ELLA'S POV
The carriage halts sooner than I expected and I peep out and notice that we are at the borderline of Goldcrest and Blackwoves. My stomach churns uneasly. I feel like jumping out and running back the way we have come.
"What exactly is it you’re so afraid of?" Sir William asks shooting me a quizzical look. "They need you more than anything right now, they won't be hurting you.”

Hmmm…What am I afraid of? I am going straight back to the place where I was treated like crap and I will be seeing my ex-mates loving the woman that almost killed me. However, there is no way I can explain that one to William.
"Is there anything I should know before we arrive?" I ask taking a deep breath.
He is right, I shouldn't be scared of meeting them again, there is nothing that they can do to hurt me that they hadn't done already. They are the ones that wronged me and now need me, again. I shouldn't honor them with my fear.
"We need to come up with a backstory since Alpha Ethan made it clear I should not mention I was in his palace," I point.
"Yes, they will likely ask where I found you," He responds thoughtfully. "You will tell them you were attacked by rogues while closing the border to Ethan's territory and sought shelter in the rouge village down in the valley, where I found you. Leave the rest to me." He proposes with a devious smile as if to say, isn't that problem solved now?
I wonder what he is planning to get out of all this. If Alpha Ethan is the one who will get the crown, then why is he partnering with him? It can't simply be because he dislikes his nieces. But I think it's best when I don't know since I have more than enough problems on my plate already.

"That plan won't work." I say to William shaking my head. "The kings believe I'm dead," I explain, and a puzzled expression crosses his face.
"Why would the kings think you're dead?" he asks his voice filled with curiosity.
"Because they conspired with Princess Hellen to get rid of me." Should I be explaining what he already know? "If we create a story about rogues attacking me , the kings will know," I add, pointing the flaw in his plan.
He shakes his head.

