Filed To Story: Fated is Overrated Novel Free by Brenda Minnaard
King Zion POV
I can tell by her shocked expression that she wasn’t expecting my question – good! Although she composes her expression within a split second, I noticed. And of course, our guards had already witnessed what had happened, so I already know. I am just testing her honesty, and I am intrigued by how this girl single-handedly fended off 5 rogues like that. “Well.. Uhm.. The first one crossed because he had too much momentum when I dodged his attack. The uhm.. second one he uh… he sort of got launched onto your territory when I fought him off, your highness” she replies in a small timid voice. Although she may come across as a timid girl to some, my senses tell me she is anything but. At least she is honest though. “Thank you for your honest answer, Lola. What I would like to know is why you were fighting off 5 wolves in your human form – why didn’t you shift?”. Her eyes cast to the ground as she replies “my wolf is dormant, your highness”. For the first time ever during interrogation, I have a hard time telling if she is lying or being truthful. I have no reason to assume she is lying and goddess knows why someone would lie about something as pitiful as that – but my gut just keeps telling me something is off. Before I can ask her, my dear Xena mind links me ‘that is odd… she is lying about that? Out of all the things she could have lied about. She was truthful about everything, and yet she lied about that?’. My Queen has a special ability where she can sense if someone is being truthful or not, which comes in handy quite a lot. ‘Why on earth would she lie about something as shameful as that?!’ I reply to her, but of course she is as clueless as I am.
I don’t flat out confront her about the lie, but I am still curious. “Has it always been dormant? If not, what has lead to your wolf being dormant?”. I can tell by her expression that she really doesn’t want to talk about this, but as the King and Queen she can’t tell us to mind our own business. “She hasn’t always been, your highness. A personal event triggered her to become dormant” she replies. The personal event comment is a polite way of her saying she’d rather not tell us. I can’t bring myself to imagine why someone would lie about their wolf being dormant. What is the purpose in that? Generally, a dormant wolf is actually considered a very shameful thing. But whatever the reason, I guess it doesn’t really matter as she is just a girl wanting to be on her way. Which reminds me of other things I need to ask her. “Which pack are you from Lola, and how long have you been a rogue? Why have you left? And where do you intend to go?”. She looks hesitant and closed off during the interrogation, like she wants to be anywhere but here. She seems reluctant when she answers “I am from the Red Dagger pack your highness. I lost track of how long it has been. I am heading towards human territory and won’t be a bother to any other packs. I left for the same personal reasons. Not that I have ever belonged there anyway” she mutters the last part under her breath.
I knew it was her of course. The message had been spread all over the Kingdom in search of her. I was just curious about her reasoning, as the Alpha seemed completely unaware of what had caused a female to sign her own death sentence by becoming a rogue. Which is another telltale sign it was her, there are no female rogues out there besides her. What baffles me however, is the fact that she has survived over 2 weeks out on her own, with no wolf at that. Unclaimed land is swamped with the vilest of rogues. I will have to ask their Alpha which training this girl has received, because it is really impressive. There is something about this girl I can’t quite put my finger on. But she seems closed off and unwilling to speak with me. Before I can continue my questioning, my Queen pops up in my mind ‘do you mind me giving it a try?’. My mate is excellent at interrogation. Not only because of her ability to tell the truth from a lie, but my lady has some seriously good tactics to get people to open up. I wonder if she will be able to get her to talk more.
Queen Xena POV
I can tell throughout the interrogation that the girl was reluctant to answer my husband’s questions, especially the personal questions. Going on a hunch, I ask him to give me a crack at it. I rarely involve myself in interrogations and am mostly only there to perceive and tell the truth from lies. But then again, we have never had a seemingly innocent female rogue in interrogation either. She looks completely worn down but yet she stands tall, firm even, in front of the King and Queen. Perhaps she needs a female touch to get her to open up a little. I clear my throat before addressing her “dear, we have seen the missing person information from your old pack. It has been 2 weeks now since your departure there. Have you been living out there in unclaimed land all by yourself all that time? It is very dangerous out there” I ask with genuine concern lacing my voice. She seems taken aback, whether by anything I said or by my tone I don’t know, but her eyes soften as they redirect to me.
She takes some time to regain her composure before answering “missing person information, your highness? I informed the pack of my departure, I am not missing. I left willingly” her jaw ticks slightly before continuing “yes I have been in unclaimed land ever since. I am aware of the dangers, your highness. I faced quite a few along my journey and had a few close calls” she says with an almost apologetic smile. My heart goes out to her. There is a lot to be uncovered still about her, but my heart aches knowing she willingly stepped into unclaimed land which should have been a death sentence for her. Her reason was personal she said, but I can’t help but wonder what on earth must have transpired for someone to forfeit their life like that. I don’t want to push her into telling us, but I need her to know she can talk to me “dear, if you ever want to talk about the personal issue, please know I am here to listen” I see sadness flashing in her eyes as she tries to keep it together, but it’s there. I wouldn’t be Queen if I wasn’t ready to bite the bullet and ruffle some feathers, so here I go. “That being said, I am curious and would like to know why you are lying about your wolf. And before you answer, know that I will be able to tell if you are lying or not”. I give her a pointed look encompassed with an understanding smile. I understand it is hard, and I understand she doesn’t trust us.
Her jaw drops open and she turns her gaze down to her feet guiltily, falling silent. “It’s alright dear, I am not judging you. You have no reason to trust us and I understand. I am just honestly curious why, out of everything you could have lied about, you chose that”. She looks up again, her gaze to the side while contemplating what she is going to say. “I…. I don’t want people to see my wolf, your highness” she croaks out. I can tell this is the truth, but there seems more to it than that. I can tell, also from the information provided by the head warrior who brought her in, that it is unlikely that it is because she is self-conscious about her wolf. The head warrior informed us that when they cuffed her with pure silver cuffs, she showed no reaction at all. Which is very interesting, since even Lycans have a reaction to silver. Not as badly as normal wolves, but the reaction and generally being weaker us still there. He also told me she didn’t seem too fazed by his aura, but that could be because he is a warrior and not from her pack.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.