The Alpha King's Mate novel Chapter 5

"Either help support the war, and win, or don't support the war and lose! I guarantee the first thing the werewolves will do if they win is rip your children apart, limb by limb, and eat them!" The man shouts back in response to this woman's pleas. I shudder at the thought of innocent children being ripped apart by werewolves.

The crowd let out gasps, knowing they have no choice but to put the food they have just bought into the crates for the soldiers. So this is why they're taking food from my forest.

Turning, I accidentally bump into a stall, making a table wobble, and apologise to the stall-holder sitting on a barrel. He smiles and says, "Not to worry, darlin'. But, to my horror, he is selling fox pelts and some other extremely large furs from an animal I've never seen before.

Another man, standing beside me, also looks horrified by what the stall-holder is selling. It's unexpected when this man purchases every large pelt the stall-holder has.

I instantly feel emotional, my eyes become teary, and my stomach churns. I think I'm going to be sick, so I plant my hand over my mouth and run away from the stalls and toward a row of cottages.

I lean against a stone wall to catch my breath and wait for my stomach to settle. Then, composed once more, I notice a group of children playing a game, laughing raucously and enjoying themselves immensely.

"Hello. Miss?" A young woman with a posh accent says. She has long dark-brown hair and brown eyes. She appears to be in her mid-twenties, and two young girls hold her hand.

"Hello," I nervously reply, saying hello to another human for the first time in my life. It's odd yet liberating. I shade my face with my velvet hood, so she does not see my violet eyes.

"Is everything okay?" She asks. I nod.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." I say.

The woman tilts her head to the side, frowning.

"I'm sorry. It's just that you're not wearing any boots, and it's not very ladylike or customary for a young lady to be barefoot in the street," she says. I look down at my feet, and boots were not something I thought about when I stole the clothes from the stall. I've seen the forest visitors wearing boots but had no idea how important they are.

"I'm not from around here. I've travelled a fair distance. I don't have any boots." I say.

The lady gasps, "Dear me, sweet girl. I didn't realise you were homeless."

I try to explain that I'm not homeless.

"Now, now. Not to worry. I live up the road. I will happily part with a pair of my boots for you." I let her escort me to her house, and her children follow behind us.

"Sit, dear. Sit." She ushers me into a beautiful, handmade, ornate wooden chair in her kitchen.

"Firstly, this is the village Wellmore. My name is Vivian. These little girls are my five-year-old twin daughters, Ella and Grace,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Vivian, Ella and Grace," I say and smile at the children.

Ella and Grace play around the table and sing a song to me while Vivian stands at the hob and cooks the soup.

Watching children play for the first time is a wonderful experience. It warms my heart and makes me reminisce on my childhood in the forest with the animals.

"Girls to the table, please," Vivian says,

and the girls sit on the chairs on either side of me.

Vivian ladles soup into four bowls from a big metal pot and puts a bowl down on the table in front of us with a chunk of bread.

I'm devouring the food when Vivian interrupts me.

"Ahem," She clears her throat. I look up. She and the girls haven't started eating yet.

"Maia. It's not polite to have one's face covered during mealtimes," she says politely.

My face pales. "May I be excused to not remove my hood, as I am afraid you may not like what you see?" I say nervously.