Chapter 2 #2
He walked off to see what Jason wanted, and I stood still, facing the forest, grinning. Behind me, in the house, my mother stood in the window watching the scene below.
“Are you excited?” Jason asked the next day as he followed me around, almost tripping over my ankles as he watched me pack. “Do you think you’ll see the whole royal family? All their servants? Do you think you’ll get to go to the events—”
“Jason!” I yelled, whipping around. “Calm yourself! You’re distracting me, and I need to make sure I have everything for the trip.”
I turned, sorting through all my clothes to try and find anything remotely appropriate for my foray to the Kingdom.
“Do you think you’ll get to spend time with the other princesses? I heard the Dagger Pack—” Jason’s voice droned on, and I found myself staring down at my hands. I most definitely would be spending time among the other princesses, and that thought made me nervous.
Our pack, the Autumn Pack, lived at the northern most edge of the country. Our winters were the hardest and our pack the hardiest. Surrounding us were the Crow Pack to the southeast, the Mead Pack directly to the south, and Sturgeon Pack to the southwest, bordering the ocean.
In almost the exact middle of all twelve packs was the thirteenth: Alpha Pack—their Alpha, currently King Gabriel, ruled all the packs and resided in the Kingdom.
For the most part, each pack kept to their territory. But the alphas and betas traveled at their ease. With them came the rumors.
The Blue Pack, which Jason was obsessed with, was known for being particularly violent. They were a strong contender for the Alpha Mate with two previous princesses winning the title during the Hunts.
They also fought regularly with the territories nearby.
King Gabriel managed to keep a strong grip on the Blue Pack, reining them in whenever they got too violent toward the other packs.
As poorly as he handled commitment and settling down, the King was known for having a strong hand and being somewhat ruthless.
“And the Yule Pack,” Jason sighed dreamily, dropping onto my bed. I snorted, shoving him so that he fell over and giggled.
The Yule pack were known for their beauty.
“Promise you’ll tell me about their princess,” Jason said, sitting up again.
“I’m not sure I’m going to have time to describe her to you,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
“I wish I was going with you, Val! It’s not just the Hunt—I’ve heard about some of the shops there. How advanced their machinery is. And the schools! I would love to get my hands on some of the new parts they’re inventing there. It would make things so much easier here!”
I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach.
Jason would never attend any of the schools.
He had gone through the public system, learning with all the other children, but there’d be no chance of him attending the career schools.
Which he would need if he wanted to pursue a career in machinery.
Jason continued to chatter away, and although I acted annoyed, I was happy to be spending time with him before the Hunt.
After all, I’d be gone for weeks—over a month of keeping Sophia well put together and prepared for every single event, whether it was meant to showcase her poise or her strength.
I’d be up day and night putting together outfits, brushing Sophia’s hair, training.
It would be exhausting, intense, and thrilling.
“Can you sneak me away with you?” Jason asked, grinning as he pretended to climb into my bag.
I tackled him all of a sudden, knocking us both sideways.
“I would take you with me if I could,” I said, voice muffled in my comforter. Jason hugged me back tightly.
“I promise I’ll try to bring some trinkets back for you, okay?” I said, sitting up again.
Our mother, Eve Pratt, walked into the room purposefully.
“You’ll need to pack these as well,” she said, holding out a stack of clothing.
I straightened up quickly, eyes wide.
The cloth was finer than anything I’d had before, and the colors were beautiful. I reached out a hand, but was afraid to touch them, aware that my hands were often dirty.
Mom gestured with the clothes impatiently and I took them, fingering the cloth.
“Mom, how did you—?” I began, and she interrupted me, sitting down between her children and sighing.
“I had some money saved up. But with Sophia’s commission, it should more than make up for these. And you’ll need them if you’re going to be trailing around after her at the Hunt.”
I wasn’t a crier, but once again I felt my eyes watering anyway. I got my strength from my mother, and it was hard for both of us to show our emotions sometimes. But Mom was great at showing she cared through her actions, and this was more than I could have hoped for.
I leaned over and hugged my mother, laughing when Jason jumped into the emotional moment as well, almost tipping us all over.
Only two more days and I would be leaving this house for the longest period of time I’d ever left.