Free Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) by Jen Wylie

together and let him sense how
angry his words made her. Stop it! If you need more, then I'll find you
more. I won't let you die! I– She stopped, not letting the words out, not
letting him know. "I won't," she whispered quietly instead.
    Aro, I know this is difficult...
    Difficult wasn't quite the word. She’d just lost Cain.
How could she even consider losing Prince? I'm tired. I'm going to sleep
now. We are not discussing this anymore.
    He didn't answer for a long moment. Sleep well.
    She doubted she would, but didn't say so.
     
    * * *
     
    Mornings, as always, came too early. The only good
thing was her ankle felt much better. She guessed another day or two of riding
and she'd be able to at least walk on it all day again.
    After eating quickly and packing up, they set out. Time
had become their enemy. Garen and Kei left first, they would be scouting and
hunting, being able to move quickly through the woods and undergrowth. Bo
walked while she and Prince rode, the two of them keeping an eye on the Elf,
ready to stop quickly if he suddenly took a turn for the worse again. Bo seemed
the only one happy, but then she’d remembered to give him the sword. He’d
probably be up all night sharpening it once they stopped.
    They did not move quickly or travel far. At least not
enough for her. They stuck to the woods, Kei and Garen having continued to see
humans in the fields. Travel had been slow since they could only go as quickly
as their slowest member, which at the time was Bo, who remained on foot. Had
they not had so many packs he could have ridden behind her, but the last thing
they wanted to do was overburden the precious horses. Having to stop frequently
so Prince could rest didn't help either.
    She tried not to grind her teeth when they finally
stopped for the day. She, Bo, and Kei set up camp while Prince rested and Garen
watched them all. Her temper grew shorter. She knew her worry for Prince caused
it. She feared they were moving too slowly, and wouldn't get him home in time.
    Cooking a small dinner, she resisted the urge to
scream. Tears threatened again, which didn't help either. She had grown sick of
crying, sick of feeling so helpless. Spooning out their dinner onto crude thin
wooden plates, she then passed them out to everyone. Taking one for herself and
Prince, she went and sat beside him.
    "You better eat all of that," she said
crossly.
    Prince raised his brows in surprise before a faint
smile came to his lips. "I will."
    She nodded once, annoyed with herself and the foul
mood which wouldn't go away.
    Garen sat beside Bo. He'd caught a rabbit or something
earlier and had already eaten. He watched everyone. Constantly.
    She
jerked her head in the Were's direction. "Why does he keep watching us all
so much?"
    "I believe he is trying to figure out the pack
dynamics."
    "What?"
    "You made us a pack," Prince said, tilting
his head slightly, not quite admonishing her. "Wolves follow a
sophisticated group hierarchy. Every member of a pack has its place. It is led
by the Alpha male and female, with a Beta wolf or wolves as second in command."
    She stared at Prince, wondering how he knew all of this.
"I see."
    "Unfortunately, we are not wolves. I imagine he
is trying to determine his place within the pack, and we are not making it
easy."
    She understood, sort of. Her gaze went to Garen again,
wondering where he thought he fit in. Wondering where she did. The Were
certainly lived differently than humans. She remembered how Garen kept asking
her who her mate was. She glanced over at Prince and away quickly. She finished
eating in silence, her thoughts wandering.
    Prince ate all the food she'd brought him and she
smiled a little as she collected his plate. "Good boy."
    He frowned up at her, making her laugh. That was the
Prince she knew.
    The Prince she loved.
    She turned away quickly, her smile vanishing. Finally
admitting the truth to herself meant nothing. It certainly didn't do her any
good. She loved him, but he