“It’s cold.”
“You’ll be warm soon enough. You’re lucky I’m letting you keep your pants on. Focus, Kia.”
So my shirt came off too and I sat there, kneeling on the cold ground, goosebumps trailing down my arms. I rubbed my hands over my chest, trying to keep in my body heat. I felt a tug at the base of my soul, a deep-seated jerk that made me shout out. My spine buckled and I arched against the pain.
God, was it always this hard? Tears sprang to my eyes and I dropped to my side on the dirt, twisting to try and ease the ache in my bones. It felt like they were being stressed to the breaking point.
Scythe looked nervous, almost frantic as he licked my cheek. I took this as a sign that maybe it shouldn’t have been so damn rough, my first change. I took shallow breaths, my ribs bruised. My eyes closed slowly as the pain ebbed away. I felt Scythe nudge me. “Kia. Stay alert.”
I barely heard him over the drone in my head. Another wave of agony rippled through me and I opened my mouth to cry, to scream, but no sound came out, or maybe it did and I just couldn’t hear it. I heard buzzing in my ears, felt nudging, but I felt so far away…
I took a breath and let it out slowly, then felt the warmth of hands gripping my arms. Someone slapped my cheek and my eyes opened, looking deep into the deep blue gaze of Arii.
“Kia.” She was human. Not wolf. She slapped me again, cupped my cheeks in her hands. Her face inched closer to mine. “Kia. Relax. You have to let the wild overtake you. Let the wolf win, Kia. I know it’s hard, but… Goddamnit, look at me.” Her voice was edged in panic and I thought numbly that this definitely wasn’t how a first change went.
My body warped, twisting again. I bit back a cry and pressed myself into the dirt, the moon bathing down on me. The wolf wanted out. He clawed, pacing underneath my skin. “What if he’s not wolf enough?” I heard Arii murmur. “God, Scythe, this could kill him…”
I struggled then. “Please…” The words came out in a pitiful whine as I thought of the Grim Reaper, poised beside me, carving a slice across my throat with his scythe. “Don’t let me go, Arii. Please…”
She ran both hands down my chest, nails scratching my skin ever so slightly in a way I wished I could be more damned aware of. God… Her palms were warm against my chest, pushing with a little force.
“Kia. Relax. I’m gonna try something. Just relax. Think about Del. Think about what she looks like. Don’t let go, Kia.” Her voice was a chant, barely audible, but I held onto her words.
I felt another deep pull. I tilted my head back against the dirt. I twisted and jerked, the tug becoming more insistent. I thought of Del with her head in my hands. I kissed her on the nose, her eyes lighting up beneath her eyebrow dots and the curly question marking on her forehead. She licked my chin and then turned her head and I saw him then: A black wolf with rusty lowlights, looking youthful with a deep golden gaze. His head was held high, perfectly sculpted, his ears gentle triangles. Del brushed her head against his muzzle and he gave a wag of his tail.
I spasmed once more before everything went pale, soft and relaxing like water trickling through a spring stream. The pain eased away, leaving me with a wild mind and a nose full of scents. I lunged to my feet, feeling trapped as hands tried to secure me. They let me go and I backed away, nose testing the air. My ears swiveled, the crickets’ minstrel flooding my senses. The woods were basked in a pallid, misty light. I took short, swift sniffs.
“Kia…” The voice was right beside me, nestled into the back of my brain. I paused, turning my head to look at Arii. She was sleek and petite with a bushy tail and a thick ruff of fur around her throat, just as I’d remembered, but somehow brand new at the same time. Her eyes bore into mine and she touched my face, my muzzle, with hers. I wanted to smile, my heart kicking in my chest.
Arii dropped into a bow, rump in the air and her tail wagging. She gave the softest of yips, then darted into the woods. I paused, tipping my head to Scythe, who still seemed a little shaken up. I turned and trotted after her.
My body was slim and sleek, muscles rippling with each effortless movement. It was like a warm knife cutting through butter, my paws eating up the yards and miles as we ran. I caught up with her, nipping at her flank. We slid through the trees, my heart soaring at such…freedom. My inner wolf knew freedom, as well as happiness. All the past thoughts of pain, all the fear from my change had slipped away into nothing, forgotten as we danced on four paws.
