by Ovidia Pike
“She has no spine whatsoever. Her sister was the—she was the real princess. Real royalty.”
“How did you get involved with Elina’s...followers?” he asked.
“My family was born to defend our land and our princess,” I said. “I’ve been meant to do this since birth. But I let her down. I let her die.”
“You didn’t have anything to do with that,” he said.
“You’re right,” I said bitterly. “It was the Alpha. Gabriel.”
“He’s been working to make things right,” Sam said. “And he saved your life.”
“I would have gotten out without him,” I said nonchalantly. Sam nodded and the door opened, and Alicia came in with a smile.
“You’re awake,” she said brightly, sweeping over to me. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m...fine,” I said to her, though I felt drowsy and dizzy as I sat there. “I’m ready to get out of here.”
“I think you should stay a little bit longer,” Alicia said with a frown. “Just to make sure you’re okay. Gabriel says you fainted, and you’re all scratched up.”
“No, I’m okay,” I said, sliding out of bed despite Sam putting his hands up to stop me. I wobbled a little as I caught my footing, pulling away from him.
“I’m going to get going,” I said to them both. “Thank you, doctor.”
“If you need to come back, come back,” the doctor said in a worried tone. “You’re still weak.”
“I’m not weak,” I said to her, walking out of the room. Sam got up and followed behind me, and I looked over my shoulder at him.
“Thanks for waiting with me. I’m okay, now.”
“Do you want me to walk you back to your hut?”
“No. I’m going to find Gabriel. I should...thank him,” I said, and a slight pang went through my chest, knowing that I’d have to kill him even though he saved me. Then I remembered what he’d done to the princess—my princess—and resolved myself to do what was necessary.
“Okay,” he said in a hesitant voice, studying my face. “Are you okay, Camilla?”
“I’m fine, I just—I don’t...want to be around you. Not if I don’t have to.”
“I understand,” he said in a calm, even voice. “I wish it wasn’t the case, but I respect it. I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable—I...find you captivating. I lose myself when I look at you or speak to you.”
“Sam—”
“It’s okay, don’t reply,” he said. “Go take care of yourself. I’ll be around if you change your mind.”
“Okay,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat as he walked away, casting one last glance at me before heading down the road to his hut. I paused for a moment, half-tempted to go after him. Despite Sam being a wolf, he was kind and warm and painfully handsome, and the way he made me feel when he kissed me—I pushed that thought away, turning instead to stop at my hut. I changed quickly and went to the drawer, opening it up to pull out my thick hunting knife. I stuck it in my belt, hiding it beneath my shirt as I left the hut and started toward Gabriel’s. I knocked on his door, glad when he answered.
“Hello,” he said in a surprisingly polite tone, not as sharp as I had come to expect from him.
“Hi,” I said suspiciously, studying his face. He looked almost relaxed, a calm look to his normally steely gaze.
“What can I do for you, Camilla? How are you feeling?”
“I’m well,” I said, growing more confused by his every word.
“Good,” he said lightly. “I was worried.”
“You were worried?” I asked him.
“Yes,” he said. “Anyway, what can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if you’d walk with me. I have some things to explain.”
“Like the fact that you’re a lioness?”
“Yes,” I said as he stepped out of his hut. He folded his hands behind his back as we walked, and I noticed there was a lightness to the way he stepped.
“I’m sorry,” I said finally. “Is there—are you okay?”
He laughed, the first time I’d ever heard him do so.
“What do you mean?” he asked as we stepped into the woods.
“I mean—did you get hurt or hit your head or something?”
“I didn’t hit my head. I’m just having a really good day.”
“Okay...” I said, then cleared my throat.
“So I wanted to thank you for getting me out of that bind,” I said.
“You’re welcome,” he said graciously. I stared at him as we walked, saw that there was a smile in his eyes.
“Okay,” I said, stopping in my tracks. “This is creepy.”
