Chapter 5 Battle's End

*Varek*

I found her. I wasn't even looking for her yet, but here she is. I know this is the princess I've been looking for, despite the fact that she's dressed like a warrior. Her long auburn hair falls around her shoulders in soft waves, and her jade eyes glow with a passion that gives her an ethereal look. No doubt, this has to be Princess Fiona.

When she stands defiantly in front of me and asks that we have mercy on her people, I can't help but smirk. If her father had allowed me into the castle to discuss my demands, we wouldn't be in this situation at this moment, now would we? I wish I could ask her that, but since I can't mind-link with her, I'll have to remind her of it later.

I can mind-link with my own men, though. "Curtis," I say to one of my more trusted guards. "I found the princess. She's in the entryway of the castle. Bring Michael, and come and collect her so I can hunt down the king."

"Yes, Alpha," Curtis says immediately.

I continue to stand there, locking eyes with the princess as she keeps her chin held high, looking into my wolf eyes, but I know she's almost at her breaking point. All around us, her people are screaming and howling as they are ripped to shreds. It's got to be excruciating for her.

Maybe her father will finally learn his lesson about getting on my bad side.

It only takes a few moments for Curtis and Michael to arrive. They have silver cuffs with them, which they used to bind her wrists and ankles. The silver will prevent her from shifting. "Come with us," Curtis demands.

Fiona keeps her eyes locked on me until they haul her away. I turn and watch her go. It'll be so much fun breaking someone so defiant. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

But right now, there's a war going on, and that makes my mouth water, too. As soon as she's out of the castle, I continue on my way, searching for her father, the Alpha King of Solara. I can smell him, so it's not a problem finding him. Well, except for the narrowness of some of these hallways. For a wolf my size, navigating tight passages isn't easy.

I burst through the war room door to find Alpha King Alden standing there, all alone, his head lowered in defeat.

He doesn't look at me when he speaks. "I agree to your terms, Varek," he says, his voice a whisper. "You can have the territory you requested. Do you have my daughter already?"

Since I can't speak to him, I nod. He turns his head, then, to see my response, and his face falls. He presses a hand to his forehead, and tears fill his eyes.

"Please, don't harm her," he begs. "That's all I ask. I know what I did to your kingdom... wasn't right. I understand that now. I shouldn't have been so greedy." He takes a few steps toward me, and I let out a low growl to keep him back. He stops walking. "She's special. You'll see. She's a good soul. She'd make a good Luna Queen."

I snarl. That is not at all my intention for taking Fiona from him. He doesn't seem to realize that. No, my reasons are something else entirely, but he won't be privy to that information.

Using the mind-link, I call for Darco to bring in the treaty Alden refused to discuss with me yesterday. He will sign it now, or he will suffer the consequences. I have already signed it.

Darco rushes in with the paper and takes it to Alpha King Alden. "The longer it takes you to sign, the more of your pack mates will die. We will not call them off until the document is complete."

Alpha King Alden takes the pen Darco offers him and writes his name in a flourish where it is required. Then, he hands the pen back and says, "It is finished. Please, stop killing my people."

Through the mind-link, I say, "The battle is over. We have won. Bring out our dead and wounded, and let us return to Caldara."

Immediately, my warriors stop their attack. Every single one of them obeys me without question.

I continue to glare at Alden as he sinks down onto the ground, his arms wrapped around his knees, and openly weeps.

What a poor, pathetic excuse for a man.

With that, I turn and make my way back down the hallway. As I go, I begin to get reports from my commanders regarding our casualties. We attacked with six thousand of our best warriors. Of those six thousand, the first estimate is that we lost about fifty dead and one hundred more wounded. That's not too bad considering we took a position well-fortified by the enemy.

The halls and entryway paint a different picture for the Solarans. Everywhere I look, the ground is littered with bodies, rivers of blood flooding over the stone floor of the castle. Outside, the scene is the same. Bodies of wolves and human men lie everywhere. I do not see a single dead body of a woman or child though, which comes as no surprise. My warriors know where to draw the line. While it's possible some noblemen or male servants may've gotten stuck in the crosshairs and lost their lives, we fight respectfully whenever we can.

Once I'm past the gates, I head to my tent to shift and get dressed. The taste of blood lingers in my mouth from the four wolves I killed on my way into the castle. A pitcher of water sits on my table, next to a glass, but I don't rinse my mouth out. I savor the metallic taste of victory.

"Your Majesty, the princess is secure in a transport wagon," Curtis says as he walks into the tent. "Shall we be taking any other prisoners?"

"No, just her," I reply. "King Alden signed the treaty. We have everything that we wanted. We can gather the wounded and the casualties and head home."

"Yes, Sir." He makes the sign of respect, tapping his left shoulder with his right hand and then he disappears.

I wish that I could go look at the princess now. I wonder if she is still striking such a defiant pose, chains and seated in what equates to a prison wagon. Will she cry on the way out of her beloved Solara, or will she continue to try to keep a stiff upper lip? It's a pity I don't have the time to go and see. In my mind, I like to imagine her weeping the same way her father did, though I have a feeling it will take more than a mere kidnapping to break Princess Fiona.

But I will break her. Oh, yes. I will break her.