For a moment, Arii froze. I slowed, letting my gaze scan the area before settling on a wolf, almost a smudge of darkness amongst the pastel landscape. Her eyes burned with shock as she stared at me. I stepped forwards as a low grumble rose into the air—before I realized it was me doing the growling.
Sikta flattened her ears against her skull, shooting me a death glare.
“You may look like him, but you’ll never be Kitane,” she growled, heat and pain seething in her voice. She turned and fled, leaves cracking underfoot, leaving us in silence. Even as a wolf, she knew to hate me. There had to’ve been something I just wasn’t seeing, something…deeper.
Arii nudged my shoulder.
“Forget her,” she said, her own ears pulled back. She stared at me—longingly, sheepishly—and I had to chuckle. It rumbled up my throat and she wagged her tail. It was my turn to drop into a bow and dart fleeting in the opposite direction Sikta had gone. Arii yipped joyously and followed and we were just…free.
Chapter Ten
I stretched languidly, rolling my shoulders in a circular motion to work out the kinks. My head rested on my arm, which was bent at an angle and stiff. I slowly stretched it out and smiled as I pressed my face into something soft. I heard a low yawn and opened my eyes—only to realize I was snuggled flush up against Arii, her warmth seeping into me. I twisted, sitting bolt upright as my face burned. She grinned lazily up at me, stretched out like a goddess.
“Hey.” Her voice was husky from sleep.
I looked around. We were alone in the middle of a small cave with a stone floor. No wonder my back was stiff. Afternoon sunlight beamed just outside the mouth of the cave, warming the ground, and a cool breeze flitted in.
“Where are we?” The night was a blur, but as I rubbed my hands over my arms, I could feel the wolf sleeping beneath my skin. It felt different, but somehow? It didn’t feel as foreign as I’d expected it to be. Like he’d always been slumbering there, waiting to wake up.
She sat up, arching her back like a cat, showing off a little more cleavage than I was comfortable with. I discreetly looked away and she laughed.
“This is my secret spot. My den, if you will. No one else in the pack knows about it.”
“Won’t they be worried about us?”
“About you, probably.” She sighed. “But yeah. We should probably head back. Think you wanna shift for a morning run, or do you wanna go back to the Den on two legs instead of four?” The light in her eyes twinkled a little.
Was that a challenge? “I dunno. If I recall correctly, shifting hurts like a bitch.”
“That was your first time. It always hurts the most your first time. The more you shift, the easier it gets. Believe me.”
“Alright.” Because I was guessing it was gonna be a lot easier to skirt through the forest as an animal, versus huffing and puffing as a human. As a wolf, I’d felt powerful. As a human? Not so much. “Lead the way.”
She leveled me a grin and then shifted, darting through the mouth of the cave like a forest nymph, tail flagging the air behind her. I rose to my feet and thought about the night before, the strength in my limbs as we tore across the forest floor by the light of the moon. My wolf lifted his head from deep within me. I focused on him, focused on becoming him, and slowly, inch-by-inch I began to change.
My muscles and bones twisted uncomfortably, but it wasn’t painful. I arched my back as the wolf took over and had another sensory overload. For a minute, I just stood there, breathing in the smells—wild hare and chipmunk, the musk of the fores
t, wolf—and the birds chirping their song in my ears.
Then Arii yipped and I took off after her. We galloped through the forest, our paws barely skimming the ground, haunches pumping as we ran. I could almost see Arii as a human, throwing her head back with a joyous cry. As a wolf, her tongue lolled out of her mouth.
We slowed to a trot as we neared the village. Tallys sat around the fire ring, now merely ash and charred wood, sharpening a blade. He shot me a look and I felt a growl trickle up my throat. Arii dropped her gaze and slunk past him. Tallys merely shook his head. “Isn’t safe for you to be running around on your own, pup.”
How did this mindspeak thing work? I focused on smarting something back— “I wasn’t alone.” And he snorted, so I knew he got it.
“She wouldn’t be able to protect you if something happened.”
