That was until she watched Dominic shift behind the tree. Then all of her thoughts seemed to cease altogether.
Her initial impression had been right, Dominic was a wildly impressive wolf. His fur had those same streaks of gold and his amber eyes glowed. But it was his size that truly took her breath away. Wolves when they shifted did not turn out like that of a normal wolf. Shifters were larger, like that of a bear, and they were stronger, faster, than an average wolf. Olivia had seen enough shift in her life that she had known what to expect when she watched Dominic, but he was so much more than she had thought he would be.
He was larger, immediately recognized as stronger, and in her opinion, majestic. It took all of her strength to not to caress his fur, to stifle the urge to feel its softness under her fingers. She let her fingers graze him only a moment before she climbed onto his back and did everything she could to steady herself on top of him.
A new question popped into her head; how was she going to spend hours on his back with her entire body on fire at the feel of him?
She needed to distract herself from this strong prince, from the beauty of his wolf, and she needed to distract herself fast. As Dominic began to stride and she felt his muscles move underneath her, she closed her eyes tightly and forced her mind on something else.
“So, does anyone know what is happening to all of these packs? Do we know who is attacking them?”
Dominic waited a moment before answering, his large paws making deep imprints in the soft mud.
“There is a theory that my father’s informants given to the kingdom.”
“What is it?”
“There are men out there who believe that shifters are not human at all. That we are simply a trophy to be captured. In some dark circles, I’ve even heard that they have contests to see who can capture and kill the biggest shifter.”
“That’s disgusting!”
“It is.”
“What can you do about it?”
“These men, they’re good at what they do. Too good. They’ve perfected how to capture and kill us which is why it has become harder and harder to prevent the attacks. The number of casualties of shifters has grown significantly with each attack.”
Olivia didn’t say anything for a moment, just thought about what Dominic had told her. Poachers killing innocent shifters for sport was something too disgusting to digest.
“Have there been any human casualties?” she asked.
“None that I’m aware of. But you know how shifters are, we do everything we can to keep our emotions under control. You know what would happen to us if we killed a human, even one who was hurting us.”
Olivia knew that was the truth, she’d grown up watching plenty of shifters attempt to control themselves and when emotions were high it was not an easy task. But if their packs were being threatened, she was surprised that they were keeping it under control.
“When the attacks begin though, why don’t they shift and fight? Shifters are much stronger and faster than any human, surely they should be winning the fights.”
“Have you ever seen a shifter completely lose control? It’s nasty, brutal, and no human would survive. Just imagine what would happen if a shifter lost control on a secret poacher, the damage the press would do to the pack, to all packs really.”
Olivia hadn’t thought about that. Dominic was right, shifters had to be extremely careful about their reputations. The moment humans thought they were a threat was the moment they would all have to go into hiding.
“Have you ever seen a shifter lose control?” she asked.
Dominic paused just the slightest and she felt his muscles tighten beneath her.
“Once.”
His answer was short and left no room for discussion. Riding on top of the wolf’s back was probably not the right time to push him on something he clearly didn’t want to talk about. Olivia couldn’t help but let the question slip between her lips anyway.
“Was it bad?”
Her voice was nearly a whisper, cautious about what he might say.
Dominic didn’t say anything and Olivia could feel her question hanging in the air. She almost thought he didn’t hear her but then his voice, a low rumbling sound, answered her question.
“It was excruciating for everyone,” he said.
With that, Olivia felt his body start to run and she could no longer get a word out. He was racing between the trees, avoiding limbs and bushes, slipping through the woods like a fish swim through water. As if running through the thicket was completely natural to him.
She had been completely right about Dominic, so far everything about him had impressed her.
Even his stamina proved to be impressive as once he began running he didn’t stop until she recognized the scenery that told her she was home.
“Wow, that was a long run,” she said when he had finally stopped running. Promptly she wished she could kick herself for saying something so stupid, especially when she felt Dominic shake and chuckle underneath her.
“Um yeah, it was.”
Embarrassed, she kicked his side slightly and he stopped so that she could jump off.
“I can walk from here,” she told him haughtily.
Dominic pranced at her side, still in wolf form. “Oh, so I go running for hours, carrying you on my back, and you say that you can walk the next few feet to your dad’s house? What a sacrifice…” he teased.
“Well, I didn’t ask you to come drag me out of school and bring me all the way here. I’d rather be anywhere but here.”
The pair kept walking, Olivia suddenly feeling like she couldn’t get away from him and whatever that hum was fast enough.
“So let me get this straight, you can’t stop talking from the moment you see me but the moment I drop you off you can’t even say ‘thank you’?”
Olivia took a few more steps and then realized that he was no longer beside her. She turned just in time to see Dominic behind a tree, back in his human form, a flash of bare skin and the bulge of muscle, before he slipped clothes on over himself. Quickly she turned from the sight, blushing at what she’d just seen.
