The Alpha King's Mate novel Chapter 9

I jump up and down in excitement.

A gentle breeze comes and goes, and I smile. It's time to go to Wellmore.

In Wellmore, the villagers are angry and on edge. They're complaining about a tax hike and a food shortage, having cleared the forest of food. The market stalls are only half-laden with edible goods, from which I steal some apples and a loaf of bread. I sit down on a bench, and eat an apple, storing the loaf of bread in the hessian bag I kept from my first visit.

Standing on Vivian's doorstep, I knock on the side window and wait patiently for her to come to the door.

"Maia! I'm so glad you've come to visit us. Come in," she says, smiling and standing aside so that I may go in.

"You've come at the right time. I've just boiled a pot of tea," Vivian smiles.

"Oh. That sounds lovely. What is tea?" I ask her, and she pauses.

"Have you always been homeless and alone?" She asks, pulling out a chair for me to sit in.

"No. I live with my friend Ember," Vivian places a warm drink on the table in front of me.

"This is a cup of tea. Be careful. Sip it slowly. Don't burn yourself," Vivian cautions.

"Thanks," I say, folding my hands around the warm cup and taking a sip.

"Tell me more about your friend Ember. Perhaps next time, he can come with you?" Vivian says.

"It would be too dangerous for him. Someone might capture him and skin him,"

"What do you mean?" Vivian is confused.

"Ember is a fox," I say.

"A fox?" Vivian repeats with disbelief.

"A fox?" Ella and Grace ask excitedly.

"Yes, a fox," I repeat.

"Where does one live with a fox?" Vivian asks.

"We live in a cave, in the forest," I answer.

"You've lived with a fox your whole life, in a cave, in the forest?" Vivian asks for clarity. Hoping I haven't said too much, I just nod.

"That is interesting," Vivian says, raising a brow and staring intently at my hooded face as if trying to figure something out.

"Have you heard the story of the Enchanted Forest Princess?" Vivian asks.

"I heard the villagers talking about a food shortage and a tax hike. Do you think this war in Moon Crest Valley will be a hasty one? There is no food near my cave, and it will be weeks until food sprouts and grows. The villagers have taken everything, and my friends are being hunted for their meat. I don't know how to save my friends and my forest,"

"Your forest? Oh, of course. It makes sense now," Vivian's eyes are alight with excitement.

"What does?"

"You're the Enchanted Forest Princess," Vivian announces.

I pull my hood down, knowing I've been found out, but I feel I can trust Vivian. She looks at my violet-coloured eyes in awe and takes in my soft pale skin, rosy-tinged cheeks, small nose, and plump, pink lips. My midnight hair flows down to my hips. Ella and Grace are stunned. A real-life princess sits at their kitchen table with them, drinking tea. I undo the clasp on my cloak and untie the olive-green strings, draping my velvet cloak over the back of my chair.

"Mamma! Maia is the Forest Princess!" Grace yells.

"The fairy tale is true!" Ella announces. They jump up and down excitedly before pulling me down to their level and squishing me in a hug. They inspect me closely, their faces a pinpoint from mine.

"You really are the most beautiful girl in the land," Grace says, and I blush.

Vivian sits silently in her chair, with her mouth agape, taking it all in. She lets out a breath she has been holding.

"Vivian?" I ask. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you..."

She stands and comes over to me with the broadest grin.