by Willa Hart
He nips my bottom lip and pulls back from our kiss. A devilish look is in his eyes. “You will be mine. Not here. Not now. But you will be mine very soon.” He kisses me again, heating the fire between us. He pulls away and presses both hands to the sides of my face. He looks into my eyes. This was fated long before you met a Roya.
His words strike deep in my heart, and a long-ago memory bubbles up into my mind. Mother and Father and Prince Rex and…me. We stand in the throne room of the Wolveskin lair; my hand is on his forearm and his hand is on mine, and we are…we are bound by a piece of leather encircling our arms.
“Yes, Meela, long ago, you were destined to be my bride.”
“But…but…” I shake my head. “My parents are human? How could I have been here and fated to become your mate…I don’t understand?”
“Oh, Princess, really, still? You are human, but you, my lovely Meela, are also Wolveskin.”
“But…but I don’t shift,” I say.
“Which makes me incredibly sad,” King Rex says. “That you won’t ever know the freedom of racing through the wind on a moon-filled night. But I will always try to give you that feeling, when we run free together and you ride me in the night.”
My body fills with excitement, because I have ridden King Rex in the night, and while I was nearly dying, there was an excitement, wild and palpable and free, that I felt.
“No other human has ever ridden my back, Princess. Know that to be the truth.”
And I do. There is a proudness in King Rex’s eyes that indicates to ride a Wolveskin is nearly unheard of.
“Your father was my father’s second,” King Rex says, “until he fell in love with your mother.”
“I…I have so few memories of my parents,” I say.
“They hid the memories from you before they hid you and your sister. They were very afraid that you would be found, taken, and destroyed.”
A knot builds inside me, and anger and sadness tighten my chest. “We were so little. Too little to be left,” I say.
“You’re angry that they left you and Huali,” King Rex says.
“I’m angry that they abandoned me and my sister. In a laundry. With a complete asshole. They could’ve left us here! With you and the Wolveskin. Why would they put us in Ninaku? Where I could’ve been mindslayed?”
“Oftentimes hiding in plain sight is the safest. They also didn’t want to risk the entire pack. Once the Roya Queen and Kings were assassinated it became clear to my father and to your parents that integration wasn’t going to happen. At least not then. My father didn’t even know where you and Huali were hidden. He had operatives searching for you.”
I step back trying to absorb everything that King Rex says to me. “My father was Wolveskin?” I finally ask. But I know that this is the truth, I feel it within me.
“And the best friend of the King,” Rex smiles. “Otherwise I doubt he would’ve ever been allowed to return after marrying a human.”
“He must have loved her so very much,” I say wistfully, remembering the photograph I found in the house in the woods. “It explains so much.” I look into King Rex’s eyes. “But there are so many more questions.”
“We will find answers, Princess, together.”
He clasps my hand in his. I squeeze. While I feel that I am meant to be with King Rex, worry races through me. Sarkany is my fated-mate, and soon Taraz will be as well. How will the Roya Princes and King Rex come to terms with me being meant for all of them? Sarkany and King Rex are so similar and yet…one is human, and one is wolf. The thought of either of these men sharing me with anyone outside of what is required in the Roya bloodline is more than I think either of them is capable of enduring.
I walk beside King Rex, uncertain how this will end, and yet certain that I must play my role as his fated Queen just as I am Sarkany’s fated-mate. But I must play it in a way that will allow both of these men to live and thrive.
A wolf barks in the distance to our left. Then there is a yelp and growling and snarling. King Rex places an arm in front of me to stop me from running in the direction of the fight. “No, we must return to the cave,” he says.
“They could be hurt. They might need us to help,” I say, with urgency in my voice. I start to break away from his grasp, but King Rex’s grip on me tightens. He turns to me and his gaze looks deep into mine.
“Don’t you realize your value to this world? How important your survival is to the peace of an entire Kingdom and multiple races? You are the one who will bring peace.”
“King Rex,” Sharalla, his second in command, shouts from our right. “We must go. Please, quickly. We do not have enough guards to keep you and the Princess safe from an extended attack.”