“So?” he asked when he emerged, fully dressed and human, from behind the tree.
“’So’ what?” she asked, completely forgetting what they had been talking about.
“Do I get a ‘thank you’ or what?”
“Right, um, thanks,” she told him and skittered off to her dad’s cabin.
Where she started off the day frustrated and even a bit angry at having to come home, it was nearly dinner and she was now only feeling confused and maybe even a little scared. As she moved farther away from Dominic she felt that strange hum in her start to subside and when she realized it she expected to feel relief from its incessant feeling. But by the time she opened her home’s cabin door she realized that she didn’t feel relief without the hum. Instead she felt as if something— a big something, was missing.
Chapter Five
Dominic
It could have been considered a form of torture, having Olivia wrapped so tightly around him for the duration of the journey, but it was a torture that felt almost pleasant. Like eating far too much at a delicious dinner, it’s painful and uncomfortable yet you wouldn’t have changed it if you could have.
In the beginning of their trip he’d half contemplated simply walking back home in order to be able to talk to her more, even though her incessant questions were quite annoying. But the moment she’d started to pry about his past and the things he’d seen, that was something he couldn’t take. He didn’t want to think about the memories or see the flashbacks in his mind. Without much thought his body had broken out into a run, trying hard to escape the images of his brother, bloodied on the ground.
Of course, there was no way that she could have known what he’d done, the way he’d let his animal rage inside of him without even thinking about it, it was something he never wanted to let loose again.
By the time he had finished his running he
felt as if he’d almost been able to outrun his thoughts. He was back at his new home, delivering Atticus’ daughter safely, and he was ready to eat a large dinner and crash right into his bed. It had felt fantastic to stretch his legs and run as far and as fast as he could, pushing just a little harder and faster on the way home in an odd hope of impressing Olivia, but he was definitely exhausted.
When the cabins came into view it had felt strange to suddenly feel at home amongst the trees. Dominic had been living in that cabin for a couple of months and it had yet to feel like home. He had felt instead like a puzzle piece that wasn’t quite fitting right. But suddenly, with his little town in sight, he felt as if that puzzle piece had been turned in another direction and was fitting into the picture.
Suddenly he felt more like himself than he had since he’d been kicked from the kingdom. There was a new air in his lungs and he could even feel his old personality and sense of humor coming back to him. He hadn’t laughed or felt lifted in months but he found himself teasing Olivia and pushing her buttons playfully. When was the last time he had felt playful?
He shouldn’t have asked himself that question as the answer came screaming back to him. It had been her—Cherise—that was the last time he had been playful, had flirted, and had any sense of fun. And had it been worth it to take revenge and steal his brother’s girl? That was a question that he didn’t want to answer. He had already run from those memories once that day, he wasn’t going to go back there.
Luckily his stomach took that exact moment to grumble loudly, reminding him of how far he’d run and that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. There wasn’t much food inside his house as he hated shopping and was never sure if he was going to be feeding as a wolf or a man for the day, but he rummaged through his cupboard anyway, far too drained to get to the store to buy anything.
A knock sounded at his door just as it had the night before.
“Come in,” he called out, still opening and closing his cupboards.
He turned to see Atticus open the front door and step inside his home, his second house call in two nights, but he wasn’t alone. Olivia was standing beside him, her face more of scowl than it had been when Dominic had picked her up from school.
“Dominic, I need to ask another favor of you,” Atticus stated. There was no question in his tone, it was another demand from his Alpha, one that he wasn’t going to be allowed to ignore.
It was the price he had to pay for being a banished prince.
“Anything you need, Atticus,” he answered.
Dominic was used to hearing his own servants say such things to him and then following through with any of his demands. But it was still difficult to get used to being the one that fell below someone.
“I don’t trust that Olivia is safe in my cabin. I’d much prefer if she stayed with you.”
Surely Dominic hadn’t heard that right. It was not possible that his Alpha was commanding that his daughter— as unique, beautiful, and annoying as she was, was to stay in his own cabin.
“Is that really such a good idea?” Dominic asked, looking for any way to get out of this order. “I mean, I feel like I should be outside patrolling the premises and keeping an eye on everything.”
“Atticus, I’d really just rather stay in my own room. You dragged me all the way home, it’s the least I should get.”
It was obvious that the two of them had already been fighting over this arrangement that Atticus was trying to make. She didn’t want to be there, her eyes not even able to meet Dominic’s, and Dominic knew from past experience that messing with any woman in a pack could mean nothing but bloodshed and tears.
“It’s not safe for you in the cabin. I can’t protect you the way that Dominic can.”
“Who says I need protecting? How do you know you’re not just overreacting?” she pushed.
“Maybe she’s right sir. Maybe it’s best if she’s with you,” Dominic agreed.
“Silence!” the Alpha roared.
