The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

19~ WHO DARED TO SLAP THE QUEEN?

I screamed and squeezed my eyes shut when the wolf was getting nearer. My hands clutched Gerold's arm so tight that my nails dug deep into his skin.

"Ugh, you're so loud, woman." Gerold sighed as he stood still, showing no sign of moving. "Is there anything useful you can do besides split my eardrums?"

I was too busy getting scared that I ignored his sarcasm. My body shook like a fledgling as I thought about the wolf running toward me.

"Alright, Thomas. That's enough. Shift back," said Gerold with another sigh. "Hurry. I don't want to wear a torn-sleeve tunic for the entire day."

I heard a bone-breaking sound and a soft growl, which I assumed was a sign of shifting. "Is it safe now?" I asked, still keeping my eyes shut.

"There was no danger, to begin with. But I wouldn't open my eyes now if I were you. Unless you want to see someone naked," said Gerold. "Hey, Ben. Bring his clothes here."

"Seriously, sir. You don't have to be stringent all the time," said a shallow voice that I'd never heard before. "I was just trying to welcome her."

"This woman is not worth welcoming. But since you scared the hell out of her, I had to say that I liked it. Good job." Gerold's tone was full of mockery.

Seriously, this guy! We must have been born sworn enemies in our previous life. I thought to myself. I couldn't put the finger on why he hated me so much when we'd only met thrice.

"Hey, human girl. Thomas has finished putting his clothes on. So, how long do you plan on holding on to my boyfriend's arm?" asked an icy voice that sent goosebumps all over my skin.

I opened my eyes to find three new faces standing in front of me: a woman, a girl, and a boy.

"Oh." I let go of Gerold's arm and stepped away from him.

"Finally," Gerold murmured and walked toward the tall woman who stood with her arms folded across her chest. "Come on, Mez. Don't be jealous." He slid his hand behind her shoulders and leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "This weak human girl doesn't interest me one bit. I only accepted this job because Valdemar made a special request."

The woman, who I assumed her name was Mez, didn't turn to look at Gerold, for her eyes were busy fixating on me. Her fair skin made the pair of monolid, dark brown eyes way more intimidating than they should be. It was as if she wanted to skin me alive.

Thankfully, I wasn't the type to go down without a fight, either.

I stood my ground and stared back at her with my head held high. "You don't have to worry about me stealing your boyfriend. He isn't my type," I said in a stern voice, showing how her glare didn't affect me one bit.

Mez hissed and rolled her eyes as if she found what I'd said funny. "I think it's the opposite, human girl." She adjusted the black headband on her forehead before sliding her fingers down to tug the loose strands of her wistful warrior braid behind the ear.

"What do you mean?" My eyes followed her fingers as they traveled down the waist-length braid that she wore to the front. I didn't notice it at first since she was dressed in black. But now, I did. She had very thick and long hair.

"The right thing to say should be...you aren't his type," said Mez, pointing her thumb at Gerold. "Our werewolf guys have never liked the damsel-in-distress type."

Seriously! What's wrong with her? I gritted my teeth. Like boyfriend, like girlfriend. Both of them must be enemies from my past life.

"Um, ladies. I think it's enough now. Everyone is staring," said a boy as he stepped between Mez and me. He looked so young, so I assumed he must be around sixteen.

Gerold lifted his face and looked around. "That's good. Now, let's get this done with." He dropped his hand, stepped away from Mez, and headed toward me. "Do it now, woman."

"Do what?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

"You created a spectacle of yourself and attracted many audiences. It saved me the energy from having to gather them, though. Thanks for that. Now that they are here, get your introduction done with," said Gerold.

I looked around me to see people standing in a large circle and staring at me.

I thought I was used to the crowd. Back in my princess day at Zariya, I'd attended official events where people gathered around the high place I was standing on. Seeing them pay attention to me made me feel so proud and happy.

Nevertheless, this time was different.

I didn't like the way these people looked at me. Some people, especially girls, stared at me with a look of disguise.

"Alright, everyone. Listen up." Gerold clapped three times and said in a loud voice, "I'd already told you this morning about having the first and only human joining our training camp. So, this is her." He turned to me and gave me a cue with his head. "Say it."

