Mated To The Barbarian King Who Is My Ex-husband's Father.

​She made it onto her feet, but her vision instantly went dark for a terrifying second before snapping back into focus. The surrounding woods seemed to spin around her at a dizzying speed, forcing her to lean heavily against the rough bark of a nearby tree for balance.

​Every inch of her body ached, and the tears welling in her eyes only caused her bruised head to throb harder. Damn Cassius! She swore then and there that she would give him every reason to regret not staying behind to finish the job. Leaving her alive was going to be the biggest mistake of his life.

​Alara dragged herself back down the path she had taken earlier, her vision blurring as she staggered through the darkness. After several grueling minutes, a familiar silhouette emerged through the shadows ahead.

​"Help..." her voice rasped out in a barely audible whisper, doubting whether the figure could even hear her.

​Yet the figure didn’t hesitate for a single second, rushing forward the moment she saw her.

​"Queen Arianna..." Alara managed to gasp, her vision fading at the edges as she clutched at the queen’s sleeves. "Take me to the king."

***

​"If I fulfill your demands, you will give me information that could drag the Princess through the mud?" Samantha asked, still finding it difficult to believe her.

The girl was desperate to secure a royal title and seemed willing to do whatever it took to achieve it.

​"Yes, Samantha. You won’t be able to get this piece of information anywhere else, so you had better work hard to show me why I should hand it over to you," Selena replied. She relished the fact that she had turned the situation into a game, lounging on the bed lazily.

​"You are so desperate to become a royal..."

​"I am a Duke’s daughter, do not forget that," Selena snapped back. "I simply refuse to let Arianna stand above me in status or anything else."

​"She is already above you," Samantha chuckled dryly at her foolishness. "Arianna is the Queen of the North. Do you even grasp what that means? It will take Ethan years to even come close to a King’s title... let alone for you to ever become a Queen."

​"Are you trying to rub salt in my wounds?" Selena sat up straight, her brows pinching into a deep frown.

​"Maybe," Samantha shrugged, doing her best to keep her own temper in check. "So how do you plan to assure me that you actually possess this information and that you’ll hand it over once I fulfill my end of the bargain?"

​"Why wouldn’t I? I know what it means to live in this pack with you as an enemy, and I am not planning to die anytime soon," Selena mocked smoothly.

​Samantha’s eyes narrowed. "Are you accusing me of something?"

​"No," Selena smiled faintly. "Why on earth would I?"

​"Good. We have a deal then, and I will begin working on my end immediately," Samantha told her.

​She turned to leave, only to freeze as Ethan stepped into the room. Both women exchanged surprised glances, silently wondering how much of their conversation he might have overheard.

​"Welcome back from the borders," Samantha greeted smoothly.

​"Don’t even test me, Samantha," Ethan snapped, his voice dripping with irritation at the mere sound of her voice.

​"My apologies," she replied, fighting back a smug laugh as she brushed past him and exited the tent.

​Ethan’s recent punishment had been far harsher than her own. It was almost surreal to see the King penalizing his own son so severely...a line he had never crossed before, no matter what reckless mistakes Ethan had made in the past.

Samantha felt a quiet surge of satisfaction...the King’s blind affection for his heir was finally beginning to die.

​When she arrived back at her mother’s tent, the handmaidens informed her that Aunt Freya had already departed for the mountains.

​Samantha’s brow furrowed. She wondered what could possibly be so urgent that her mother needed to venture into the cold mountain pass at this hour of the night. Shaking off the thought, she headed toward her own quarters with her mind racing.

​Tomorrow would mark a fresh start, and Astrid would finally receive her fair share of misery. And the day after that? Queen Arianna would be cast out, banished from the Northland forever.

*******

Aunt Freya arrived at her destination, and exhaustion crept up on her. Even in her wolf form, jumping from one mountain ridge to another had taken its toll.

​"Only the Goddess knows how the old priest climbed this so easily," she said to the guard who accompanied her. "I almost broke a bone making that climb."

​"I am sorry, Your Highness," he replied with a low bow.

​Up here, the wind howled and the frost built up, making it difficult to see properly.

​When they finally reached the mouth of the cave, she turned to the guard. "Wait here. I will go in alone."

​Aunt Freya turned and stepped inside. The burning torch provided just enough light for her to navigate. It had been years since her last visit.

She and the old priest had gotten into a small argument, leading him to distance himself from her. The day the king was married was the first time in three years he had left the mountains.

​He never left this cave unless the king sent for him....only Kane possessed the authority to command him.

​Aunt Freya smiled mischievously as she walked deeper, glancing at the painted portraits of ancient northern Alphas and Lunas. Hopefully, one day, my daughter will be drawn on this wall alongside Kane for future generations to see.

​After a six-minute walk, she finally reached the priest’s living quarters. It was slightly warmer than the air outside, yet she swore she would never subject herself to such hardship.

The old priest had condemned himself to this place as penance for what they had done years ago.

​"Welcome, Aunt Freya," the young boy who served as his guide said, standing up from a nearby rock.

​Aunt Freya offered a polite nod and a smile, watching as the old priest remained intent on a scroll. He acted as though she weren’t even there, prompting her to speak first. "Good day, wise one."

​"What do you want?" he asked blankly.

​"Hmmm... no welcome, I see," she noted dryly. "I came to ask for a favor."

​"What makes you think I will grant you any favor?"

​"We are allies, Priest," Aunt Freya reminded him. "We share a secret that, if Kane finds out, will mean the death of us all."

​"I only know about it, Freya. You and Cassius are the ones who committed the act of killing innocent women just to prove Kane is cursed," the old priest said, his voice laced with venom. He dropped the scroll and finally looked up at her. "Do not drag me into your mess."

​Aunt Freya sighed, shaking her head. "You knew about it and kept quiet. Old one, there is no difference between you and me."

​"I kept quiet because of your threats against my granddaughter’s life! It was all for Alara."

​"And Alara... I have protected her, as promised," she replied coldly. "Now it’s your turn to do me a favor, or you can forget about your granddaughter."

​"What do you want?"

​"Good." Aunt Freya felt a surge of relief, knowing he would listen. "The king values your counsel otherwise, I would have handled this myself long ago. It is time to break his curse."

​"His curse cannot be broken by anyone other than his true mate."

​"Not that curse... I am not talking about his actual curse," she said with a dismissive wave. "I mean the fake one we concocted about his inability to lay with a woman."

​"Hmmm..."

​"Yes, wise one. I want you to announce tomorrow that my daughter, Samantha, is his true mate, and that only she can break it."

​"What are you talking about?" The old man rose abruptly from his stone bench, horrified by the abomination spilling from her lips.

​"The only way for the king to break the curse is to marry my daughter and crown her as the true Luna of the North," she declared.

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