I start to argue but before I can say another word, King Rex transforms in front of me, his body shifting and melting from his human form. His hands shift to paws, his nose to a snout, his mouth to teeth. His fur is thick and black. The shift is fast, so fast, that it’s hard for my mind to follow the shift that occurs before my eyes. Then King Rex is standing beside me in his wolf form. His head in front of me is huge. Powerful. A beast. He turns to me, his mouth full of teeth each longer than the blade I carry in my belt. There in his blue, silver-lined eyes, I see the same creature who moments before looked to be a human man, but is always King of the Wolveskin.
Get on quickly, Meela, we must go.
The Royal Guard growls and barks to my left in the distance. A battle takes place not far from us. I look at King Rex, then grasp his fur and pull myself onto his back. His power unleashes between my legs, and we are off with Sharalla by our side.
Chapter Nineteen
Taraz
“The attack in the forest was by a small group of scouts sent by Lord Regent Vlissimal,” Sharalla says. “We captured their leader and were able to get the necessary information from him. That plus our—” Sharalla’s gaze goes from King Rex to me standing on the other side of the map room.
“Continue,” King Rex says.
“Sir, I must advise you that both Prince Taraz and Meela may be linked with Prince Leo, and our intelligence indicates that Prince Leo is working in concert with the Regent—”
“Impossible!” I say. “Leo would never betray us and work on behalf of Vlissimal.”
Sharalla pauses, glances at the ground, and then back up to King Rex. Meela grasps my arm with her hand.
Please be silent, she thinks. I want to hear what they know about Sarkany.
Of course Meela doesn’t defend Leo. She doesn’t like him or trust him, and to be fair he hasn’t given her much reason to do either.
“Prince Taraz, have you had contact from Prince Leo?” King Rex asks.
I sigh and shake my head.
“Or Prince Sarkany?”
“No,” I say, “but if they are contained beneath the castle then contact is impossible with the outside. Those cells were created specifically so that Eliterrati could not have mind-contact with the outside world.”
“So it’s your theory that both your brothers are kept in the cells beneath the castle and their captivity is why neither Prince Sarkany nor Prince Leo have made contact with you?” King Rex asks.
“Of course,” I say. “If they were free they would contact me.”
“So if I were to tell you that your brother, Prince Leo, has been free from the prison cells beneath the castle for a number of weeks while your brother Sarkany remains locked away, would you maintain your belief that Prince Leo works on your behalf? On behalf of all three Roya Princes?”
Confusion pulses through me. Leo is free? How could that be? There has been no mind-contact, and I’ve attempted to reach both my brothers daily since we were separated. “While I would admit that such a report would cast a suspect light on my brother Leo, since we’d only have the report of the Wolveskin spies to rely upon, I’d say that without hearing Leo’s reasons I’d have to assume that he is still working on behalf of all three of us, yes.”
“You would assume P
rince Leo works on behalf of all three of you,” King Rex continues, “even while Prince Leo keeps company with Lord Regent Vlissimal and accompanies the Regent to Counsel meetings and meals and Roya functions while Prince Sarkany rots in the dungeon beneath the castle?” King Rex leans back on his chair in the map room, which is nearly a throne. His gaze rakes over me and then slowly over Meela. “You are very generous in your assumptions where your Prince Leo is concerned.”
Heat pulses through me. My heartbeat quickens and my chest tightens not only with King Rex’s words but at his implication as to Meela and my brother’s relationship with her. She is a Roya fated-mate and meant to be Queen; there is nothing shameful in her becoming the Queen to Leo as well as me and Sarkany.
“It’s true, isn’t it,” King Rex continues, “that Prince Leo dislikes the idea of a Ninaku Dreg being Queen, and that he was quite angry when he discovered that Prince Sarkany had made Meela his fated-mate?”
“Prince Leo has struggled with this, but our line has not been confronted by this situation before now, and I’m certain when he discovers—”
“That you have decided Meela is your fated-mate as well?” King Rex interrupts. “You believe that you taking Meela for your own, as a fated-mate will convince Prince Leo to change his mind as to the suitability of a Ninaku Dreg becoming a Roya Queen?”