I thought back to Arii with a dagger at her side looking like some sort of Amazon warrior. I didn’t see why she couldn’t use it. Unless it was just for show, which I doubted seriously. No, if she lived here, I was sure she was able to fight. “Why not?”
“Kia.” Arii’s voice was clipped.
“She’s an Omega, boy,” Tallys said. I tipped my head to the side. “Subservient. The lowest man on the totem pole. She has rank to protect herself, and her brother, but you need someone stronger to protect you. Even if you haven’t taken the throne, you’re still a higher rank than her. You need to keep a guard with you at all times.”
“And why can’t I protect myself?”
“I’m working on that. Be patient, but in the mean time, keep Scythe with you. Or better yet, Sikta.”
I growled at the thought of the viper, then turned my back on Tallys. No matter what he said, Omega or not, I felt comfortable with Arii. She’d fight for me, rank or no rank. I bumped shoulders with her, though her head and tail were low. I nipped her shoulder and gave her a gentle push.
“So you’re no longer mad at me?”
“I’m still a little miffed…but no. I thought…” She gave a soft whine. “That I was gonna lose you. That your change would kill you.”
I nudged her face and wagged my tail, brushing the tip against her side. “I want to meet your brother.”
She glanced at me, eyes widening. “I… Why?”
“You said he’s a lot like Shae…and so maybe I miss that annoying little sister of mine,” I said, feeling a stab of guilt—I hadn’t thought about my family once since the night before.
She stepped out of her skin, turning back into a beautiful girl in a blue cotton dress. She ran both hands through her hair, sending a waft of her scent in my direction, like summer and roses. I breathed it in, then changed back as well. It was a relief to find my own two legs again, though I didn’t mind becoming a beast as much as I thought I would. I smiled at her and she grinned back, impulsively grabbing my hand and dragging me through the village.
We headed into the smallest building in the village cluster, the door swinging open with a soft squeak of metal as we went through. The smell of breakfast filled my nose, flapjacks and syrup and bacon. My stomach growled hungrily and Arii laughed at the sound.
“Good thing we’re going that way anyway, huh, Kia?” she teased as we walked down the hall.
The kitchen was large, bustling with people in white aprons smudged with food. They looked at me, curious, but when they saw Arii they seemed to shrug it off. I heard someone yell from behind the counter and slowly, a boy emerged.
Hands stuffed in his pockets, he was about the same height as Arii, with white-blond hair framing gentle curls around a baby face. But it was his eyes that caught me off guard. One was the vivid, husky blue of Arii’s gaze and the other was a steely, pallid grey, the pupil a black dot in a mass of winter. Almost eerie, like the eyes of the moon-wolf mural in my room.
“Aliel,” she grinned, pulling the boy into her arms in a tight embrace. The boy squirmed, glancing to me with hesitation in those two-toned eyes. Arii placed both hands on her brother’s shoulders, squaring them, and then scruffed a hand through his hair. “Al, this is my friend, Kia. From the other side.”
Aliel’s eyes locked into mine, calculating. Deeply intelligent. He offered a shy smile, but he bunched his shoulders together. “‘Lo,” he said, his voice deep with gravel. “So…you’re our new Alpha?”
I said, “Not exactly,” at the same time Arii went, “Not yet.” And we glanced to each other.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet, but I’m Kitane’s son, if that’s what you meant.”
Aliel opened his mouth to speak when a young man came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder, a little rougher than necessary. Aliel jerked away as if stung, not meeting the man’s eyes.
“We’ve got lunch to make,” the man said. He was powerfully built with a mane of auburn and piercing green eyes. A bully if I ever saw one and I’d seen plenty of them in my time. Rockfell was packed with them.
“He can’t take a break?” I asked lightly, stepping forwards. The man looked to me, leveling me a stare, his lip twitching in annoyance. I set my jaw and glared right back, placing a hand on Aliel’s shoulder. Arii had backed up a few steps, looking both worried and angry, her blue eyes darting between the man and her brother.
The man skimmed a gaze down my front before meeting my eyes once again. He lifted a brow, wiping his wet hands on the rag at his side. “You’re the half-blood prince?”
