CHAPTER 003: I Know You're There, Little Wolf

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~~PRINCE CALIX MALZARETH~~

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I thought werewolves were supposed to be a lot tougher than this.

The red-haired princess lay sprawled in the dirt, her wedding gown torn and filthy, begging me to take her life.

“Please, Lord Calix. Kill me.”

My men stood in a loose formation behind me, silent, waiting.

I stared at her.

I could smell her.

It wasn’t just the usual earthy, musky scent of wolves. No, this was different. Warmer. Spiced. Like smoked honey and crushed oranges.

A scent that shouldn’t exist.

I knew what it was, but I’d be damned if I admitted it to myself.

It was impossible. Khra'gixxes didn't mate with werewolves.

I should probably just snap her neck, leave her in this forest to rot. It was kinder. Better than whatever awaited her in my court.

But I wasn’t kind.

And I was weirdly fascinated by her.

I sighed, standing up. “Bring the wolf to her feet and take off her collar,” I commanded.

Two of my men stepped forward, gripping her arms, dragging her up. A third went for the collar.

The moment his fingers touched it, she screamed.

A wretched sound that made my men hesitate for half a breath.

The guard didn’t stop. He yanked at the silver until it gave, the metal snapping in two.

Then she collapsed.

Straight into me.

I caught her instinctively, my hands curling around her waist.

I could see the raw, red indent left behind on her neck. She flinched when I touched it, her whole body shivering.

The wound was already closing.

Typical werewolves.

“Come now,” I said. “Don’t be dramatic. The collar’s gone. You can stand up straight.”

“Let me die, Prince Calix.”

“The answer’s no.”

“If you won't kill me, then leave me be. I’ll do it myself.”

This was one very stubborn werewolf. I’d never met anyone bold enough to talk back, especially not amongst the wolves whom the Khra'gixxes had sworn to hate forever. If I needed any indication that this was a spoiled princess, this was it. Stubborn pets were my favorite, though. I loved breaking them.

I could feel my men watching, shifting on their feet. We needed to move.

“If I promise to kill you, little wolf, will you behave?” I asked.

That got her attention. She stilled, breath hitching.

Her scent clouded the air between us. It sparked a bloodlust, a kind of hunger I’d ever felt before.

“You promise?” she asked.

“I promise. Now, can we leave?”

A pause. Then a nod.

“Great,” I said.

She was still weak, still half-dazed from the wolfsbane. Whatever blend they’d used must’ve been potent.

One of the guards reached for her, but I shook my head.

“She’s flying with me.”

They stepped back.

“Flying?” she asked, finally looking at me.

“Yes, little wolf.”

“I don’t want to fly.”

Even half-dead, she still had an entitled princess tone. As if she actually believed she had a say in this.

“I don’t care,” I said. “We’re not walking.”

“No.” She tried to pull away. “Leave me alone.”

“You promised to behave, remember?”

“I’m not flying anywhere with you.”

Enough.

I wrapped her arms around my neck, then reached down, gathering her legs, lifting her against me. The wedding gown bunched around us, fabric catching in the wind as she struggled, thrashing weakly.

“Put me down!”

I ignored her, invoking my shadow magic. It locked her limbs in place so she wouldn’t fall off midair, especially with her being so hungry for death.

Then I took off.

She screamed.

Loud, shrill, almost feral.

Gods. She was going to scream my ears off.

My men were close behind, forming a protective circle around us.

She was still trying to unhook herself from me, shaking violently.

“Not going to work, Princess,” I said. “I’ve bound you to me.”

“Unbind me.”

“No.”

That scent of hers was still there, still messing with my head. The wolfsbane had worn off completely, leaving her eyes sharp, glaring, furious.

I knew she must be cold from flying in the open air, so I willed warmth into my body, letting it bleed into her. She stiffened but stopped shivering. It was not like I needed the heat. Khra'gixxes had no feeling for weather. Our body just automatically regulated.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, no longer struggling.

“To my home.”

“Noctis Vhaelor?”

“Yes.”

She seemed scared. She should be. Of all creatures in the four kingdoms, Khra'gixxes hated the werewolves more. My father might kill her on sight.

“Why?” she asked. “You could have just killed me in the forest.”

“I'm not going to kill you, Princess. Not here. Not even in Noctis Vhaelor.”

“But you promised.”

“I don't kill my pets, little wolf.”

She went still. Then, after a long pause, she said, “What does a pet mean? Is that another way of saying you’re going to drink my blood?”

That actually surprised me. Mostly because I had been thinking about it.

“Why would you ask that?”

“You people drink blood, don’t you?”

“We do,” I said. “If I find yours tasty, yes, I would feed from you.”

“That must be a terrible way to live—craving blood.”

All this talk of feeding was making me restless.

“Do you ever stop talking?” I asked.