"The kings had nothing to do with that, Princess Hellen sought to get rid of you on her own because she wanted them for herself. Your mates may have wanted you gone, but not necessarily dead," he insists.
"That's not true!" I interject. They had already rejected me and Princess Hellen didn't have to try to kill me to have them. And how comes she had the crown?
"If they weren't involved, then how did Princess Hellen end up with the crown of the Alpha Kings that night?" I challenge.
"She had the crown?" he asks, disbelief coloring his voice. I nod.
He swallows hard, his expression troubled. "Well, if they think you're dead, why would they bother searching for you?" he questions.
"Oh really? They are searching for me?" I ask sacastically.
Without a word, he reaches into his long coat pocket and pulls out a crumpled parchment, offering it to me. Raising an eyebrow, I take it and unfolded it. There is an ugly drawing of me on it, a sad looking girl with long curly black hair and chubby cheeks. It bears so little resemblance to me.
"So they are indeed searching for me," I remark, my tone laced with disgust. Obviously they are not searching out of care or concern, but because they just found out I am still useful to them.
However, it is a small relief to know they weren't part of Princess Hellen's plan to kill me.
I fold the patchmet and hand it back, but at that moment, a sudden realization strikes me, sending a wave of panic coursing through my body. I grab William's arm. "We need to turn back. Now!"
He looks at me, his eyes wide at my sudden outburst.
"I... can't heal them," I blurt out urgently, words escaping my lips in a rush. "That night, Princess Hellen forced me to accept their rejection. I am no longer their mate, I cannot heal them!"
William's smirk widens as he gently removes my hand from his arm, clearly not getting what I am telling him.
"As long as you did not accept the rejection on their faces and spoke those words to them, the mate bond can't be broken," he explains, a small smile playing on his lips.
My mouth falls open. So, I still share a mate bond with those bastards. Is that why I have been feeling that intense pain whenever they engaged in intimate acts?
"Remember to keep your feelings in check this time. They'll try to use the mate bond to manipulate you," William cautions.
"They fooled me once, I won't fall for it again," I declare firmly, and he lets out a derisive snort.
"No one fooled you," He counters. "You were well aware of what they were doing and you went ahead to love them regardless."
As much as I hate that pointed out, he is right. It's not fair to blame them entirely for my broken heart. I kept pouring myself to them even when I suspected that their love was not genuine.
They didn't care and I pretended not to notice because I wanted them to love me. I started lying to myself because I didn't want to face loosing them.
"Try not to judge me too harshly. I was only human, with desires like anyone else. Things are different now." I say and William huffs like he doesn't believe a word I say.
"We are close now, keep that nervous look off your face or they will know something is off," he warns sternly.
Looking out the window, I see we've arrived at the bustling streets leading to the palace. Anxiety courses through my limbs.
I don't like being sent out to steal but those fools showed no remorse for the pain they caused me. So why should I feel guilty stealing from them?
KING ALERIC'S POV
"So, let me get this straight.You're saying that not a single young woman left the palace grounds during the night of the royal dinner?" Kian interrogates the two guards who were guarding the palace gates that night, glancing suspiciously at their apprehensive faces.
We have rules that no one is to enter or exit the palace grounds during night time unless it's an emergency, and only after our assistant or one of us is notified. It is odd that our human mate managed to get out unseen. Until now, we have never questioned how, we were simply relieved that she was gone and did not bother to find out how she managed to leave. Now we regret that more than anything because we are searching without a clue about where exactly she could have left to. We are still determined to make it work.
We have already reached out to all our neighboring kingdoms and packs with no luck. The only one we are yet to receive feedback from is Redmoon pack, but I doubt she would have made it that far, since it's a long way from our southern bonder.
One of the guards vehemently shakes his head, while the other fidgets uncomfortably, unable to meet Kian's penetrating gaze. It's evident that he is withholding something.
"Is there something you're holding back?" I press the hesitant guard, pointing directly at him. His companion shoots him a worried glance, urging him to speak. After a moment of tense silence, he finally opens his mouth, his voice quivering slightly. "Your Majesty, there was one woman who left that night," he admits.
"Who was it?" Regan questions impatiently.
The guard hesitates again, his eyes darting nervously between us. "It was Princess Hellen, Your Majesty. She left in her carriage with two of her servants and returned a few hours later."
Princess Hellen had indeed disappeared for a brief period during the royal dinner, something none of us had thought to question until now.
"Why would you allow an unguarded princess to leave the palace grounds at night?" Kian demands, his voice laced with suspicion.
The two guards stare at the floor, neither willing to answer.
"I think our priority right now should be finding our mate rather than worrying about why Princess Hellen left. We can address that later," Reagan interjects and I nod in agreement. We should find our mate and make sure she is safe first. As far as we know there are no safe places out there that are so welcoming to humans.
"What if Hellen had something to do with Ella leaving?" Kian questions, his tone filled with suspicion.
I highly doubt that. The guards have just mentioned that only two of Hellen's servants were with her in the carriage. As much as we may not want to admit it, we were the ones who drove Ella away. We may not have directly told her to leave or physically forced her out of the palace, but the way we treated her that night hurt her deeply. She must have felt so hurt that she felt compelled to take the risky decision to leave on her own.
The door to our imperial dining room bursts open and a servant ushers in the messager we sent to redmoon pack.
He is our last hope but Judging from his apprehensive face, I doubt that he has good news for us.
Kian quickly dismisses the two guards as the messenger approaches our table, bowing respectfully.
"Did you find any trace of her?" " I demanded, my voice laced with desperation.
"No! your Majesty." He delivers the disappointing news. "The Alpha of the Redmoon Pack confirmed that no woman matching her description has crossed into his territory. He even allowed me to inspect all the captives that were caught while crossing into his land, but your mate was not among them."
And now we have run out of leads. Where else can we possibly search?
I swiftly gesture for the messager to leave.
"If she didn't go to any neighboring packs, where could she have gone?" Reagan ponders loudly worry creeping over his features.
"There are no other close packs she could have sought refuge in. What if she made the mistake of entering Alpha Ethan's territory?" Kian suddenly asks and we all exchange troubled looks. The mere thought alone that our valuable mate may have made that mistake sends a shiver down my spine. Those that enter alpha Ethan territory usually end up being turned into slaves or killed.
"She wouldn't have been so reckless to close into Ethan's territory." I insist my tone resolute.
"But what if she did?" Kian counters, his voice filled with worry. "It is the only place we haven't looked."
"If Ethan had her, surely he would have made his demands by now," Reagan points out. Yeah maybe we should cling that hope.
We clearly should have made sure that our mate found a safe place to go after rejecting her. It's purely our fault we are in this mess.
A sudden knock interrupts our thoughts, and the same servant from earlier re-enters the room again, her eyes wide with urgency.
"My Kings, princess Hellen...." She starts to say but Reagan cuts her off.
"Not now, we are occupied..."
"But, Your Majesty, it's one of her servant who seeks an audience. She claims to have information about Ella." The Servant persist.
We exchange puzzled looks and Kian nods decisively. "Bring her in."
The servant hurries to the door and ushers in a woman wearing a scarf, her face is partially covered. She bows awkwardly before us.
"You claim to know something about our missing Mate?" I inquire.
"Yes, Your Majesty, but I require... a small token in exchange for my information." Her voice trembles slightly as she speaks, her eyes darting between us.
My brothers snorts in disbelief at her audacity.
"We will indeed reward you handsomely if your information proves valuable. Now, speak." I order.
The woman visibly relaxes at my assurance.
"On the night of the royal dinner, Your majesty. Princess Hellen... she... she took Ella with her out of the palace."
My eyes narrow. "What do you mean took? If Ella was in that carriage, the guards would have seen and recognized her." I counter.
The servant shakes her head, her demeanor changing suddenly as she seems to tremble slightly.
"Ella was on the floor of the carriage, unconscious, Your Majesty." She discloses.
"Are you telling us Princess Hellen kidnapped Ella?" Reagan questions, his tone filled with disbelief.
The maid nods slowly, confirming her words. My fists clench.
"Told you, that stupid evil witch had something to do with it!" Kian seethes with anger. " I say we torture her until she tells us where our mate is."
"And then what happened, where did she take Ella? Speak!" Reagan demands.
The servant appears more agitated than before, her eyes darting nervously.
"Princess Hellen... she... she killed Ella, Your Majesties. I saw it with my own eyes."