I swallow. When he puts it like that, suddenly what I thought would undoubtedly happen sounds very far-fetched indeed. Sure, the treatises indicate that with each brother determining the same fated-mate, it becomes easier for the next, but Leo has never fallen within the parameters of what past brothers have done and believed of each other. A bit of an outlier. A rogue, if you will.
The heat of King Rex’s gaze has intensified. He leans forward, and his gaze locks to mine. The response to aggression is not my primary function within the Roya brotherhood—this is undoubtedly within the purview of Sarkany. What would Sarkany do if confronted by King Rex’s sneer and judgement? I force myself to do what my giant and most manly brother would do when faced with the type of bullying taking place in this map room by King Rex. As much as I don’t want to, I take three steps forward, toward King Rex.
Grrrr. Sharalla has shifted as has the two other Wolveskin in the room; they stand on either side of me and behind me with their teeth bared and growling. The heat of Sharalla’s breath is on my cheeks.
“So much bravery for one so vulnerable.” King Rex smiles. “It seems to be a human trait that Meela shares.”
“Prince Leo will have my and Prince Sarkany’s best interests in mind, no matter what his behavior may appear like when it comes to you and your Wolveskin spies. Meela may be a Ninaku Dreg, but that does not define her nor does her past define her relationship to me, Prince Sarkany, or the realm. She will be Queen of the Roya line. She will be the next Roya Queen to sit on the throne. Now call off your dogs,” I say, channeling every bit of Sarkany that I can.
King Rex stands. I’d forgotten what a giant he was while I puffed up and said my bit. He’s huge. I don’t back away, even as he strides toward me one giant step at a time. When he stops in front of me, as absolutely humiliating as it is, I have to tilt my head to look up and into his eyes.
“While I appreciate your loyalty to your brothers,” King Rex says, “and I have heard many great things about Prince Sarkany”—his gaze travels to Meela—“that if the Princess thought enough of him to love him and she thinks enough of you, for whatever reason, Professor, to love you, then I give you both the benefit of the doubt…for now. But I cannot without more proof do the same for your brother, Prince Leo.” King Rex shakes his head. “He behaves as a traitor. To you. To his family. To his line. And if he will not accept Meela when he thinks she is a Dreg, what might he do to her when he discovers that she is Wolveskin.”
“But she isn’t Wolveskin,” I say. I turn to Meela; her gaze is upon me and her head tilts. “That’s ridiculous, Meela is human. She’s not—”
The words dry up in my mouth and my jaw hangs open. Her face, Meela’s face, it’s as though my words have struck at her heart, and now I see it in her eyes: they are prickled with heat and tears.
“And what if she were, Professor, would it be such a horrible thing? To have a Roya fated-mate, your Queen as you say, be from an aristocratic Wolveskin line?”
My thoughts swim…Meela? Wolveskin? A beast? A dog? A…
I hear your thoughts.
I take a deep breath, and my gaze whips to my fated-mate. “Meela,” I say, and reach out my hands to her.
She holds her hands up to me and backs away. “No! No, Taraz, leave me alone.” Her hair flies behind her as she whips around and dashes out the map room door.
My heart breaks. King Rex stands in front of me. “It seems you Royas really have a way with the ladies.” A sly smile pulls over his face.
“She’s mine,” I say. “She’s ours. She will be our Roya Queen.”
King Rex’s smile grows even wider. “Not if she doesn’t want to be your queen, Professor, because if she isn’t a Roya Queen, then she will most definitely be mine.”
I turn to leave. I must find Meela and explain. Is it even possible for a Wolveskin to sit on the Roya throne?
Chapter Twenty
Meela
I dash down the halls of the Wolveskin lair. I can’t breathe and my eyes fill with tears. Up ahead sunlight edges around a cave entrance; I turn a corner and break out of the lair and into the sunshine. A cold wind hits my face and my skin. I stop running and look up at the sky. Grey skies greet me. I suck in gulps of air trying to calm myself.
