A Touch of Fear: Wolves of Ayorlyn Series: Book 1 (The Wolves of Ayorlyn)

by KC Kellersen

  I stripped off my clothes and looked at myself in the mirror. I was a gross image of greens, blues, blacks, and purples. I only had one greenish bruise on my face; Irene didn’t like to hit the face, unless it was to backhand me to get my attention. Looking at myself now, I couldn’t find the similarities of my parents that panged me just a short time ago. In 18 days, I went from being a scared, naïve child, to this shattered woman. I looked broken, but I didn’t feel broken. I felt alive and worthy.

  I slipped into the tub with a moan. The water was wonderful! The heat penetrated straight through my body and I felt myself relax completely for the first time since I left home. I soaked in the water and let my mind play over the last couple weeks. If someone would told me half the things I’ve seen and gone through I would have called them crazy.

  When the water started to cool, I washed my body and my hair before leaving the tub reluctantly. I opened the muscle rub that Oliver left with a smile on my face. It was really thoughtful of him to offer his tub to me and bring me medicine for my wounds. The balm smelled familiar, but I couldn’t place the memory. I rubbed it into my arms, ribs, and thighs where the worst of my injuries were. It stung a little on the skin, but I felt the icy burn run as deep as the hot water did. It was soothing, Oliver was on to something with this.

  I dressed in my clean clothes quickly, re-braided my hair and left the washroom, feeling a little self-conscious. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. It’s not like we had a normal friendship here. I still didn’t trust him enough for the truth of things, but I had to trust him a little. Otherwise I wouldn’t have used his tub. I went back down the hall and he smiled at me as I entered. Swoon, those damn dimples.

  “Good timing. The redhead just delivered our dinner.”

  I looked at the table he moved in front of the sofa. There were four trays of food. “Are we expecting more people to join us? And how did you explain feeding me up here with you?”

  “I told Henry the alphas would be joining me for dinner, so all four trays were brought here. It helped their cover for being gone, not that it matters, and I get to feed you without alerting anyone.” He smiled again and I was so distracted by his dimples I didn’t reply.

  I sat across from him and opened one of the trays. My mouth watered. I hadn’t eaten a full meal since my first three days here. The plate was piled high with a large steak, some sort of creamy noodle, sautéed mushrooms, a dinner roll and a small bowl of salad on the side. I dove in with more enthusiasm than was proper, but I didn’t care.

  After the first couple bites in silence I finally spoke. “Thank you, Oliver. For the soak and for dinner. It was really nice of you to do this for me. Oh, and that rub stuff is amazing! I can still feel its burn soothing the bruises.”

  “If there is anything, I can do to make things a little easier on you, I will do it. What you are doing here is important. I don’t know how you managed it, but you saved my family. I owe my thanks to you, not the other way around...” I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just smiled a little and went back to eating.

  We spent the rest of the evening talking a little about the alphas and what they were really like. We talked about the rogues and how they have helped him over the years. He didn’t ask any more questions for me and I knew he was just giving me time. Time to trust him, it was working.

  At the end of the night I hinted at one of my secrets, “You know, you are a lot like your brother. Thanks again.” I left his unit before he could respond. I didn’t want to have the full discussion but at least it was something to show him that I was beginning to trust him.

  It was true though; he really was like Liam. They had similar facial expressions. The same dimples, and the same mannerisms. They both crinkled their brow when they were frustrated and tapped their foot the same when they were irritated. Being around Oliver made me miss Liam so much. I thought it would feel like he was a crutch until I could see Liam again, but it wasn’t like that. My tie with Oliver felt different. And definitely not brotherly. I guess that’s the difference between growing up with someone and a friendship forged on the edge of fear. That and Oliver had stirred my body with his roaming hands in our little make-out session.

