Strength to Find Her Way

Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Liam POV

My father, Ethan, and I have been holed up in this office for hours. Ethan has spent his time checking in with our outlying packs. Despite the fact that every alpha has assured him that everything is okay, it all seemed a little too perfect. There are always problems with packs and every single one of them told us there hadn't been any issues for months. I'm starting to become suspicious that something is happening behind our backs and we are more out of the loop than I would like to be.

I could feel myself start to become more and more agitated and I know it's because I'm missing my mate. Quinn can calm me down at times like this and I've been away from her for almost the entire day. The sun set hours ago so I know we've already missed dinner. I hate that her first day here is on her own but I'm relieved to know that Suze is here to keep her company along with my mother.

"Liam," my dad called, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yes father?" I replied cooly.

"You understand what all of this means, don't you?"

Unfortunately, I do.

"Yes," I sighed. "A war is upon us."

"I'm going to have you lead our troops, Liam. You'll be taking over very soon now that you've found your mate and I think it's time for you to show the kingdom what you're capable of," he paused momentarily before continuing. "I don't know what is going on between you and Quinn but anyone can see that you have not completed the mating process yet. It is imperative for you to do that so you can show your kingdom that we have a united front. Your mate not being marked shows weakness and we cannot allow anyone to see us as weak. Do you understand me?"

Of course I understood him. It makes perfect sense on paper but my relationship with my mate is not on paper. Quinn and I are working with trust and I don't think my father understands this. He gives me a pointed look and I simply nod.

"If it's alright with you, I'm going to go spend some time with my mate. Surely you understand the importance of that," I say curtly.

My father nods in return before calling to me as I'm almost out the door, "I better see a mark on that girl before sunrise. We rally the troops in the morning."

I tense slightly before continuing on my way. There's no way Quinn is going to be ready for me to mark her tonight. I could explain the situation to her but I don't want her to feel like I'm forcing her. I honestly don't know what the right thing to do is. I'm torn between the feelings of my mate and the opinions of my people. I'm honestly not sure which one I'm more afraid of disappointing at this point.

~~~

Quinn POV

I'd finally washed that scumbag Seth's scent off me. I spent almost an hour in the shower trying to get rid of every trace of him. It's not that I'm worried about Liam finding out what happened because believe me, I'm going to give him an earful about his disrespectful head trainer. It's the fact that I just didn't like that guy. It gave me the shivers thinking about how he was watching me while I trained and the look he gave me before he left the gym.

I guess I'm so used to being around people who know me for who I am that I'm just not familiar with strangers questioning me. I'm also not sure how much he saw. I'd been in the gym for a long time before I noticed him. Liam and I had decided to keep my abilities quiet for now and I don't think Seth was on his list of people to tell.

I'm sure he's a very trusted member of the royal guard. I'm just overthinking things.

I dressed myself in some lounge clothes. I'm not much in the mood for dinner tonight. I think I'll just stay in Liam's room and relax for a bit. I'm not going to chance heading back down to the gym again after this afternoon's little altercation.

I decided maybe it was time to check in with my family. I know it's barely been a full day since I'd last seen them but I rarely go more than a few hours without talking to someone from my family.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and went to dial my dad's number. It was late enough that he wouldn't be in any training sessions right now.

Before I could type in the numbers, I saw a missed text from him. All it said was, "I've got it" and there was a set of coordinates. Could this really be what I think it is? Did my dad finally make a break in finding my mother?

I ran to the closet to get together the bag I always had packed for this moment before I realized I'd never be able to escape. I'm at the castle now. Liam surely has some goons watching me since he isn't around. They'll tell him of any move I make that isn't on my proscribed list of activities. I'm going to have to think this through before I make any hasty decisions.

I know I have to go though. There isn't any question in my mind. My dad is probably on his way and he's going to need my help. We're in this together. Always have been. Always will be.

I sat down on a chair by the window to think. How can I assure my departure goes unnoticed? It'll have to be when Liam is with me. He'll call off the goons then. But how do I get away from him? That is going to be a difficult task in itself.

I know he'll be upset with me once he realizes I've gone but he has to understand that my family comes first. I'll come back to him without any trouble once my mom is safe. We'll mark and mate and have a family. I'll rule by his side and be the queen everyone wants me to be. I just need to do this. Not just for my family but also for myself.

I feel like I've spent my entire life leading up to this moment and there will be no stopping me. I finally have my plan in place. It's risky but I think it'll work for all parties involved. Hopefully Liam will feel the same way once he figures out that I've left him. I can only hope that he'll forgive me.