The look on Taraz’s face and his thoughts about me being a Wolveskin were unkind. I press my hand to my head, unable to fully discern what I just heard the man who is meant to be one of my fated-mates thought about me and my lineage. If Taraz thinks this, what about Sarkany? What about Leo? Is it possible that my very existence might rend the Kingdom in two? If Leo hasn’t already managed to rip the brothers apart by appearing to be a traitor, will I rip them apart by not only being a Dreg but by being a Wolveskin too? I wipe my fingers under my eyes. There is no time for tears. Something tugs at the hem of my dress, and I look down to find a fat little furball tugging my skirt with his milk teeth.
A smile breaks over my face. “You’re so cute!” I bend over and scoop him up into my arms. He’s a bundle of wiry energy and squirms and nips at my wrist trying to re-gain his freedom. “How could anyone think you’re anything less than adorable,” I say.
“So sorry, Princess Meela.” A woman walks up to me with a smile on her face. Her hair is white-blonde with hints of silver throughout, and yet she’s not much older than I am. “That’s Rexander,” she says. I hand her the very active pup who quickly jumps from her hands and back to the ground to play with his litter mates.
“Are they…are they yours?” I ask.
She looks at me quizzically, “I’m sorry…I…I don’t understand. They belong to the pack, do you mean did I bear them?”
“Yes,” I say, and a smile breaks across my face, not realizing what had been lost in translation due to culture.
“No, their mother is the current Alpha female, Brianna. I’m their nanny, for lack of a better word. My name is Esmella.”
“They’re adorable! And just what I need.” I bend down and scoop up another Wolveskin pup, this time a female who has black hair, a white paw, and dark eyes lined with silver. She is gorgeous and much cuddlier than her brother. I smile and warmth courses through my heart with the tiny puppy who snuggles beneath my chin; she lets me stroke her face.
“That’s Rexianna,” Esmella says. “She is quite the cuddler. Not quite as courageous as her siblings but so very sweet.”
“How many are there?” I ask.
“In this litter, four, which is actually quite large.”
“How many are there usually?” I ask.
“Usually? Two or three. Four is a large litter for Wolveskin.”
“I’m surprised there aren’t a mill
ion puppies running about with as many Wolveskin as there are in the lair,” I say. “This is only the second group I’ve seen since I arrived.”
Again the quizzical look from Esmella, as though I’ve again missed something in translation, but I’m not sure what. “Is there a school for them? Are they always in puppy form when they’re little?”
“Uh…no,” Esmella says. “They can shift. Whatever form they are upon birth depends on the form their mother takes when they’re being delivered. In this case, the Alpha female chose to remain in Wolveskin form, so the puppies have spent the majority of their time as puppies. With her last litter she remained a human when she delivered, and therefore those offspring spent more time as human babies at first, until they discovered how mobile they could be at such a young age as pups. We think that’s why most Wolveskin offspring spend more time in their younger years as Wolveskin, because it takes so long to walk and run in human form in comparison to puppy form.”
“That makes so much sense,” I say. “Are you out for a walk?”
“We’re out to forage,” Esmella says. “I am teaching them how to hunt small game such as rabbit and squirrel. They’ll learn to hunt big game when they are older.”
My stomach turns at the idea of pouncing on a rabbit, killing it with my teeth, and eating it raw.
Esmella laughs. “Oh Princess, your face! I can see that none of that sounds appealing to you. But I promise when you’re Wolveskin, the idea of hunting in wolf form is an amazing thought.”
But I am Wolveskin, I think. I know nothing about anything of my childhood or my family or how I would’ve been raised had my parents remained with me.
I walk alongside Esmella as the puppies bound about at our feet. “What are their names?” I ask. “You know Rexianna,” Esmella points toward the tiny black female pup I’d held who’s now sitting and watching three packmates play. “The black male with the bit of white on his chest? That is Rexland, and the other two males, one that has a white ear and the other that is all black, are Rexzold is Rexarris.