Both Dominic and Olivia froze in their spots. Atticus may have been getting on in age and afraid he couldn’t keep his daughter safe, but he still had complete command of his pack.
“She will stay with you. There is no discussion about it. She takes the bedroom, you Dominic, stay on the couch.”
Atticus raised a brow in the exact same way Olivia had— like father like daughter. Dominic immediately knew what he was implying with the look he was giving and given the banished prince’s reputation, he wasn’t going to argue the fact. Not to mention that having Olivia in such close quarters was already going to be hard enough. Just a mere step inside of his small cabin and the wolf inside was already stirring again.
“Your priority is to protect her at all costs. Is that understood?”
“Yes sir,” Dominic answered reluctantly.
The Alpha turned to his daughter. “And you will listen to what Dominic tells you. Do you understand that?”
Olivia hesitated before answering, throwing her dad a look that only a daughter could throw, before reluctantly agreeing with the Alpha herself.
“Fine,” she said stubbornly.
“I’ll check in on you both in the morning.”
With that Atticus pushed his daughter further into Dominic’s home and closed the door behind them both.
His wolf stirred more and Dominic started to feel as if he was almost too exhausted to stop it. What was it that this girl had that made him feel as if he could barely keep control of his wolf? In all his life he’d never had the problem where he couldn’t control his wolf. Even from a young age he’d been able to handle it far better than those of his same age group, even better than his twin brother. But there was something about Olivia, something that made him forget how to keep calm, and something that made him almost forget how to be human.
But it wasn’t in a bad way, not necessarily. It was in a strange way. The emotion was intense inside of him but it wasn’t aggression or anger, which would be the normal feelings that would make his wolf stir without his consent. The emotion inside of him was something else entirely, something he hadn’t felt before. He felt restless yet completely at ease.
What the hell was happening to him?
“Well,” Olivia began, “you heard my dad. You get the couch.” She breezed past him, brushing against his shoulder ever so slightly, and moved to the back of the house where his bedroom was. There was a new resolve to her, one he sensed she was faking, but he let it be and didn’t pick on her for it.
“Yeah, well, it’s cold back there anyway!” he called out to her.
She came back out from the bedroom, having placed her bag somewhere inside. “Then I expect you’ll bring me another blanket,” she said with far more attitude than he’d heard from her before. Her cool blue eyes met his and he almost gave into her before he remembered exactly who he was.
“Listen, Princess, I don’t know if you’ve forgotten but you’re not the one who makes the rules around here. I don’t know if you’ve forgotten who I am?”
She put her hand on her hip again and Dominic was sure this was her usual stance when she wanted to get her way.
“And perhaps you’ve forgotten who I am?”
It was hard to ignore how cute she was when she got riled up so Dominic decided to push her a bit more and ignored her question completely.
“I am the Alpha’s daughter, so that does entitle me to some demands around here.”
She gestured around his dingy little cabin.
“And in case you’ve forgotten, I’m the prince of this kingdom and that entitles me to tell you to find your own blanket.”
“Yea but you’re not in the castle anymore, you’re in our pack now.”
“That may be so, but then why are you still going to get your own blanket?” he asked, knowing that he wasn’t about to budge.
A frustrated squeal came out of her and she whirled back around and marched back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Chapter Six
Absolutely infuriated at the circumstances, that’s how Olivia felt as she lay in Dominic’s bed in his tiny cabin, away from the world she wanted to be in. All her life she’d longed for freedom, to get to explore the world without the need to have a wolf at her side watching her constantly. The first time she had gotten it— that acceptance letter to school, it had been taken away from her and she was now more protected than ever. It wasn’t as if protection was something to be upset or angry about necessarily, but when you’ve never even been given the chance to breathe it did become a strain in life.
She should be going to sleep in her tiny dorm on her bed that felt more like a board, than having to sleep in Dominic’s bed with him just in the other room. Of course, his bed was far more comfortable than her bed in her dorm and the scent of him on the pillow was comforting, but she wasn’t going to admit that.
That hum that had built inside of her during the run with Dominic was buzzing incessantly inside of her as she tossed and turned in the bed, unable to sleep. It was this same restless feeling that had led her to look into going to school past the woods and somewhere she could breathe fresh air. In her small pack and the small area of the outer kingdom they inhabited, it was nearly impossible to have any room to even have a thought. Sure, it felt like home but it also felt stifling at times.
And now with the hum that was building deeper and louder the longer she stayed around Dominic, it felt even harder to be back home. She didn’t understand it and didn’t know where it was coming from, but she did know that she needed a break from it.
There had been many nights where she had slipped out of her own bed and through the window to meet someone— anyone at all, that wasn’t involved with the pack. Most often it was a boy but sometimes she’d meet a girlfriend, and they would hangout through the night doing anything and nothing. They’d swim in the creek or pass beer bottles around a campfire, anything to keep her from remembering that she was tied down to her pack, yet she was nothing like them.
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