  The next day was much the same. Oliver invited me up to his unit when I finished with Irene. He offered me a bath and told me to take my time. After that we had dinner and talked for a while. Still not asking any questions, or even mentioning my comment about Liam. The only difference was at the end of the night I knew it would be my last. The alphas were set to return the next day and I wouldn’t be able to come up here without alerting Irene to my eating with him or the alphas catching us.

  It was my turn to show him something. “Hey tomorrow, lets meet at the training center instead of here, since the alphas are due to return,” I suggested with a smile.

  He narrowed his eyes at me, trying to guess my mood. “Okay… we don’t have to hang out outside while they are around. You know that, right? They do have their own units.”

  “Yes, I know that, but we also can’t run into each other’s embrace any time they are around to keep us from getting caught. Plus, we will not be outside. Do you trust me?”

  His answer was immediate, “Yes.”

  “Alright then, same time tomorrow at the training center.”

  I left his unit feeling both nervous and happy. I was really enjoying my time with Oliver.

  Chapter 12

  Alina’s POV

  The next day I finished my shift with Irene, not having a single new bruise on my body. Either she was really distracted, or I was finally getting her to back off. Either way I was appreciative. I hurried off down the hall to my room. I grabbed a clean set of clothes and ran back to the shower. I knew it was vain, but I didn’t want to spend time around Oliver covered grime and sweat from cleaning. I showered quickly and used his muscle rub on my body. I pulled my hair into a soft topknot and headed back for my room. I grabbed my cloak and the key I had hidden. I stuck the key in my pocket and put on my tennis shoes.

  I snuck from the castle and headed for my normal meet spot with Zev. Perhaps he was back with word on Ruby. I whistled and he came quickly. We shared out normal greeting of neck scratches and weird noises. I took the letter from his leg and sent him back out into the woods. I needed him close just in case I had a new letter to send to Liam. I smiled as I read the letter.

  Ruby is safe.

  I headed for the training arena. I didn’t want to be out in the open so, I found a shadowed area where I could wait. Oliver and any other wolf shifter would know I was here, but that didn’t mean I had to stand out in the open and announce myself.

  I giggled as Oliver came running up the walk and yelled loudly, “Kitten come on!!”

  “Way to be conspicuous, loud-mouth,” I scolded lightly.

  My mind, foolishly, drifted to his mouth and the way his lips felt on mine. I shook my head; I shouldn’t be thinking of such things. There was a reason that wolf-shifters didn’t hook up with other shifters before they found their mates. It could cause problems. Imagine sleeping with one person and then finding out they are your mates best friend, or sibling. Wolf-shifters are extremely jealous by nature, it just wasn’t done. It didn’t stop wolf-shifters from being with humans, but I am not a human. No matter what other people here think, including him.

  I shouldn’t be obsessing over a single kiss anyways. Even if my body tingled with memory every time I thought of the sweet interlude. Oh gosh, what if Liam was our mate and we kissed his brother? Oh Goddess, my life was much simpler when my body was asleep. Now it felt like a taught wire tense and ready to spring any moment. I had to mentally force my head from those never-ending thoughts and all the questions and theories that went with them.

  “Are you coming out?” he asked confused. I laughed at myself and him, enjoying how easily it slipped out.

  I wrapped the cloak a little tighter around me and left my hiding place in the shadows. I gave him a quick once over, trying not to
be obvious in my perusal. He looked gorgeous as always in his black tee shirt, denim jeans and black boots. I led him to the edge of the arena and through the thicket of trees. He laughed quietly to himself.

  “What’s funny?” I asked over my shoulder.

  “Oh nothing,” he said innocently, too innocently.

  After a few minutes we broke from the trees and butted up against the castle wall was a small stone building. It didn’t look like much and I thought about my mother’s comment, ‘it will have everything you need’. I eyed it with skepticism.

  “It’s not really much of a secret,” he said wryly.

  He led the way into the small building. It had a few weight benches but overall was just as unimpressive as I thought it would be. He didn’t stop so I followed along after him towards the back wall. There was a large mat on the ground, and he shifted it out of the way.

