Battle of the Kingdoms: Moon Born 2

Chapter 13

Knocking on Orsands door, I could hear his heavy sigh from beyond.

"What?" he called out clearly irritated.

"Hi, um dad, it's me."

"Oh! Ellie! Come in, dear!"

I stepped in and smiled at the King and Queen. 

"And she brought food!" Amelia exclaimed, jumping up from the corner of Orsand's desk. "I swear this girl can read our minds!"

She happily took the snacks, popping a piece of cheese in her mouth and offering some to Orsand.

"I don't know what we would do without you sometimes," he agreed happily eating a piece of meat.

"Oh, you guys would get on just fine. I just know when I'm stressed food makes me happy."

Amelia giggled while piling cheese and meat atop a piece of bread.

"You didn't come just to deliver snacks, did you?" Orsand asked, staring into my eyes.

"I'm afraid not."

He let out another heavy sigh, letting his head hit his desk.

"But, father, you don't have to worry about anything. Edmond and I already took care of everything?"

He sat up and narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

"Yes. Andrew came down from his pack since they are protecting Valtor. He mentioned seeing creatures attempting to chase him and hit him with their weapons."

"The same things...."

I nodded my head. "That's what we think. So Andrew is bringing down his warriors. We'll have a few stationed in every pack and additional units to assist the royal guards."

Orsand nodded his head. "Yeah. Yeah! That is marvelous! You two did a great job!"

He smiled, finally, and popped another piece of meat in his mouth. Amelia stood beside him, smiling broadly. 

I bit my lip and looked down at my shoes. I needed to tell them what I overheard between Alex and Harmony.  He was not meant to be Alpha and he was treating my sister terribly.

"What's wrong?" Amelia finally asked.

"Well, I...I don't know how to say this."

"Is everything okay?" Orsand asked. "Did something happen?"

"Yes."

"Edmond? The pups?" Orsand stood quickly. 

His concern was always so touching.

"Oh! No, no. They're all fine. I promise." I took a deep breath. "It's Alex and Harmony."

"Oh. Them." Orsand sat down, rolling his eyes.

"Dear," Amelia said sternly.

"It's mainly Alex and the way he's been behaving since he marked Harmony and Edmond and I had our ceremony."

"He's off his rocker?" Orsand asked.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. I overheard him and Harmony. He's not a good mate. He's so cruel and heartless."

Amelia and Orsand glanced at each other. 

"What?" I asked.

"Not all bonded wolves are kind. Most are, but there are some who are just cruel. Usually, wolves who are born into positions of power, like an Alpha, can be more prone to cruelty because they have the ability to dominate others. It's important to remember that just because someone has power, it doesn't mean they will use it kindly or responsibly."

"I know that a marked wolf can not break the mate bond, but is there something that can be done?"

"I'm afraid not. They could live separately, but Harmony could never take another mate unless Alex was dead."

"I don't think that's happening anytime soon," I grumbled. "Thank you for your time. I think I'll check on Kallisto. See if she's awake yet."

"I'll join you!" Amelia said excitedly. "I haven't seen the child in some hours."

She kissed Orsand's cheek and followed me out of the office. She interlocked her arm with mine and pulled me close.

"There may be a way."

"Huh?" I asked.

"For Harmony to break her bond with that hooligan pup."

"I don't understand. Breaking the bond will kill my sister."

"Can you divert your mission to see Kallisto for a bit?"

I nodded my head.

"Good. Come." 

She led me to her own personal library, releasing my arm to browse her shelves.

"If you remember, I told you once, that the women in my family were high priestesses in the temple of Artemis?"

"Yes, of course."

"There is another book that I have never shown anyone. Ever." She pulled out a rather unassuming, leather-bound book.

It was brown leather with the image of a woman with a wolf behind her. She flipped through until she reached a page about 3/4 of the way through. Handing it to me, my eyes nearly fell from my head.

TO BREAK THE MATE BOND SUCCESSFULLY

"What is this?" I asked.

"It's something that I found many, many years ago. After my mother passed to the spirit realm, I obtained her possessions. These books are only ever passed from mother to daughter or in our case when I pass mother to daughter-in-law then to daughter. Their contents are not shared and are kept guarded by the owner. They are only ever used in the most extreme cases. A bond break has not been used in hundreds of years." She went back to digging through her old books and pulled out a leather logbook.

I took it from her and browsed the pages. It listed names, dates, and potions dispersed. Most were basic things that we still used today, but there was one entry. One that dated back hundreds of years. Bond Break.

Below was a detailed description of the circumstances leading to the potion being given.

A woman went to the high priestess after many nights of her mate being cruel, abusive, and dismissive of her and their pups. He'd made repeated remarks about wishing the bond could be broken and if he could break it without dying himself, he would. Even if it meant she would die while he lived. The woman could no longer stand the misery and contemplated breaking the bond even though it meant her death, but she couldn't leave the pups with no parents.

The high priestess went through all of her ingredients and tested different concoctions before coming up with the bond break. A recipe that is highly guarded.

"This exists? Have you ever tried it?" I asked, looking at Amelia.

She shook her head. "No. It hasn't been needed since. I've never heard of another bonded pair quite like your sister and Alex."

"If you can trust her silence and this is something she truly wants, it could be worth trying."

"I-I don't know what to say."

Amelia smiled at me. "You are incredible, Ellie. Despite everything you've been through with those two, you still want to help your sister. So, I want to help her. Maybe if she can get away from him she'll be a better wolf?"

"Maybe."

She scribbled on paper and handed it to me. "These are the ingredients needed to make it. You should be able to find everything either in the kitchen or elsewhere around here."

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Now, let's go check on that princess!"