alone?" he asked.
Lara lowered her gaze. "I was running."
"From what?"
Lara swallowed hard.
"My village was attacked. Some rogues came in the night. They… they were taking young girls."
His expression darkened instantly.
"My father told me to run. He bought me time. I didn't want to leave my brother, or my mother, but he insisted." Her voice cracked a little. "I thought I got away. But they followed me."
Then, he asked the question that had been bothering him since he found her.
"What happened to your wolf?"
Lara froze. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked away. "I don't..."
The word caught in her throat. She twisted the blanket in her hands. Shame burned inside her chest. For as long as she could remember, she had dreaded this conversation, the pity, the judgment, the disappointment.
Taking a shaky breath, she forced herself to meet his gaze.
"I don't have a wolf."
Silence filled the room. Lara immediately looked down, unable to bear whatever reaction might be on his face. She waited for the disgust, the ridicule, the same reactions she had received her entire life, which had caused them to live in a human village.
Instead, Thornak asked, "Where did you learn to fight so well?"
Lara blinked. Her head snapped up.
"What?" she choked out.
"You killed several of the rogues before I arrived."
For a moment, she could only stare at him surprised. He wasn't looking at her with pity or contempt. If anything, he looked... impressed.
"My aunt taught me," she said quietly. "Before she died."
Thornak studied her. Then, he shook his head, looking confused.
"You fight better than some of my men in their Lycan forms," he said. "And you expect me to believe all of that came from your aunt?"
Lara stiffened. "It's the truth Your Majesty. Everyone in my village knows that."
Thornak frowned slightly. A wolfless girl doesn't possess this much strength. There must be more to this girl than she was letting on.
She was beautiful, there was no denying it. Her blue eyes and golden curly hair, he had never seen anyone with such beauty. It made him want to take her in his arms and...
"Thank you for saving my life." She said cutting through his thoughts.
He nodded.
"I … I need to find my family." she asked.
He blinked. "You want to leave?"
Lara hesitated. "My family… if they're still out there, they'll be looking for me."
"You're still healing. But when you're stronger, yes. Until then, I'll send my guards. If your family can be found, they will be brought to see you."
Her eyes widened. "You would do that?"
He gave a single but firm nod. "I didn't leave you to die in that forest. I'm not leaving you now."
Her heart stuttered and the room felt warmer all of a sudden.
"Thank you," she said, her voice small but sincere.
He gave the faintest nod. Without another word, he turned and left, closing the door gently behind him.
But as he walked down the dark corridor, his thoughts refused to settle.
A wolfless mate.
Will the kingdom accept a wolfless queen?
"She says rogues attacked her village," Thornak announced when he arrived in his war room. "Pine Ridge. It's a human territory far from our patrol routes."
Kael frowned. "What would rogues be doing out there?"
"According to her, they were taking girls. Oh, and she's wolfless."
Kael raised a brow. "So you're saying the woman your wolf has claimed… has no wolf? Do we believe her?"
"We verify her story," Thornak said firmly. "Send scouts to Pine Ridge. Discreetly. I want confirmation on the attack and her family's survival. She's clearly been trained. She held her ground longer than most would."
Kael gave a short nod. "And the rogues?"
"Track them. If they're operating in that region, we need to know how close they've gotten to our borders, and who's giving them orders. I have a feeling this is connected to the recent attacks on our boarders."
As if on cue, there was a knock and Dain entered. "They've been sighted again near the Frostmere border. Same formation. Same scent. Another patrol has gone missing, That makes three this week."
"We move now!" Thornak growled.
....
The next day, in the King's chambers.
She had been standing by the tall window for what felt like hours, staring out at the palace grounds below.
Everything had changed so quickly.
Only yesterday, she had been running for her life through a storm. Now she was safely in the lycan castle.
The thought still felt unreal.
A soft knock at the door made her jump.
"May I come in?" a gentle voice called from the other side.
Before Lara could answer, the door opened and an older woman stepped inside carrying a tray of food.