  “There is said to be an awesome room down here. But it’s locked. I just need to find a way to break into it.”

  “If you had a key, it might be a lot easier,” I said.

  “Well obviously, smart ass. But there is only one key and it disappeared a long time ago. I overhead Lillian talk about it when I was just a pup.” He was pulling on the latch with all his strength and I had to laugh. He glared at me.

  “Well if she hadn’t pissed off her sister, she might still have the key,” I said, still laughing as I pulled the key from my pocket.

  “Well why didn’t you lead with that?” He grabbed the key with such enthusiasm and inserted it into the latch in the ground. It made a loud click and Oliver pulled it open.

  “I would have but you kind of stole the lead from me.”

  He ignored my sarcastic remark and said, “I haven’t been this excited in ages!” He eyes were alight with joy. I hadn’t seen him this open yet.

  He dropped his body inside and switched on the light. I followed behind him and closed the latch above me. I could see the locking mechanism, so I locked it tight, just in case. I followed Oliver down the metal staircase.

  “This is perfect!” he exclaimed.

  We explored, opening and closing doors as we went. The main room is large, in the center is the weight benches and random training machines. On the left side of the room there was four ceiling high shelves full of books, with a couple reading chairs, and two large desks. I ran my hands along the books as I looked around. There was a section for everything: human history, wolf-shifter history, The Queens of Ayorlyn, the mate bond, the protectors, alphas, Stillforest, Ironridge, Riverlands, Moon Valley, and more. I should have come here when I first got to the castle; I felt a little disappointed with myself.

  I left the library nook and walked along the back wall, there was five doors. The first was a large swimming room. There were lockers along the back and a large pool in the center. I walked in and reached down, putting my hand into the water. It was warm! A heated pool!! I was so excited! I couldn’t wait to go swimming! I went back out and opened the second door, it was a bedroom with four separate beds along the walls with a small wardrobe next to each. This must have been for the protectors. I closed the door and opened the next.

  The third door was another bedroom with a single bed, wardrobe, and large desk. This must have been the princess’ personal room. I went into her room, leaving the door open and headed for the desk. It was completely empty, never having been used. I left the desk and opened the wardrobe. It was filled to capacity with quite a few dresses, workout clothes, swimwear and sleepwear. The next door was a simple washroom. This whole training center had everything a person needed to live, except groceries.

  When I went to open the final door, it was locked. By a lucky guess, I used the key from the main latch. It unlocked with a loud click and I pushed on the door. It was heavy and required me to use a lot of force. When it opened enough, I realized why. It wasn’t just a door. It was part of a block wall. I stepped out and looked around. This door leads to outside the castle wall!

  “Oliver! Come check this out!” I called. “A handy escape if we need it.”

  “Does that really go outside the wall?” His Ice blue eyes danced like flames with his happiness. It was a good look for him, along with the smile, seemingly permanently attached to his face.

  “Yes, it does!”

  “Kitten look, you can open this door from the outside. The key-hole is hidden in this crack.”

  “That’s good. We need to have extra keys made; in case we ever need to get in here from the back or escape from inside.”

  “I can take the main key to the blacksmith in town tomorrow and get a copy.”

  “Okay. Lock it up we don’t want anyone to see it open. Oh, did you notice the water was heated?” I asked excitedly.

  “No way! I love to swim!” His grin widened even more. “I didn’t even check the water temperature. I am so glad you had this key.”

  “Me too! Now let’s go swimming! That warm water is bound to feel amazing and I could use the physical exercise.”

  “I don’t mind but unless you want me swimming naked, probably not today.” His icy blue eyes danced with mischief again.

  An image of a naked Oliver found its way into my head. Oh Goddess, he was going to be the death of me. I ignored my perverted thoughts and said, “I found a swimsuit in the Queen’s wardrobe.”

  “That’s not exactly my style,” he said with a wrinkle in his nose.

