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

​"This wasn’t a fall. She was attacked," Arianna said, inspecting the severe scalp wound. She couldn’t tell whether the brutal blow had been dealt by a beast or a man.

​"Should we track the attacker, Your Highness?" the guard on her left asked, his hand dropping to the hilt of his blade.

​"No. Lift her up," Arianna ordered. "She won’t survive if we don’t get her treated immediately."

​The guard carefully gathered the bloodied woman into his arms and set off toward the main camp. Crimson dripped from her head, staining his forearm before spattering onto the dark soil as they rushed against the clock.

​"Where should we take her?" he asked, glancing back at Arianna for direction.

​"To one of the empty tents near the King’s quarters," Arianna instructed, her chest tightening as she watched the sheer volume of blood soaking through the guard’s tunic. "Hurry! She is losing far too much. I thought werewolves healed rapidly?"

​"She is an omega, My Lady," the second guard explained quietly. "Their healing gifts are faint."

​Arianna held her tongue. Now was hardly the time to dissect werewolf biology and pack hierarchies. Reaching the heart of the camp, they quickly veered into the second empty tent just before Kane’s tent.

​"Lay her down gently on the cot," she commanded, stepping aside to make room.

​The woman was in horrific condition. Every attempt to ask who or what had done this to her had been in vain. Arianna had pressed for answers on the walk over, but the poor woman was far too weak to speak.

​The moment Alara was resting on the bed, Arianna turned to the guards with authority. "One of you go fetch the King immediately. The other, run and bring the healers and be fast!"

​Both guards bowed swiftly before bolting out into the night.

​Without missing a beat, Arianna grabbed a clean linen sheet from the foot of the cot and tore it into wide strips. Pressing the cloth firmly against the gash on Alara’s head, she applied pressure to stanch the bleeding.

The wound was deep...far deeper than a simple bandage could mend but it was the best she could do until the medicine women arrived.

​Under her hands, Alara’s eyelids fluttered, opening weakly as she focused her hazy gaze up at the queen.

​"I know it hurts... I’m sorry," Arianna managed to say, looking at the linen that was getting soaked. "Once the medicine women comes, they will tend to you better. I also sent for the king... please hold on."

​There were no words from her. She just stared at her, and it scared Arianna.

​"You are such a strong woman," Arianna found herself saying.

​Alara opened her mouth to speak. At first, the words got stuck as if her tongue wasn’t letting them out.

​"You don’t have to say anything...," Arianna told her.

​"C-ca-cassius..." Alara muttered.

​"Greetings, your highness." It was a voice from the entrance. The medicine women had come, and quickly, they rushed in to start treatment.

​The tent flapped again, and the king walked in with Ragnar, Ethan, and Samantha.

​"Alara..." Kane’s voice trailed off when he saw the condition she was in. His heart skipped, seeing the amount of blood on the floor. "What happened to her?"

​Arianna didn’t move as she watched the women begin to clean the wound to stop the bleeding.

She had never even known Alara until this afternoon, yet she felt terrible for her condition. Why would anyone want to attack such a beautiful woman?

​Alara had yet to say whoever it was. However, Arianna wondered why she mentioned Cassius. Did she want him to be by her side?

Kane told her earlier they were lovers in the past and their engagement was broken off because of his family, which means she still loves him, right?

​"Arianna, come here," a voice shook her out of her thoughts. It was Kane and he was standing next to her. He must have been talking to her for a while. "You have tried. Let the women handle her from here."

​She entered his waiting arms and leaned against his chest. He stroked her hair gently.

​"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

​She nodded, her eyes fixed on Alara. The lady must have drifted into unconsciousness.

​"This is something serious," Ragnar said, his hands clasped behind his back. He seemed shocked... in fact, everyone was.

​"I thought it was you who got injured. The guard doesn’t know how to deliver a proper message," Ethan sighed, rubbing his face with his palm.

​"What happened to her?" Samantha asked curiously.

​"We found her on our way back from the prison area. She was in a terrible state and wanted to speak to the king," Arianna told them. She leaned back into her husband’s arms. Ethan was burning with silent jealousy, but she couldn’t care less about him at the moment.

​"From the wound, it seems she was attacked," Ragnar said, his gaze fixed on Alara. "It’s really bad, Your Highness."

​The tent flapped, and Cassius entered. Everyone turned in his direction.

​"I came as soon as I heard, Your Highness."

​"You came late, Uncle. What kind of Chief of Security are you?" Ethan asked, trying to sound lighthearted, but it fell completely flat given the gravity of the situation.

​"The kind who arrives at a burning house long after the king has already quenched the fire," Samantha added, letting out a low laugh.

​"Stop it, the both of you," Ragnar snapped. He turned to his uncle. "I apologize on their behalf."

​"It’s okay, Ragnar," Cassius replied with a quiet nod.

​"Though they aren’t wrong... you did arrive late, Uncle," Ragnar added, leaving Cassius stunned by the unexpected shift in allegiance. "Don’t mistake my intention, Uncle."

​"I went to see my family briefly," Cassius explained, turning toward the king and offering a respectful bow. "I apologize for my delay."

​"Alara was attacked," Kane said, ignoring the apology entirely. "This doesn’t look good, Cassius."

​Arianna pulled back slightly from Kane’s embrace as her eyes caught something on Cassius. A cloth was bound tightly around his forearm. "What happened to your hand? It looks bad as well."

​Cassius froze, caught off guard as he stared at her, speechless. A tense silence settled over the tent as everyone waited for his explanation.

​Then, a chilling thought struck Arianna, and her eyes widened. Could he be the one who attacked Alara? Maybe she had fought back, leaving him with that injury. Could it really be him?

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