rose to the surface.
If it was a battle he wanted that’s what it would have to be. I couldn’t settle. Not for anyone. I didn’t even want to be queen. Not if it meant handing over my freedom to a man I didn’t love.
I roared again, but just the sound of his voice had me lowering my head.
But no I wouldn’t allow it .
I pushed to keep my eyes on his. I narrowed them and clenched my jaw. I would defy him to the end, and if he had to put me down then so be it. I refused to let the age old customs of my kind bring me down and take away any shred of happiness. It was time for a change, and by goddess I was going to be the one to make it.
Jericho and his Alpha stood by in the sidelines. The Alpha looked pissed and embarrassed, and Jericho, well I wasn’t sure. He seemed to be confused, disappointed, and in awe all at once. I growled at them, and before anyone knew what happened I spun in the air kicking dirt up around me flinging it in every direction. The others yelled and my father with wide eyes growled one last warning.
Instead on bowing I turned on my haunches and ran as fast as I could through the woods. I was going to be free one way or another, and after this I would never forgive him. He made a huge mistake, and since he was so worried about whom I would be mating, he failed to pay attention to how much I was training and who was training me. Kale, the top warrior in our clan had taken the job seriously when I told him, as the future queen to the clan I needed to be as strong as possible. I wouldn’t rely on my mate to take care of me.
I think he was surprised and liked how independent I was because he started training me immediately. For the first time in my life, one of the strongest men I knew showed me respect. He bowed before me like I was already his queen, and then he proceeded to kick my ass every single day for the past few months, until I had finally gotten it and was able to take him down to the ground. I had never been more proud.
It was why I had gone to find my father, only to have him find me with a look that made my blood cold. It was calculated, but he suppressed it easily and then complained about how dirty I was. He sighed in resignation before dragging me to meet the Alpha and Jericho. I pulled branches and leaves from my hair and straightened my clothes as much as possible. I wanted to make a good first impression if by chance the bear was my mate, but of course I was disappointed. He was another dud.
As I ran through the woods I cried, both sides of me mourned the loss of my family. Because I knew, I was a fugitive now. My father would hunt me down, and force me to come back for punishment, which would be severe. Then I would be banished from the clan. Meaning he would never be able to speak to or see me again, but in the end I had a choice. Mate with a man who I would never love and stay with my father, or leave and start a fresh life in search of my true mate. It was an easy choice in the end, happiness over oppression any day. One day my father would forgive me for my choice.
ABOUT AMANDA N RICHARDSON
Even as a child, Amanda always loved writing. It started with short stories of Fairy Princesses who fell in love and lived happily ever after, to poetry, back to short stories again and finally to her first novella, Forgiveness: Alek & Rose . Becoming a published author was one of her biggest dreams, and now she doesn’t want to stop at “just getting published”. Already, she has learned so much and knows there is so much more to learn.
Amanda was born and raised in Missouri. She has been lucky enough to be a stay at home mom since her daughter was born. Her days are full of writing, editing, and attempting to keep up with all her ideas. She is a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and editor/proofreader and loves every minute of it. It’s a new career path that she fully intends to explore while also writing her own stories to share with the world.
Being a