He burst into laughter again.
“Creepy?”
“What is going on? You hate me. You hate everyone.”
“Not everyone,” he said.
“So it’s Sophie? Did you finally—”
“It’s our business, Camilla,” he said, a hint of sharpness in his tone for the first time since we’d started walking.
“Okay,” I amended, glad to see that flicker of annoyance behind his eyes. Killing him while he was glowing with happiness was something that would be hard to bear even for someone who hated him deeply. I hesitated a bit, lingering so that his steps would catch up to mine, and eventually I walked slightly behind him.
“So, you’re a lioness. Tell me how you got to living on my land.”
“I was sent here by the queen,” I lied. “She wanted me to train your people to...take care of those things out there.”
“The queen knew about them?” Gabriel asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Why didn’t you just tell me you were a lion?” Gabriel asked.
I snorted. “Would you have let me stay?”
“No,” he said. “Not a chance.”
“I had to hide who I was in order to do what I came here for.”
“What makes you think I won’t kick you out now that I know?”
“Because you’re in a weirdly good mood,” I said.
“I am,” he said with a grin. “Which is the only reason we’re having this conversation.”
“I’m here to help your people, period,” I said. “We can be allies.”
“We are allies. But something tells me you don’t feel the same kinship as your princess does.”
I didn’t answer him. He paused, and I was relieved he didn’t notice as he moved forward ahead of me. I fell in line behind him and reached for my knife, knowing the easiest way to kill him would be to catch him off-guard. I felt my throat constrict when I thought about how he’d saved me, how in love he and Sophie were, how shattered she would be to find him dead. Then I thought about Elina, my princess, dead by the hands of a filthy wolf, and an anger surged through me that made me bring my hand up, preparing to wrap my arm around his neck.
“So,” Gabriel said. “I—”
He was cut off when someone barreled into us, a wolf with a smoky grey coat. He knocked me down to my feet and then shifted.
“What the fuck, Sam?” I asked him as he helped me up from the ground. Gabriel stared at Sam with a bewildered look that matched how I felt.
“I saw...a wasp,” Sam said.
“A wasp,” Gabriel repeated dryly. “You tackled her for a wasp?”
“It was...really close to her neck. I didn’t want her to get stung,” Sam said sheepishly, sputtering through his explanation. Gabriel shook his head, looking between us.
“I’m going home,” he said, cutting through the woods and leaving me there alone with Sam.
“What is going on?”
“You can’t kill Gabriel, Camilla,” he said, looking into my eyes. “You can’t. You won’t get away with it.”
“Sam,” I snapped, filled with rage realizing what he’d just done. “I was so close. It would have been so easy. Why do you think it’s your choice?”
“I can’t let you kill him,” he said. “It’s not right.”
“He killed Elina,” I sp
at. “My princess. I loved her more than anything.”
“I know, baby,” Sam said in a soft voice. “I know. But Gabriel is the Alpha of this village. He is needed. And he has a natural mate. Imagine how Sophie would feel.”
“I don’t care how Sophie would feel,” I almost roared, trying to keep my voice calm. I felt so angry in that moment that something snapped within me and I was blinded by white. I launched my leg at him, a high kick that struck him in the shoulder and pitched him to the ground. I tried to kick him again, but he rolled out of the way, grabbing my ankle and tugging me down to the ground. I rolled over, lifted my fist to hit him but he caught it in his hands. I squirmed back but he didn’t let me go.
“Let me go,” I snarled at him, but he shook his head. His eyes burned but it wasn’t with anger or fear.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said in a deep, gruff voice. I tried to swing at him with my other fist but he caught that, too, and flipped me onto my back, his legs intertwining with mine, locking them tight. I struggled to get out of his grip, but he held both my hands with both of his, staring into my eyes.
“Stop,” he said in a quiet, calm voice, his face hovering over mine. “I’m not going to fight you.”