“You and your father killed my parents. You’re monsters.”

I sighed. “I think I preferred you when you were poisoned.”

“I hate you. I wish you and everyone you love would die. You and my stupid uncle. My family. Jorath. I wish you'd all burn in hell.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, come on. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It’s why your uncle outsmarted you. Rulers aren’t weak. They’re ruthless.”

“Screw you.”

This one surely had a mouth on her. And for some reason, that amused me.

I decided to toy with her, just to watch her squirm. I flipped midair, spinning 360.

She shrieked, clutching me like her life depended on it.

I set her upright again, smiling in satisfaction. “I thought you wanted to die, little wolf?”

She was breathing hard, her pulse racing. That scent of hers flared again, strong, intoxicating. My throat burned.

“I’m going to kill you with my own hands,” she said.

“Promises, promises.”

“I’ll kill your father. My uncle. My whole pack. The entire world.”

“Such big dreams for a little wolf.”

Her voice broke. “I’ll kill them all. I swear it.”

And then she started crying.

I didn’t know what to do about that. So I did nothing.

Just flew.

Let her sob against me, her body wrecked with grief, her scent still attacking my nostrils.

I let the wind carry us home.

~~~

Hours later, after much peace and quiet since the little wolf was asleep, the sky began to change.

It would be morning soon.

“We need to make camp, Lord Calix,” the head guard said.

His voice dragged me back to reality.

I had spent the past few hours with the wolf’s scent invading every part of my being like a slow-acting poison.

And now, the sun was creeping up, which meant we needed to stop. It wasn’t that we couldn’t survive the sun, but it was an inconvenience. The light hurt our eyes.

“Alright,” I said. “Find us a good spot.”

Slowly, we descended.

I felt the little wolf stir awake in my arms.

Just as my feet hit the ground, her lashes fluttered open.

Her eyes were wild at first—blurry, disoriented, searching. Then they locked onto mine, and all that confusion sharpened into annoyance.

“Are we there yet?” she asked.

I dropped her.

She landed on her ass with a small oof, staring up at me like I had just tossed her off a cliff. Which, to be fair, I had considered.

“If by ‘there’ you mean Noctis Vhaelor, then no,” I said, rolling out the tension in my shoulders.

She pushed herself up, wincing. “Where are we?”

“Somewhere in the Western Kingdom. We’re setting up camp until the sun goes down.”

My men were already arranging tents.

There was a clearing here, wide enough to house us comfortably, with thick trees surrounding it.

I needed to put as much space as possible between the wolf and me.

I had been running mad for hours, suffocating under the constant pull of her scent, the maddening presence of her body against mine, the heat of her breath brushing my skin. I needed a break.

If I remembered these lands correctly, there was a river somewhere nearby.

“Look after the prisoner,” I said to the guards, already stepping away.

“Are you leaving?” Lyric asked.

I turned halfway, meeting her gaze.

“I am. But don’t get any escape ideas, little wolf. You won't get very far.”

Then I took off.

I flew fast, faster than I needed to, like I was trying to escape something. Maybe I was.

The river wasn’t far.

The water was dark and still, waiting.

I didn’t hesitate. Stripping off my clothes, I tossed them over a tree branch and dove in.

The moment my body hit the water, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

For a blissful second, there was silence.

Then Tai, my inner demon, decided to show up.

‘Now that we’re alone,’ he murmured in my head, ‘can we talk about the wolf girl?’

I kept swimming. ‘There’s nothing to talk about, Tai.’

‘She’s our mate.’

I clenched my teeth. ‘Don’t call her that.’

‘You smelled her. You felt the bond.’

‘Doesn’t mean anything. It’s impossible.’

‘We’ve waited over three centuries for this, and you’re going to deny us a mate?’

Tai could be an insufferable pain in the ass when he wanted something.

‘Drop the topic, demon. In fact, go away. I want to be alone.’

‘Not until you admit she’s our mate.’

‘I will not.’

‘Why else did you take her if not to mate with her?’

‘I want her as a pet.’

‘Like a dog?’

‘Exactly like that.’

‘I won’t let you do this.’

‘You don’t have a choice. Khra'gixxes and wolves don’t mate. If you want a mate, go get one yourself.’

‘I’m trapped inside you, aren't I?’

‘I really wish you weren’t.’

Tai let out a growl in my head, but I shut him out, diving deeper, letting the water press in around me.

And then—

A sound.

A shift in the air.

The faintest rustling of leaves.

I surfaced, brushing water off my face, my senses snapping to attention.

Then I smelled it.

Honey and oranges.

My entire body went still.

‘You smell it, don’t you?’ Tai whispered, smug as hell.

I ignored him, turning towards the thick undergrowth at the edge of the riverbank.

“I know you’re there, little wolf,” I said. “Show yourself.”