The Orphan Werewolf and Her Two Kings

2: The Knight In Shining Fur

King Samuel’s POV:

This day has been tiresome, and I long to travel home to Rory. I worry about him, my co-ruler. I cannot call to find out; there are spies everywhere. We must keep his sickness a secret. No one can learn that King Richard has been ill for the last twenty years or so. The business here at the hotel has taken longer than I expected. Hopefully, a few more days will cover the rest.

It has been tiresome for others, too. My good friend, Special Agent Sarah Black, is on full alert when we are not back at Rose Castle. At least here in my rooms, she can relax a little. When she leaves me for a swim on the roof, I don’t follow her. It’s tempting, but she needs a break too.

After waving off Sarah, I help myself to the liquor cabinet and pour myself a glass of fine whisky. This one is my favorite: strong and smooth at the same time. It becomes perfection with a drop of cold water in, nothing more. I take a small sip, savoring the taste.

I remove my tie and cufflinks and open the top buttons on my tailor-made shirt. Finding myself still too constricted to relax, I step out of my dress shoes and socks, allowing myself to feel the surface of the wood floors. I’d rather have the forest under my wolf's paws, but this is a suitable substitute for now.

The balcony doors are open and inviting. A temperate breeze blows up as I step into the moonlight. I close my eyes, enjoying the peaceful night. The night brings the sweetest aroma. I sniff the air, enjoying the tantalizing smell. It’s so captivating; giving me shivers. There is something about the scent, and I sense my wolf’s desire! I walk to the edge of the balcony while sniffing and searching. My wolf stirs like he is on the hunt.

The building curves, almost like waves, giving the illusion of being alive. The effect is not apparent here from the top, but it allows me to look down into a room where the most beautiful creatures in the world sit. She is like a muse that can compete with the moon goddess herself. I hear the wolf muttering something in my mind, but I’m too captivated by the beauty to listen.

Her golden skin looks so silky I can almost feel myself touching her from here. She’s wearing a little black dress with a sweetheart neckline sculpting her breasts perfectly, giving me a promise of the curves underneath. I just want to tear the clothing apart, freeing her body. I want to watch her skin bathed in the moonlight.

Mentally, I let my fingers follow the length of her body. It’s not enough; I want to feel her brown curls between my fingers as I kiss her full lips, letting her red lipstick be smudged by my passion while my friend and co-ruler Rory fuck her.

“MATE!” the wolf howls when he finally gets my attention. He wants to be let out.

“Finally, I have found her!”

I watch her in dumb-struck awe before I notice what’s wrong with the picture. Her face is set in agony, and tears are streaming. She lifts her arms to protect herself from someone. What looks like a whip hits her and yanks her from my vision.

I drop my drink to access the situation. I need to go to her, to save her, and do it fast. It’s too far to jump; the window is unreachable. The building is too sleek to climb all the way unless… My mind goes into high gear. I lift my head up towards the rooftop. My private swimming pool is up there, and Sarah went for a swim.

“SARAH!”

“My king?” she answers, ready to spring into action.

“Throw down a rope or something I can use for a long jump and hold on to it!”

“Yes, sir!”

I hear fast movement from the pool. I do not know if there even is a usable rope up there, but I know Sarah. She is my most trusted bodyguard for a reason: her loyalty and quick thinking.

Adrenaline pumps through my body, and it feels like she takes too long. My heightened senses make the time slow down in a crisis, but it’s painful to wait. I contemplate alternatives, but before I find another solution, I spot the white and green of my kingdom, Duri. Sarah has thrown down the end of a flag. It’s not a rope, but it’s doable.

“I’m gonna jump to the other side at the count of three: One! Two! Three!”

I use the good-enough solution and swing myself over to the window. I half change to my wolf mid-air and roll in, surprising my mate’s attacker. He doesn’t know what hit him before I’ve ripped his head off. Around me are clear signs he was a member of the Moonless, a cult started by elves to weaken my kingdom and this world.

The air in the room reeks of wolfsbane. I’ve already built up a sound immune system against it, so it doesn’t affect me as much. But the same cannot be said of my mate. She can barely lift her head. When our eyes meet, I get an electric buzz, confirming she is my mate. My heart leaps in joy. I’m captured by her oak-brown eyes and soft eyelashes. I cannot move other than change back to my human form.

I want to scream the word mate out loud and celebrate that I finally found her, but I cannot. I want to bite and mark her neck, but I cannot. I want to take her home to my bed but cannot. If she is the one the prophecy foretold, she must claim me and not the other way around. I have to wait for her, and it pains me!

My human side has to fight for control with my wolf's side. My wolf wants to claim her immediately, and I must remind him of our father’s warnings. I use all my human logic to tame my wolf's instinct. The only thing that calms him is the threat to her life if he is too hasty, but he doesn’t let go completely.

The way her eyes roam over my body feeds his instinct to pounce over her. I would never forgive myself if I give in to his animalistic side, and even as wild as my wolf is right now, he wouldn’t either. All we can do is hope she can sense our connection, too.

When I’m calm enough, I lift my hand to reach out for her. Before I’m close enough to touch her, something in her eyes changes, and she lets out a piercing scream before fainting. And when her consciousness disappears, so does her wolf's soul! My heart breaks for her. “Did he have time to remove her canines?”

I wake up from my trance. My mate is in extreme pain, and I’m standing here just gawking at her body like a fool. I loosen the silver chains on her legs and wrist, burning myself. Her attacker covered her in wolfsbane, and I must get it off her as quickly as possible.

I open the bathroom door, finding the room empty from wolfsbane. I put my mate in the bathtub and begin showing her. It’s ineffective as the filth is sticking to her dress. I swallow hard but have no choice but to rip her clothes off. Just like I wanted to do when I saw her from my balcony, but happening in the wrong way. I hate myself for it, but this is the only way to save her life.

The dress is tattered, so it’s easy to get it off. The bastard has whipped my mate, leaving gashes in both her and her clothes. I continue tearing at her dress from an opening big enough to get my hand inside. Her underwear might be full of wolfsbane as well, so I snap it off to be on the safe side. I throw every item out of the bathroom without ceremony, closing the door.

Something has risen between my legs while I work on her clothes. I’m unable to let my desire die down, but I cannot let the mate bond consume me. I need more control. My wolf needs to let go of his instincts. Not sure what to do, I walk back and forth while the water fills the tub ever so slowly. I bargain with my wolf, repeatedly reminding him of my father’s words, but he doesn’t listen.

“Look at her!” I command him. “The poor thing will be scared again, waking up to see me naked and hard next to her. What will she believe about us?”

My wolf becomes silent, but he doesn’t give me complete control. “Stupid wolf!” I can’t be here like this, but I cannot leave her alone either. She is unconscious and not out of danger. I do the next best thing and wrap a towel around myself. At least it hides my nakedness a little.

I try to avoid staring at her naked body, but it’s difficult. To ensure she becomes clean from the wolfsbane, I have to look. And I cannot keep myself from noting her form. I itch to touch her, so I move my eyes away from her breasts. They will fit perfectly in my big hands, but I cannot feel her up. Not now. Her curves continue to her round belly and down to her wide hips. I shake my head repeatedly to clear the horny beast out of my mind. Not before my wolf had his fill am I able to force myself to stop staring at her perfection.

“Wolfsbane!” I say to myself.

Water runs over the tub’s edge, but the wolfsbane clings to her body. I need to scrub it off, but I don’t know if I can control myself if I do, even with my wolf behaving himself. I put my head between my hands and breathe, counting down from five. “Let’s start with her feet! That should be safe.”