I gulped, finding every word I wanted to say, getting stuck in my throat. Whenever my eyes met one of those people, my body stiffened, and my tongue became paralyzed. It was as if their gazes had the power to mute me.

"Come on, woman. They need to get back to training. Hurry and say it," Gerold clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"H-hi." I stuttered. My voice shook, even though I tried to control it. "M-my name is Lae."

This was the most embarrassing moment of my life. I forgot the rest of what I needed to say. Not to mention that I couldn't even look at those people when I spoke. My eyes remained on the ground the entire time, even though I was supposed to stand with a straight spine and my chin slightly lifted. There was something about those eyes that made me lose my confidence. Perhaps I was used to the appreciative gaze instead of these judgmental ones.

"Seriously," Gerold muttered under his breath when he realized I wasn't going to say anything else. Then, he said in a loud voice, "You already knew the rest of the story. Now that she's done with the introduction, it's time to get back to training. Go." He clapped once, and the crowd dispersed.

Through my peripheral vision, I saw everyone scurry back to their original posts. Still, they murmured and glanced at my way as they went.

"Don't be nervous. We may be werewolves, but we don't kill every human we meet," said the boy from before as he took a few steps toward me. "Hello, I'm Thomas. Beta. I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to scare you." He scratched the back of his head and gave me a shy smile.

Now I knew why I found his voice similar. I heard him talking with Gerold while I was hiding behind his back.

"Was it you? You know, the black wolf?" I asked.

He nodded. "I just wanted to give you a surprise welcome. We heard that you'd be here to join us. I was so excited. Since you were a human, I thought you might've never seen a werewolf before. That was why I came to you with that form. I didn't expect it to scare you. I'm sorry. Please don't be mad."

"Well, you were bolting toward me, so it was hard for me not to get scared. But I'm fine now. It's okay," I said with a smile.

"So, you forgive me?" he asked, his eyes sparkling. It was as if he was relieved to hear that I wasn't angry at him.

"Of course." I nodded.

"Thank you so much." He held my hands and jumped in excitement.

Now that he was no longer feeling guilty, I could see a bright smile on his triangle face. He was so adorable with those pairs of almond-brown eyes, dark brown hair, and skin that matched the color of his clothes. "You're welcome," I smiled.

"Isleen, come." Thomas dropped my hands and ran toward a girl in a moss dress. "Introduce yourself," he said after bringing her to me.

She looked the same age and was the same height as Thomas. However, her personality was the polar opposite. She hadn't said a single word until now and kept looking at the ground.

"Oh, she's shy. I'll introduce her," said Thomas. "This is Isleen. She's also a werewolf."

"Hello," she said in a small voice that was barely audible. “I’m an Omega.”

"Hi," I said, trying to look at her face again. But I couldn't see it clearly because she kept her head lower. I could only see her curly brunette hair tied in a low ponytail.

"Alright. That's enough for now. Time to get started," said Gerold.

"Goodbye," Isleen said and ran away to where the rows of girls were throwing knives. And if I weren't mistaken, they were those who had given me a disgusting look.

"Hey, Isleen. Wait." Thomas called out and ran after her. "See you later, Lae." He yelled over his shoulder.

"Mez, do you want to teach her? Or do you want me to do it?" asked Gerold as he headed back to stand beside his girlfriend.

"Make sure that human girl stays out of my sight. Or else," Mez slid her hand under the slit of her dress and took out a dagger, "the target for this is her head." And with that, she walked away without giving me a second glance.

"I swear, this woman makes me love her more and more each day," Gerold murmured as he watched Mez walk to the archery field.

If I hadn't seen this with my own eyes, I'd never have believed it if anyone had told me that Gerold could smile. Right now, I wouldn't even be surprised if his pupils changed into heart shapes.

"Alright, woman. Let's go." He cleared his throat and turned to me. "What're you looking at?" He frowned when he realized I'd been staring at him the entire time.

"Nothing." I shrugged. "And stop calling me 'woman.' My name is Lae."

"I don't care." He smirked. "Now, move along. Let's get you started with the basic training."

I followed him to the furthest part of the area where we were away from other people—or should I say, werewolves in human form. It made me feel at ease to be this far away. At least I didn't have to endure mocking waves of laughter when I failed to complete the task.

"Ready?" asked Gerold.

"Yes." I nodded.