Aurora''s POV


    "Please, help me with the yellow top," I said to Anna, pointing to a dress hanging in the wardrobe.


    She went over to get it as I put thest of the clothes into my bag, except the one she went to get. "Here it is," she said, handing it over to me as I folded it and put it into my bag. Then I zipped it up and was ready to go.


    "You look so beautiful, ma''am," Annaplimented me, and it somehow brought a smile to my face as I deeply appreciated it, especially because it was heartfelt.


    "Thank you," I said to her, before picking up my bag to leave the room but she stopped me.


    "I''ll help you with that, ma''am," she said, grabbing the bag from my hands and standing just behind me.


    I nodded in appreciation and then walked out of the room with Anna, walking closely behind, holding onto my bag.


    As we got outside, I saw that the carriage was already there and Alpha Bane stood outside, waiting for me to arrive as he bid farewell to his father.


    "There she is," he said as soon as he sighted me. "We''ve been waiting for you for quite a while now."


    "I didn''t know you were going to be out here so early," Iughed. "I''d have thought against taking my time."


    "It''s alright," he said to me as I got close to him. Then he nted a kiss on both cheeks and then on my lips. "I''m just d you''re here now."


    I turned to his father and bowed in respect. "Greetings, Princess Aurora," he responded. "May the goddess be with you both as you go to your Pack to meet your parents."


    "May it be so," I affirmed and then turned around to get into the carriage.


    Anna walked ahead of me and dropped my bag at the area where Alpha Bane''s bag also was and then she turned and stood right next to the carriage.


    As I fixed my gaze on her, she looked like she was about to cry. In the few days that we had spent together, she had grown an attachment to me and I too was very fond of her.


    "I''m going to miss you, Princess," she said to me, a bit teary-eyed.


    It caught the attention of Alpha Bane, who stopped to look at her in shock. He must have wondered what made the maid get so bold to freely express herself in that manner before me. It was love; the love that we both shared.


    She did all in her power to make me happy andfortable, without looking upset or frowning her face because she was forced to do it. She was more than happy to do things for me and I also always treated her gently and with respect, as I did with the other maids. It seemed she was the only one who appreciated it and I loved her even more for that.


    "I''ll miss you too, Anna," I said to her, pulling her close and wrapping my hands around her in a hug whichsted for more than two minutes. The tears did roll down but it wasn''t just from her eyes but from mine too. We had created a very strong bond. "Don''t worry, Anna. I''ll be back pretty soon. Just be good for me, okay?"


    "Okay, ma''am. I will. I hope to see you soon."


    "You will," I said to her, finally breaking the hug.


    With the help of Alpha Bane, I finally got into the carriage but before he stepped in, he spent about two to three minutes, sharing a few words with his father.


    I stared at him from the window of the carriage, but my mind was elsewhere. I thought about a lot of things, but most of all, I was so afraid that something bad was about to happen.


    So deep was I, in my thoughts that I didn''t even notice when Alpha Bane got into the carriage. I saw a hand repeatedly wave in front of me and that was when I was brought back to my consciousness.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked, with a concerned look on his face.


    "I''m scared. I''m deeply scared, "I replied with no form of hesitation at all. "I have a feeling that something bad is about to happen. I can sense it so strongly and after that dream that I had..."


    "You''ve still not let go of that dream since then?" He asked, grabbing my hand.


    "I haven''t. I can''t. No matter how hard I try, I still see glimpses of it and the way that I feel about it is still the same. Nothing has changed. That''s why I''m so convinced that something really bad is about to happen, my love."


    "Please, don''t think that way," he said, doing his best to console me but I know what I felt. I know exactly what went through my mind. I could feel the shivers down my spine each time I thought about that dream.


    It was too strong for me to neglect; like a deep warning of what was toe and no matter how hard he tried to convince me to let it go, it only felt like he was goading me to ignore the inevitable. That was simply going to be suicidal.


    I wanted so hard for him to just ept that the dream was right. I needed him to prepare himself so he wouldn''t be taken unawares for any reason whatsoever. I wanted no mistakes. We had to be ready for the magnitude of an attack that I saw in my dream.


    "Aurora, I want you to be calm," he kept saying to me over and over again. "You need to calm down, my love. This is my promise to you; I''ll protect you with all of my life. As long as I''m alive, I''ll never let anything happen to you."


    "And just like in my dream, if you''re not?" I asked, knowing that my question could have been misunderstood.


    "I''m not going to die. I''m not going anywhere. If there''s an iing war like you said, we''re going to win it and there''ll finally be some peace in thend once and for all."


    I gazed deeply into his eyes to see how serious he was with that statement. I needed to make certain that he wasn''t just saying it to please me but that he meant it. He did. At least, that was what I thought and I was very d.


    I leaned on his shoulder, finally willing to trust him. I hoped within me that he was going to do all that he said and that the goddess would be on our side to grant us the victory that we so deserved in the face of our enemies.


    I heaved a huge sigh and knowing the journey was a long one, decided to shut my eyes as the carriage finally drove away.