“I’ll shift and kill you,” I threatened. He shook his head.
“No, you won’t,” he said. “You’re angry, but you don’t want to kill me.”
“How do you know what I want, Sam?” I asked. “You don’t—”
“Baby, your eyes give everything away,” he said in a rough voice, eyes on my lips.
“No, they don’t,” I said, my breath catching in my throat when I saw the look on his face and quickly realized that he was bare, that I could feel the skin of his abdomen against my own.
“You want me to kiss you right now,” he said. “Being this close to me makes you feel so—”
“No, I don’t,” I protested as his legs unlocked from mine, setting me free. He still held my hands but his grip was loose, pinning my wrists to the ground as he stared at my face.
“I’m not going to fight you,” he said, lowering his face to kiss the corner of my lips, his breath on my cheek. “I will never fight or hurt you. But I will kiss you, if that’s what you want. I will make you cum for me.”
I didn’t respond to him, but simply tilted my head to give him access to my neck, the movement almost involuntary. He kissed me there and ran his tongue along my neck, sinking his teeth into my shoulder, surprising me by causing a hint of pain that made a shiver run through my spine. His hands were gripping me tighter, holding mine above my head, his thigh slipping between my legs. My hips immediately started moving, rubbing my clit up and down against his leg with a movement that felt instinctive and natural. I closed my eyes, licking my lips as I grinded against him. I felt his face come to mine again, let him take my mouth in a hot kiss as I pleasured myself against him.
“Do you still want to fight me?” he asked against my lips, gripping both my hands in one, moving his free hand down to slip into my leggings and into my panties.
“Yes,” I said to him, but I didn’t mean it. He gave me a teasing grin and kissed me again, slowly this time, tasting me thoroughly as he started to stroke up and down my slippery pussy.
“Is this good, baby?” he asked me. “Am I treating your little pussy right? Feels like it to me.”
“Yes,” I breathed, chewing on my bottom lip as he slipped one finger inside of me, swirling it around. I moaned when another finger joined it, stretching me out as his palm rubbed my clit in circles.
“I wish I could fuck you,” he said. “Make you mine always. I want to feel this pussy wrapped around my cock. I want to fuck you until you cum all over me. I bet you’d ride my cock like a good girl, wouldn’t you?”
“Sam,” I said, surprised again at his words, filthy despite how sweet and kind he was. Every new word drove me crazy. “Why can’t we—”
“Because your pussy doesn’t belong to me yet,” he said, curling his fingers up inside of me. “Because your heart isn’t all the way mine, yet.”
“It won’t be,” I said, gasping as I started to shudder underneath him. He leaned down to kiss me again, then kissed my forehead with a warm smile.
“You’re halfway there, baby,” he said softly as I started to cum on his fingers, hips jerking and legs quivering underneath him. He rubbed me until it was over with, then pulled his hand from my panties, bringing his wet fingers to my lips.
“Taste yourself,” he commanded. I parted my lips almost shyly, taking his fingers between them, meeting his eye as I licked them clean. I leaned up to kiss him again, sharing my flavor on his tongue, feeling dirty and wild. He let go of me and stood up, reaching down to help me to my feet.
“Feeling less tense?” he asked, eyes sparkling on mine.
“Yes,” I said.
He nodded. “Are we good, or are you going to kick my ass again?”
“You won that fight,” I said.
“You didn’t really want to hurt me,” he said. “You were just frustrated.”
“I’m still frustrated,” I said. “I wish you wouldn’t have stopped me. I—Gabriel deserves to die.”
“Do you really think that?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“What about the faceless man?” I asked her.
“He told me to do it—how did you know that?”
“I...wanted to apologize after the first kiss. I went to find you and I saw you with him. He asked you to kill Sophie.”
“I—I’m not going to do that,” I said. “You followed me?”
“I did. I felt guilty.”
“You shouldn’t have eavesdropped,” I said, feeling a bit more exposed than I already did.
