Chapter 7 The Ambush

[Boaz]

The atmosphere as the people ushered us away was inversely proportional to our arrival. They were terrified of seeing me come in with my best confidants and warriors. Their concern was well-founded because I was ready for battle.

Celyn's mysterious death made me distrust them. King Connor and his wife could have pretended to mourn her because the Queen Mother died on the same day. Therefore, I had the right to question the whereabouts of my fiancée.

I didn't care about the king's promise of my future position to replace him in ruling this country with his daughter. My pack escaping the curse was my ultimate priority. Marrying Celyn meant I got an extra army to finish that condemned witch.

'You have checked the perimeter thoroughly, right?' I asked Gale.

'Everything is secure. The area near our pack is also under heavy guard,' he replied.

I trusted all my men, especially Gale, my deputy. Therefore, I was surprised that when the gates opened, a dozen Rogues came out of the bushes and approached us. So, they didn't attack us near the palace but waited for us there.

'Alpha, stay in the car with Princess Crystal. Let us take care of them,' Gale said through the mind link.

'It would be faster if I helped,' I argued. I tugged on Crystal's hand to follow me. "We need to get out of the car. This vehicle will only limit my movement."

"You should have accepted my father's offer to have royal warriors escort us on our journey." She refused to get behind my body when I wanted to protect her. "I'm not that weak."

"Celyn was stronger than you physically but died at their hands. Do you think your martial arts skills can save your life?" I challenged her.

She pressed her lips together, having nothing to argue about. I watched as Gale and Harris came forward to face our attackers. Strange. They weren't scared to see me standing before them like the other Rogues were.

The gatekeepers stayed at their posts. My guards and I could deal with the troublemakers. There weren't many of them. So, I forbade anyone from bothering the people behind the gate to help us.

Gale and Harris faced two Rogues each, my guards against the rest, but a few escaped and approached me. Their attacks were fast, measured, and powerful. These were no ordinary Rogues. Three Rogues attacked me at once with a highly practiced strategy.

However, they weren't my equal opponents. I knocked them down one at a time, though not as fast as I would have liked. Crystal was behind me, so I had to be careful when swinging my fists. I focused on their hearts and necks for a quick death.

'Boaz, take the princess to safety. We can handle them,' Gale pleaded.

Seeing that they had the situation under control and no more enemies were coming, I complied. 'Leave one or two. I want to know who sent them and why,' I ordered.

'Roger that,' he replied.

"Come on, get in." I opened the door beside the driver and helped Crystal into the car.

I hurried around the vehicle and sat behind the steering wheel. It wasn't the welcome I'd envisioned, but we were safe. That was the most important thing. After we passed through the entrance gate, the guards closed it again.

We traveled through a dense forest filled with trees. Arriving at the settlement, we saw rows of houses and buildings with many trees and plants for shade. People stood on the side of the road, staring at the car curiously. They must be impatient to see Crystal.

"Welcome back, Alpha!" My people cheered when I got out of the car.

"Was everything safe during my absence?" I asked.

"Everything is safe and fine, Alpha," they replied.

I circled the car and opened the door for Crystal. My people simultaneously bowed their bodies. "May the Moon Goddess always protect you, Your Royal Highness."

"May the Moon Goddess always protect you," Crystal replied. "Thank you for welcoming me. My name is Crystal Dachbourn. We may have met, but you didn't recognize me in my disguise. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Disguise? "Lunch has been prepared at the town square. We'd better get there now," I invited.

I extended my arm to Crystal. She hooked her hand in the crook of my arm. We walked first, and my people followed us. The town square was right in the heart of the city. So, we walked for quite a while.

I showed her the places we passed by. She nodded slowly and listened to me intently. It seemed she liked new information. She was very different from her sister, who wasn't interested in details like the origin of places.

"What about your people at the gate?" she asked worriedly. "Shouldn't we wait for them to eat together?"

I was surprised she said that. A king's daughter, no, a crown princess, thinking of lowly people like my people was rare. Was she for real, or was she pretending? Celyn wasn't being considerate to anyone.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" The frown on her forehead deepened. She turned her head towards the entrance of the hall. "Are your people hurt?"

"They're not. They're fine," I replied, still incredulous.

"Thank goodness." She sighed in relief. "Then, let's wait for them to join us."

I complied by asking the head waiter to delay bringing out the food. I asked the host to make a short speech while waiting for Gale and his companions. My fiancée's wish was a command.

The servants served appetizers after Gale and his entourage arrived. He and Harris looked at me in confusion, but I only nodded, telling them to quickly sit down. Lunch began, and everyone chatted with those nearby.

Crystal excused herself after the event, and my people escorted us away with happy faces. I took her hand and headed for the packhouse. My living quarters weren't as big as her palace, but the four-story house served the same function.

The ground floor was a place for socializing. Everyone could enter, and there were no strict guards. It also had rooms for the servants who took care of the house and met the needs of the residents.

The first floor was accessible to anyone as it contained my pack's main library and the administrative offices for me and my colleagues. The second floor contained rooms for my coworkers and their families. The third floor was exclusively for me and my family.

"What a beautiful house," Crystal complimented. "I can't wait to see my room."

"Are you serious about having your own room?" I asked. We stopped in front of her bedroom door.

"Good afternoon, Alpha Boaz. See you at dinner." She glanced at the door, so I complied by opening it.

"See you," I said reluctantly.

Crystal leaned closer and kissed my cheek. "Thank you for protecting me from those attackers." She entered the room and closed the door before I could respond.

I felt my face heat up, and my heart beat happily. Orion wasn't helping with his childish behavior. I could imagine him happily jumping in circles with his tail wagging.

'Stop. We have more important things to do,' I stated.

'Why don't we stay with her until the wedding day? Let Gale and Harris take care of the pack. We deserve to relax before the wedding,' Orion protested.

'We are the leader, Orion. Sacrificing our free time is the price we must pay. Everyone else sacrificed a lot for the pack,' I argued.

'Why don't we take Crystal with us?' he complained.

'Because she's not part of our pack yet. After the wedding, she will give her time to take care of the pack with us,' I explained.

Gale and Harris avoided my gaze when I arrived at the dungeon. They had defeated all the attackers but left two alive for us to interrogate. I wanted to know the results firsthand.

"What's going on?" I asked suspiciously.

Gale and Harris elbowed each other. Harris sighed softly and glanced at the cell near us. "You're not going to like hearing this news."