Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 136

**Nora POV

I was right.

Something was coming.

We received another letter from the high council the next night. Blake was hesitant about sharing it with me, but I’m glad that he did.

It read:

“Your Majesty, Alpha Blake,

We have yet to hear a response to our previous letter. We will take your silence as a refusal to comply with our orders. Unless you can prove to us within the month that your Luna has a wolf, we will be forced to remove her from her position ourselves. This is the final warning you will receive.

Sincerely, The High Council.”

Blake was so angry when he showed it to me that his hands were shaking.

I glared at the paper.“What do we do?”I asked.

Blake shook his head.“That’s up to you,”he said.“We can try the ritual again. It’s possible that it didn’t work because it was too rushed. Maybe you need to focus more.”

I turned my glare to Blake at that. I was

annoyed that he would imply I didn’t try hard enough after all of the planning and preparation that I did for the ritual. I crossed my arms.

“It’s just a suggestion,” he noted gently.“Whatever you decide to do, I’ll supportyou.”

I lowered my arms and sighed. He could be right. I did miss having my wolf. Even without the empty feeling that had haunted me for so long, I still felt off without her.

“Maybe,”I said uncertainly.“I hate thatthey’re trying to force this. I think that I’ve proven I can be an effective Luna without my wolf.”

“You absolutely have,” Blake replied firmly.“I should kill them for making you doubtyourself.”

He pulled me into his arms and k*ssed me. I wrapped my arms around him and held on tightly.

Every embrace felt more meaningful to me since the invasion. I had almost lost Blake.

His injuries had taken longer than expected to heal and for a while there, the healers weren’t certain if he would be able to make a full recovery. After fighting both Graham and his uncle, he had been terribly injured.

Even now, he walked with a slight limp, but no one dared to draw attention to it.

I didn’t think that the limp would be permanent. I was being very strict with him about following the healers orders. He could work in his office as long as he didn’t strain his leg, but I wouldn’t allow him to travel yet.

He joked that I was the acting Alpha, but I knew that he appreciated my concerns. I had the feeling that no one had really taken care of Blake when he was hurt before.

“We’ll deal with the council later,”I saidfirmly.“We should get something to eat.”

“Yes, ma’am,”Blake responded with a cheekygrin.

I rolled my eyes at him, but there was a smile pulling at my l*ps.

We went downstairs together and found that Vera had laid out a rich meal for us. She was just setting a steaming roast leg of lamb on the table when we entered and she smiled at us happily.

“Good, you’re on time for once,” she said.“I’d hate to let this go cold.”

“That would be criminal,” Blake stated.“Everything smells fantastic.”

“Thank you, sir,” Vera replied proudly.“Ihope you enjoy it.”

I sat at the table and Blake carved the meat and served up the food.

We were both more hungry than we realized

and we ate the food quickly. Blake got a second helping, which was rare for him lately. I took it as a sign that he was beginning to feel better.

After we finished eating, we went upstairs to get ready for bed. It was getting late and Blake needed to rest. I knew that he would sleep easier if I was within arms reach.

He had been having nightmares and if I wasn’t there when he woke up, he would panic.

We settled into bed together and Blake wrapped his arms around me. Within a matter of minutes, he was asleep and the steady rise and fall of his chest was lulling me into a doze.

Eventually, I found myself standing in a thick forest. The sunlight was streaming through the lush trees and dancing playfully on the mossy ground. It was beautiful.

It was familiar, although I couldn’t place it. I didn’t feel nervous about where I was. I didn’t feel lost or confused. I knew that I was waiting for someone and I was content to wait patiently.

There were flowers in bloom around me and I could smell their sweet scent. I could hear birds singing and the movement of foliage as small animals played in the trees and underbrush.

It was as if the forest didn’t sense me here at

all. Everything was continuing on, uninterrupted by my presence. I found that oddly comforting.

It didn’t take long for me to feel a presence approaching me.

It had been a long time since I had a dream of the crimson wolf, but I knew that it would be back. Whatever it was the goddess was trying to tell me, I hadn’t quite figured it out yet.

I was glad to know that she hadn’t given up on me.

She was guiding me to something else now, I just didn’t know what.

When the wolf appeared, I didn’t move toward it. I waited and watched to see what it would do. I had the feeling that it wanted to show me something. It looked at me, then inclined its head to one side and began to walk away. I hurried to follow after it.

The forest was thick, but it was easy to follow the wolf as its bright red fur stood out among the muted tones of the forest. It stopped walking suddenly, and I hesitated before walking to stand beside it.

The wolf looked forward meaningfully. I followed its gaze and gasped. A few yards ahead of us was a small, rough looking wooden cabin.

I knew where we were. We were in the neutral zone outside of Moonery, at the

cabin where I had been found by Alpha Rays.

Is this what the god dess wanted to tell me? Did the answers I was seeking about my past still exist somewhere in that cabin?

I looked to the wolf, hoping to find an answer, but it was gone.

A moment later, I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling of my bedroom. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair.

It was so frustrating not knowing what it all meant. I did want to understand where I had come from, but I didn’t know if it really mattered anymore. It must, if the goddess was reaching out to me about it.

And the wolf…

I was beginning to think that the crimson wolf wasn’t just a messenger that the goddess was sending to me. The connection that I felt to it was growing stronger every day. I almost felt like I could sense what it was thinking when I saw it.

Was it possible that the crimson wolf was somehow mine? The thought filled me with equal parts fear and excitement.

Maybe the visions that the seer was having about me had more meaning than either of us realized. Maybe I was the answer to the prophecy.

I knew I needed to visit her again, after the

effects of the war faded a little more. The last time I had seen her, I was resistant to everything that she was trying to tell me. I knew better now. I knew that I was a part of this puzzle, somehow. I just didn’t know in which way.

Maybe she could help me. I owed her an apology, if nothing else.

She had gone out of her way to try to help me and I was rude about it. I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

I felt a newfound sense of resolution. I didn’t doubt myself anymore, and I realized, I was no longer scared—about the prophecy or the second chance ritual. I knew that nothing, no startling revelation about myself, was going to change who I was now. I was stronger than I had ever been, even without my wolf.

I trusted myself and I trusted my strange, little family. Blake, Maisie, and Christian were going to be by my side through whatever might come next. I believed that with my whole heart.

There were still so many unanswered questions, but I was certain of a few things. I knew that I loved Blake, even if we weren’t fated mates. I didn’t think that the goddess would tear us apart.

I knew that I was a good Luna and that I would continue to improve myself until I could confidently say that I was a great Luna.

But most importantly, I knew that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.