I breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded, and my whole body started to relax. "Ok," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on the ground some more. "Do you know who is on Gavin's side or who will follow the king?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

Leo hesitated before he shrugged and grimaced. "I don't know," he said honestly. "All I know is that almost everyone here was ordered to come by Gavin. If they agree with him or not, then I can not say and do not know."

I pressed my lips into a thin line and gave him a short nod, furrowing my brows. "Do you think that you will be able to find out?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

"I can and will," Leo promised before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet, growing serious. "However, right now, I think that it is for the best that I help you out and get you out of the ropes so that you two can escape."

He hesitated before he took a step towards us, bowing his head ever so slightly as if to submit, even though he didn't need to while he reached into his pocket to grab the knife.

"No," I said and moved back just a tad with a small shake of my head, knowing full well that Gavin would do something to him if he found out that it was him who had let us go.

Instantly, Leo's eyes grew wide, and he raised his hands in surrender, letting go of the knife. He didn't say a word and took that step back with his face going pale.

"Gavin will know if it was you who helped us escape," I said, "and I do not want anything bad to happen to you, Leo."

"Bu-"

"No," I said, interrupting him with a shake of my head. "You are not letting us go."

My father looked at me quizzically but didn't say a word. He turned his attention back to Leo while he waited for me to say or do something that would give him any indication as to why I did not want Leo to do anything or have him help us.

"What are Gavin's plans?" I asked, not giving my father the time of day while I continued to look at Leo. "What does he want from me, from my father?" I looked at my father before I looked at Leo, again.

Leo sighed and shook his head, pressing his lips into a thin line. "He thinks that you will be able to lead us to the king," he said before he gestured to where our horses were grazing with ears pricked toward us. "Or at least your horses."

I pressed my lips into a thin line and slowly nodded, and my heart skipped a beat before it started to pound hard and fast in my chest. "So he remembered what I had said that the horses could do, right?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and Leo hesitated before he slowly nodded, not looking at me.

"What do you mean?' my father asked and furrowed his brows in confusion while he looked between the two of us before he looked at me. He cocked his head and studied me before he looked at Leo and then looked at me again. "What have you told him?"

I shifted to get comfortable, even though whatever I did was in vain, for I could not get comfortable at all. "I have told him that the horses can find us or find the way home if they need to," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

My father pressed his lips into a thin line before he slowly nodded. He didn't say a word while he looked between Leo and then me, looking very nervous and worried.

I sighed and shook my head, pressing my lips into a thin line before I looked at Leo. "Is he trying to use the horses to lead him to the castle?" I asked, and Leo hesitated before he slowly nodded.

"Yes," Leo said before he cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "He wants to be king, Belle, and he's going to try to do anything in his power to become it. That means he is going to try and use you to get him."

Oh, great...

I pressed my lips into a thin line before I slowly nodded. I didn't say a word while I tapped my fingers on the ground because I couldn't help but become very nervous, silently wondering what was going to happen and how he was going to try to use me...

Leo sighed and moved a hand through his hair before he shook his head and pursed his lips into a thin line. "I do not know how he is going to use you, but he is going to at least try. I think that he is hoping that you have made him fall in love with you or something like that."

My cheeks turned red as soon as he said that, and I couldn't help but look away from them, for I had no idea if I had done that.

Did I make him the way he made me feel..? Or was I just some dumb bitch in a scary movie, waiting for the right time to be slaughtered?

My heart ached when those thoughts crossed my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder what my relationship with Reif was going to be like now that I was a part of that life and a life that I never knew.

"I am sure that he has fallen for you too, Belle," my father said softly and moved closer to me. "He did let you leave even if it was at his own demise."

My heart sank when he said that, and I slowly nodded, pressing my lips into a thin line. "I know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I shook my head and cleared my throat, shifting some more. "I still hope that I am not making a grave mistake, especially since he and the kingdom are running out of time."

"But we do have time, right?" Leo asked while he looked between the two of us before he looked at me with wide eyes filled with pain and sadness. "Do we have enough time so that we can help?"

I bit back a small sigh and shrugged and grimaced. "I hope so," I said before I cleared my throat while I shifted some more. "However, I am afraid that we are quickly running out of time. All I can hope is that some way we will be able to get there with just enough time to bring them back to their human forms and not the half forms that they find themselves in and have been themselves in for years before I came around."

"And I will do anything in my power to help," Leo said while he walked over to us again, and my father watched him like a hawk, moving closer to us. He cleared his throat and glanced at my father before he looked at me. "Gavin wants you two to lead them to the kingdom so that he could kill the king himself and become king after he is dead."

I didn't say a word and set my jaw while I narrowed my eyes, pressing my lips into a thin line. I had a feeling that was what he was going to do, especially since he seemed to want my father and I alive.

"He wants to use you and your father as bait," Leo said before he shrugged and grimaced. "First it was going to just be your father, but now it is going to be both of you."

"But you don't?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Leo's eyes grew wide, and he shook his head. "No, no, no, no," he said. "Gavin would be a horrible king, and I do not wish him to be in that position. You, however, will be an amazing queen when you accept that role and accept the king as your mate."

My cheeks turned red with my heart growing warm, and I looked away from him. "I have, Leo," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I have accepted him as my mate and want to tell him that before time runs out and changes the future forever."

"Then we will get you to him before it does," Leo said and nodded. He looked around to make sure that no one was paying attention to us before he knelt down at my side.

"I will see if there is anyone else that is willing to turn on Gavin as soon as we get to the castle," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "There will be those that will still swear to the kingdom, especially if they find out that the king has changed for the better."

He reached into his pocket and pulled my dagger out from his pocket again. "The plan is for you and your father to be "knocked out" by me and someone else on the journey back to the kingdom. We are to use you as bargaining chips for the king to step down and to hand the throne over to Gavin without a fight."

"And what if a fight persists?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in question while I stared at the male before me.

"Then it will be a fight to the death, and I know that Gavin is going to play dirty. The Warriors are going to attack the king's warriors and so forth, so there is going to be a battle."

"And what about me and my dad?"

"You both will still be knocked out on the back of the horses," he replied. "Two members of the pack will be there to "watch" you two and make sure that you don't interfere."

I pressed my lips into a thin line and slowly nodded. "And is one of them going to be you?" I asked, silently praying that one of them was going to be him because he was the one I trusted the most out of them.

Leo bit back a small smile and nodded. "Yes," Leo said and cleared his throat, glancing around before he looked at me. "One of them is going to be me."

I breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded, silently thanking the Goddess that he was going to be near us.

Leo looked around again before he reached over and put the dagger's handle into my hand. "Once you feel like it is time, cut the ropes from around your wrists and ankles, and then shoot him with your gun. He will not expect a damn thing."

My heart ached, and I couldn't help but pray that what he said was true. "Are you sure?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper before I moved the dagger up my sleeve so that no one would know that it was there. "Are you sure that he will not expect anything?"

Leo shrugged and grimaced, not telling me that he was sure. "If he does, then we will come up with a Plan B when it's time and hope for the best," he replied. "However, those that will still serve the king, and you, will make sure that you two stay alive and well."

He bowed and submitted, showing me his neck, and a small shiver went down my spine while power seemed to fill my body. "You have my word..."

He paused and cleared his throat while he submitted deeper, not meeting my gaze, "Your Majesty."