“Yeah.” It felt strange to say that, but I had the bad feeling something would go down if I didn’t speak up now. I could feel the tension snapping between Aliel and the stranger, taut like a leather whip.
“Ever think that maybe Kitane died for a reason?”
I jerked my gaze up to his. “What?”
“He wasn’t a strong enough Alpha. He couldn’t take care of Altehrei the way it needs to be. He was soft.” His lip twisted into a wicked smile. “You don’t want to be soft like your father, do you, princeling?”
He snapped his fingers. “C’mon, Umberlith. Let’s go. Breakfast won’t cook itself.”
Aliel didn’t meet his gaze, but he shrugged out from under my touch, turning to follow the man. I could feel the anger, the hurt blossoming off the younger teen. Without thinking, I reached out, grabbing the front of the man’s shirt. His eyes widened a fraction, surprised. I stared deep into those spiteful green eyes.
“Smells to me like breakfast is done.”
“Seems to me you’re getting a little too big for your britches.” The man flashed teeth. “I don’t see a golden crown atop your little half-blood head. You can play-act all you want, but you aren’t king yet. Rules aren’t yours to throw around.” He gave Aliel a shove, but it was the satisfied smirk that he shot me that did it.
I felt anger rip up my throat and I grabbed his arm before he could do any more damage.
“Back off.”
“Or what? You’re going to make me?”
No sooner than the words had left his mouth, I swung my arm back. My fist collided with his face and he slammed backwards, stumbling away from me, a hand rising to his bleeding lip. He looked shocked, then shock turned to outrage.
I stepped a little closer, growling in my throat, more animal than human. This was insane. I wasn’t a fighter—I hadn’t fought with anyone my entire life. I was the kind of guy to sit back and stay out of the bullying best I could. But I just couldn’t let him treat Arii and Aliel like that.
“Enough!” Tallys’s voice was sharp as the man lunged for me. Moving faster than I’d give an older guy with a limp credit for, he had the bully by the back of the shirt, hauling him away from me. My hands were clenched in fists, ready and waiting, claws burning beneath my fingertips, and the man wavered. Tallys glared at me, then at him.
“Cael, go do what you’re supposed to be doing, leave the kids alone. Kia’la…” He shook his head with an exasperated sigh.
Cael huffed, but stormed back to the kitchen. Aliel was staring at me in awe, his two-toned eyes wide. Arii clamped her arms around
her little brother in a hug, shooting me a thankful look. I gazed at Tallys and my shoulders dropped like wolf’s hackles.
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t just let him get away with it.”
“So our prince resorts to violence?”
I looked down at my hand, seeing the smear of blood on my knuckles. I wiped it on my pants. “What else would you expect me to do? Swat him on the hand and tell him ‘don’t do that again or I’ll ground you’? Like that would’ve worked. He didn’t have an ounce of respect.”
“You’ve only made it worse on the boy now. Cael will take it out on him because he won’t dare touch you, not without consequence.” Tallys shook his head and motioned to Arii and her little brother.
“Let me put it this way. These two were born into lower-class. They do what they’re told, they get to be part of the pack; that’s just how it works. Cael’s the son of one of our finest hunters. Even though he chooses to mingle in the kitchen, Aliel Umberlith is still under him. An Omega.”
At that word, Aliel dropped his head. “Yes, sir…”
I should’ve let it go. I should’ve shut my mouth and turned away, but I couldn’t. I clamped a hand down on Aliel’s shoulder. The boy nearly flinched.
“Why? Just because he’s of a lesser rank, he deserves to be bullied? He’s not allowed to fight his own fights?” My words came out edged with frost.
Tallys met my eye and held it. His own lip twitched. I didn’t break eye-contact. Damnit—they’d brought me here so I’d become their king. I’d be damned if I was going to back down to their Elder.
They wanted me to be their Alpha? Rules would have to change, and fast.
“Kia’la. I can’t expect you to understand. You haven’t had our training, our schooling.” He flicked his gaze away and it landed on Arii. “Why don’t you tell him? I’ve got a meeting to attend to.” With a wary look in my direction, he hobbled off.
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