The Warrior’s Broken Mate novel Chapter 31

We moved through the town, and Elias was walking quickly, not sticking to a straight path. We kept turning onto different streets and looping around for a while. I didn’t know what he was trying to do, but I trusted him to get us out safely.

“What happened to all of your cars?” I asked.

“Most of the other pack members took them, and a few got destroyed during the attack,” he said.

“I can’t believe they found your pack. Elias, this is all because of me. Wouldn’t it be easier if you were just alone?” I asked, stopping in place. He glanced around at everything nearby before easing up a bit, stepping closer to me, and placing his hands on my arms.

“Lyra. You’re my mate. I’m not going to leave you. If it means giving up my whole pack and making Luke the Alpha so I can keep you safe, then that’s what I’ll do,” he said.

“Why? You don’t even really know me. You could reject me anytime you want. Honestly, I’m shocked you haven’t already,” I said.

“Because I’d never do that. You don’t just need someone–if I walked away, I’d spend my whole life wondering if you were okay. I’d miss you forever. No one else could ever take your place. Not for me,” he said, looking right into my eyes.

“I just don’t understand. No one’s ever cared about me before,” I said.

“Well, that was them. I’m not them. You’re everything to me,” he said. I gave him a nod so he’d know I understood what he was trying to tell me.

He leaned in and kissed me, then wrapped me in a hug again. He could tell I was still uneasy and guilty about the trouble he was in because of me. But he was doing all he could to show me how much I mattered to him.

We had to keep moving, and we kept weaving through the town until we finally made it to the highway. But fields surrounded us again, making us feel exposed, though we could spot the forest up ahead. That was our goal–we needed its cover.

Once we got to the woods, we were able to slow down a bit. My legs were sore from how fast we’d been going, but we knew we weren’t out of danger yet. I kept wondering what else my father had in store for me. He already had witches and creatures under his control–ones I used to think were just myths. Realizing they were actually real was unsettling. It made me question what other things might be real. And what else could still be coming.

It was honestly terrifying. But I didn’t want Elias to know how scared I was. He already had enough on his plate–he didn’t need to worry about how I was feeling too.

I could tell he was in full–on warrior mode now. He kept scanning our surroundings, using all his senses to check if anyone was following us. It was a totally different version of him than what I saw back at the camp where they lived.

And it made me wonder even more. How exactly did they live? None of them had normal jobs. They just trained all day. Where did their money come from–for food, clothes, everything? And what about this second location–how much would it cost to have a backup place ready in case something happened? It was a mystery I’d have to ask about later. Just not right now.

We were still walking when the sun set, and we kept going for a few more hours after that. We didn’t stop until Elias found a safe spot for us to sleep–a cave in the woods. We went inside, but we couldn’t risk lighting a fire. That would just give away our location. Luckily, we had night vision because we were werewolves, so we didn’t need any light.

Once we were settled inside, I sat against the back wall, opened my bag, and pulled out the royal family heritage book again.

“Is that why you won’t let me carry that bag?” Elias asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

“Because I told you to only grab the essentials. You didn’t want me to know you brought those books,” he said.

“Well, these are essential to me. I need to understand all of this,” I replied.

“I get that. I’m not upset that you took it. How far have you gotten?” he asked, settling down beside me.

“I’m still in the 1300s. The King and Queen had ten children. Three of them died when they were little, and one of them got married but didn’t have any kids. Another one was exiled after being disgraced, but I don’t know why yet. I’m going to try and find out. But from the five who did have children, that gave the King and Queen forty–one grandchildren. Clearly, no one knew what birth control was back then,” I said while looking at the first family tree.

“No kidding. Well, I guess they figured it out eventually since you’re the last one left,” he said.

“Yeah, seems like it. But now I’m starting on their kids, and that’s going to take some time,” I said, picking up my notebook and pen.

“I’ll keep watch,” he said.

“Alright. If you want to rest, just tell me. I can sit at the entrance and keep guard,” I offered.

“It’s fine. You’d be surprised how long I can stay awake,” he replied with a smirk, heading back to the cave’s entrance.

I stayed there for a while, writing in my notebook, when Elias came over to check on what I was doing.

“What are you working on?” he asked.

“The year is 1410 now. At this point, the King and Queen have 172 great–grandchildren. I’m trying to track what happened to each of them,” I answered.