  “If you’d let me finish,” I teased. “I am sure you can find something in the four protectors wardrobes that will fit you. In fact, I will bet you can find something to work out in too, so you don’t ruin your clothes training, and no one would be the wiser. To my understanding this room was built by Lillian’s parents as a gift for their granddaughter, no one has ever used this.”

  “So, I guess I shouldn’t feel bad for taking things, I was meant to use this room too. Alright, ready for a swim?” he asked. Then it dawned on me. If I get into a swimsuit, he is going to see all the bruises all over my body. It’s not exactly a pretty sight.

  “Uh… Yes, but there is something you should know,” I said a little timidly. A drastic turn from my previous mood.

  “What’s up Kitten? Can’t you swim? This was your idea, you know?” The happiness and the mischief still danced in his eyes.

  “No that’s not it. I am Irene’s personal punching bag, remember?”

  “Oh, I see. Well no matter what you are hiding under there, it’s not going to bother me. Go get dressed and I will meet you in the water.” He turned his back on me and went into the room with the four bunks.

  I went into the Queens room and looked in the wardrobe. I found a couple different swimsuits. Two were most definitely not for me, they were tiny, as in tiny scraps of fabric and wouldn’t cover much. The last was more appropriate. It was solid black, full chest coverage with wide straps. The bottoms were shorts. She probably would have used this to train with the protectors in the water or do laps. I chose the black one easily. I put the swimsuit on, pulled my hair from its braid and looked at myself in the mirror. The yellow, green, purple and black bruises showed many different ages of injury across my chest, ribs, stomach, and legs.

  I took a calming breath and left the room. If he didn’t like it, he would have to get over it. I shouldn’t be worried about what he thought anyways. When I walked into the pool area, he turned and froze with his jaw dropped open slightly. I could see many emotions cross over his face. Pity, guilt, sorrow, disgust, anger, some emotion I didn’t recognize, finally settling into a blank mask. “I am sorry you’ve gone through hell Kitten. I am so sorry.”

  “It’s not a pretty sight,” I said the last with a shrug, like I didn’t care. I did, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “No, it’s not but you are still beautiful.”

  I gave him a you have got to be joking me look and dove into the warm water, it felt amazing. I stayed under and swam to the other side of the pool before coming up for air. Hopefully giving him enough time to control his reac
tion to my bruising.

  “Did the alphas return today? I didn’t see them.”

  “Yes, just before I came here. They gave Lillian the bad news, that no powerful pup could be found anywhere. Lillian was so pissed; she actually projected a wave of her power outside her body. She’s been getting angrier and angrier lately. I really am surprised she didn’t shift into her wolf form.”

  “Can she even still shift? I mean it’s been, what, 25 years since she shifted last?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe she just refuses to or maybe Sarina bound her wolf, like she did ours.”

  “Interesting…So where are the alphas now?”

  “Resting. When Lillian orders them to forget a mission, they have to sleep it off. It’s pretty rough for them.” He was quiet for a moment, and the only sound was the water lapping at the sides of the pool. “They did bring back a few wolf-shifters,” his whispered words hurt him as much as they did me.

  “We really need to get into the dungeons and find out why they are being brought here.”

  “What we need to do is stop them from disappearing at all!”

  He didn’t say more so I dove under the water again and let the weight settle over me, trying to calm my thoughts. After I emerged from the water, serious Oliver was gone, and playful Oliver was back. We spent a few hours playing, laughing, and just messing around in the pool. It was so relaxing on my sore body, that I wanted to stop time.

  “I wish we could stay here forever,” I whispered. I knew he would hear the desperation in my voice, but hopefully he wouldn’t guess the cowardice behind it.

  “I hear you! This is the freest I have felt since I was a pup. Down here there is no Lillian, no Sarina, no anything. Just two friends playing in the water. It’s nice.”

  “I cannot wait for this to be over. You should have a chance to be with your family.”