The Alpha and the Oracle (The Belesone Pack #1)

Chapter 25: The Vision - Part 2

Katarina left the house in the dead of night. She couldn't bear to be in Milo's house and know that the Elders expected her to watch him go through the union ceremony with someone else. She couldn't unite with Leo; it wasn't fair to his true mate, whoever it was. So she ran.

She ran as a wolf and for over a week, she hid in forests and cried herself to sleep every night.

A week and a half later, she was lying in the middle of a forest clearing, condemning herself for her actions when another wolf moved close by. She had never encountered other shifters on her travels, as she ran as far away from Milo as possible. She was instantly wary of the newcomer, as it advanced.

Until she saw it.

The wolf was just like her, small and fragile looking. It transformed right in front of her, into a man. She was so surprised that she just lay there, not sure what to do, as he smiled at her.

"It's alright, my love. You're home." He encouraged her. His voice was so familiar; she let him signal behind him. A well dressed man walked over with a rucksack. The naked man handed her a set of clothes and then both men turned their backs to give her privacy while the other man dressed as well.

Katarina dressed as quickly as she could, in a pair of trousers and a white shirt.

"Can I turn round, my love?" He asked, surprising her.

"Yes." She squinted as he walked closer, confused. "Who are you?" She asked.

"My sweet girl...I'm your father, Carlton." He explained with a soft smile. He opened his arms to her and before she realized what she was doing, she rushed towards him, hugging him and crying. "What has upset you, my love?"

"I found my mate." She admitted, making him laugh.

"And this is a bad thing?"

"He's the Alpha. He deserves better." She gushed, surprising him.

He gently pulled her away and watched her closely. "The Alpha? How can he do better than you, my love? You are a Queen." He beamed at her.

But Katarina had heard that kind of talk before. She sighed and pulled away. "I'm a runt. I'm useless and slow and..." She gasped for breath, only to see that he was frowning.

"Why do you say such things? You are the perfection we have never found again." He explained. "Come home, darling. I will explain all." He offered.

***

Carlton took Katarina back to her pack and told her how he met a beautiful young wolf-shifter who was grieving for a husband lost to war. They comforted each other and soon fell in love. He explained that she had a child already, so he visited her home. She never went to his. They were different to each other; he was smaller and swifter on foot, smarter and more agile, while her people were large, strong and brave. They spent months in love and were to be united. But their love wasn't to be.

"We had already mated before our union so when word came that Grene was a prisoner who had escaped his captors and he was returning home, we knew that the situation was complicated. Rose and I were true mates, but Grene was her husband and the father of her child, Josanna." Carlton continued the story and Katarina listened eagerly.

"When we heard of your arrival, later, we agreed that you should stay with your mother for safety. Within a pack of steady numbers. My own pack numbers were dwindling and were at war with another local pack. I didn't want to risk your life. And I promised to stay away unless you needed me."

"When your father returned from the war, I met him. Your mother and I told him of our love, our child and he promised he would never refuse you. You would be his daughter and he would love and raise you." He smiled to ease her worry. "When your mother died, your father wrote to me and offered to let me into your life. I thought it was too risky. With a new Alpha things are never easy, especially since he had not found his mate. We wanted your happiness to come first, but it was too dangerous to tell you the truth just." He apologized.