“I know,” he said. “But I’m glad I got here in time to stop you.”
“You’re not going to stop me. This isn’t over,” I said.
“Just...think about it,” he said. “And really think about Sophie.”
I shook my head but didn’t say anything. Every time I pictured Sophie’s face, it was the expression she had when she spoke of Gabriel’s smile. I thought about how he’d been in such a good mood and I knew it was her, thought of what that meant; they had made each other happy, they were closer than ever. I sighed as I started walking back to the village, Sam walking beside me.
Chapter 13: Sam
I glanced over at Camilla, covered in sweat, flipping her sharpened stick around, twirling and jabbing. She peered at me and blushed deeply before looking away again quickly. I couldn’t help but to grin—no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull herself away from me. It made me think about her kisses, the way she’d grinded her desperate pussy on my leg before I played with her with my fingers. It was hard to shake the thought away as the guards came from the village, each of them grabbing a stick and taking their places. I stood up and went to them, clearing my throat.
“I think you guys are ready for a little trip,” I said. “What do you think, Camilla?”
“I guess,” she said in a hesitant voice.
“What exactly are we going to do?” asked Bell from the group.
“We’re going to kill some corpses,” I said to him. There was a muttering among the group but each of them nodded, their faces going serious as they gripped their weapons. I led the way through the trees, walking next to Camilla, leading the group. They stayed several feet behind us, and I looked over at her as we walked.
“How are you?” I asked her.
“I’m fine,” she replied.
“Just fine? Are you not having fun?”
The corners of her lips twitched into a small smile.
“Not exactly.”
“I can make this fun for you,” I said.
She lifted an eyebrow, glancing over at me. “How?” she asked.
“We’ll make it a competition. There are plenty of bodies. I bet I can take out more than you can.”
She chortled. “Okay,” she said. “But there’s no way yo
u’ll win. I’m faster.”
“I’m stronger,” I said. She shot me a look.
“Kidding,” I said, putting both my hands up. She shook her head.
“Do you really think they’re ready?” she asked, casting a glance over her shoulder at the group.
“I do,” I said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t take them out here. They’ve been doing good. A few of them can even throw the spears.”
“I know,” she said. “But if we lose anyone, Gabriel’s going to be pissed.”
“He will. I will, too. But it’s a risk we have to take if we want to get rid of these things. That’s the whole point of doing this training. We might be able to take dozens of them out if we’re lucky.”
“So we’re keeping track of our kill count,” she said.
“Yep,” I confirmed.
“Why?”
“To spice things up a bit. You never have fun. You’re anti-fun.”
“I am not anti-fun,” she said defensively.
“When was the last time you actually enjoyed yourself?” I asked her. A flush crept up her neck and I knew exactly what she was thinking about.
“Good point,” I affirmed her lack of response. “And I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Shut up, Sam,” she grumbled. I chuckled and caught her smiling again, an expression that lit her up and made my chest throb. We stayed quiet from then on until we got to the edge of the wolves’ land, and I turned around to face the others.
“I want you to go in pairs. Don’t wander too far—a hundred yards in is good enough. Shout if you need help, but otherwise, go wild. There might not be any around here, but we’ll give this spot a try before we move on.”
“What if one of us gets bitten?” asked a woman.
“Then I’ll do what I can to take care of you. I was a medic in the army—I know what I’m doing. I promise I won’t let any of you die.”
“Okay,” the woman said in a reluctant voice. I watched as they paired up, nodding at them as they went into the woods. I looked over at Camilla.
“You ready to lose?” I asked her. She scoffed.
“Are you?”
“Yes,” I acquiesced as we began forward in silence, listening closely for the sound of any wolves or people near us. We spread out from the others, walking side-by-side until Camilla suddenly paused, aimed, and threw her spear forward. I heard a crunch and a whimper, looking ahead to see one of the zombie wolves pinned by the head to a tree.
