Strength to Find Her Way

Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Quinn POV

Liam and I sit on the forest floor comforting each other for a few minutes before either of us speak. Suddenly Liam tenses and sniffs the air.

"Why don't you have my scent on you anymore?" I feel a growl rising in his chest as his wolf realizes his mate is no longer marked with his scent.

"Calm down," I attempt to soothe him, though it doesn't seem to work.

He turns my face and pushes my hair over my shoulder to see the place where his mark once was. "Where is my mark?" he growls. By now I know it's more his wolf talking and not Liam.

"I thought you didn't want me anymore. My wolf thought you didn't want us. She felt bad that you thought we didn't want your mark so she got rid of it somehow. I guess she figured if you wanted us marked by you, we should do it right this time."

"I've never heard of a wolf doing that before," Liam said thoughtfully but I could tell his wolf had calmed down. That didn't stop him from practically crushing me to his chest though.

"Me either," I agreed. "It's done now though. You have a choice. If you don't want me, the bond isn't fully complete. I'll let you walk away. I'm done being selfish."

Liam pressed a kiss to my lips and slowly moved his way down my jaw to my neck and finally landed where his mark once laid.

"There is no choice, Quinn. You're mine."

I felt his mouth open and his teeth start to graze the spot as I held my breath, waiting for the pain. It never came though. He closed his mouth and kissed me there once more.

"I'm going to mark you on my terms this time. For now, bearing your mark is enough for me."

I felt a tear slip down my cheek as he said this. "How did I get such a wonderful mate? I don't deserve you."

"Quinn, my love, you deserve so much more than me but I'm going to do my best to help you live out all your dreams."

"No," I stopped him. He looked at me puzzled before I continued, "We'll live out all our dreams together."

The brightest smile broke out on his face as he crushed me to his chest. He peppered soft kisses all over my face as I squealed in joy. We finally found each other for real this time and there's no way we're letting go.

By now it was nearly afternoon and I was starting to get anxious. It's hard to let go of control but I'm working on it.

"I've been in contact with my warriors," Liam said. He must have sensed my change of mood through the bond. "They made contact with your father and the Diamond Crescent warriors. They infiltrated the base a few minutes ago after doing some reconnaissance. Do you want to meet up with them?"

I thought for a few moments. I know I told Liam he's all I need but I still do want to see if my mom and dad are safe. I need to know if the intel my dad got was correct and my mom was there.

Again, Liam could sense my hesitation and he stood up. "Come on," he held out his hand. "If we want to make it there before nightfall, we're going to have to get a move on."

I smiled and reached for his hand. He pulled me up so I was flush against his chest, looking down at me with pure love in his eyes. "Let's go on this adventure together this time."

The calmness Liam was giving off soothed me as we traveled through the forest. I knew that if he was calm, everything was going alright with the warriors. These were things I'd overlooked when it came to having a mate. Just his calming presence was enough to keep my mind at bay during such a stressful situation.

We ran through the thick brush for an hour or so before Liam started to slow his pace and I followed suit. The scent of blood and rogues permeated my senses. My nose scrunched up on instinct.

"I haven't heard anything from my warriors for a few minutes," Liam confessed. "Don't worry though. They said they were going into the central base. They should be out any minute now."

I waited impatiently with Liam's arms around me as we stood hidden in the brush a few hundred feet away from the base. It was more modern than I'd expected for a bunch of rogues. Everything seemed to be in top condition with what appeared to be state of the art surveillance outside. This didn't make sense. Where would rogues get this kind of money or resources to put together something this advanced and expensive?

I didn't have much time to think on it though because at that moment, I saw movement towards the entrance. Liam pulled me closer to his chest on instinct before he realized it was a small group of his warriors.

"Prince Liam," they greeted him. "We've secured the base. I think you should come inside with us."

I felt Liam's grip loosen slightly before he responded, "Where are the Diamond Crescent warriors?"

"They're inside tending to the prisoners. There's an elaborate prison hold in the basement and it seems some of them have been there quite a long time. Luckily there are some healers on their staff so everyone is getting the care they need."

I looked up at Liam knowing what we needed to do. "Let's hear from your warriors on what they found first before we meet up with my dad. That can wait." It hurt me inside to say that but I needed to start thinking like a queen and not a little kid who wanted her mommy.

Liam turned me around and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "I can fill you in on what they found later. You need to be with your family right now and that takes precedence. I'll be here when you're done and we can work through all of this together."

"Are you su-?" I began to ask before Liam cut me off with his lips on mine.

"Positive," he smirked. "Go ahead. I'll have one of my warriors show you the way."

He nodded his head towards one of the warriors who bowed slightly. "Follow me, your highness."

I glanced at Liam once more and he nodded, letting me know it was okay. That was all the reassurance I needed before I quickly followed the warrior. I hope everyone is okay.