by Logan Keys
“Your wolf will make you proud,” she assures me.
She can’t know the pride that already fills me. Him, fighting in a foreign battlefield, against my father, without reservation, just so I can stand by his side as his wife is more than I can ask of any man. Yet, I asked him, and he complied with a ferocity unmatched to any male in my realm.
Noble lowers, his muzzle curling back as he turns his attention to where my father prowls. He takes a few decisive steps back and when my father lunges, he darts through the grass, making my father crash into the hard, unforgiving ground. My father rises quickly, shaking his coat.
Their attention slams into the other, tension rising throughout the auditorium as the two opponents square off. They circle one another, and Noble seems to take in everything. My father’s stride, the angles of his body, and I know from the brief studies of wolves that Noble is assessing my father, looking for weaknesses.
Noble snaps his jaws and lunges forward before changing directions and running past my father. Confused, my father turns in Noble’s direction. I clasp my hands together, my fingers digging into my flesh as realization dawns on me.
Noble doesn’t fight with the brute force of my father. He is, after all, wolf, not lion. I almost giggle at the thought. My future husband is far cleverer than I anticipated and is testing my father. In doing so, he now holds the upper hand and sets the pace for the fight.
Irritated, my father growls as Noble circles him. He darts through the grass, far enough my father can’t pounce on him, but close enough my father can’t regroup and take control. When Noble stops, my father moves to him. Slowly, so slowly he might as well not be moving.
As if not troubled by his large enemy, Noble yawns. My father pounces. I close my eyes. My mother gasps, and I reopen my eyes.
Swiftly, Noble sprints away from my father and when he’s behind him, he jumps on my father’s backside. My father roars, thrashing his body as he inclines his head toward Noble. Noble digs deeper into my father’s flesh. Finally, my father grips Noble with his sharp teeth and shakes him off. Noble falls to the ground with a loud thud that rings in my ears. With calculating eyes, my father stalks to my wounded husband and I stand, wanting Noble to see me so that he knows I’m still on his side.
Even from a distance, I see his eyes. The black shade that’s overtaken his gaze and I know he’s fully changed. Fully wolf, and he no longer knows what he’s fighting for.
Fisting my hand, I press it to my chest and whimper, not knowing if I’m worried for Noble or for my father.
Again, my father lunges, and when he reaches Noble, Noble’s body twists and he jumps so that he again is in on top of my father, his sharp teeth drilling into my father’s neck. My father’s strong jaw closes around Noble’s flesh as they wrestle for position, neither showing any sign of retreating.
I turn, unable to watch any further and face my mother. “Stop this,” I urge her.
She shakes her head, her eyes shining with the same worry that possesses me. “I cannot,” she says, her voice strong. “It is up to them to stop.”
“They won’t,” I whisper. “The king’s pride won’t let him. And Noble…” I drift off, turning my attention to his parents and they understand my unspoken plea.
Their son is rogue. There is nothing human left in the wolf.
My father roars again and I spin on my heels to face them. Resolute, I square my shoulders and prepare myself to witness death.
Death of my father or death of the man I thought I could love.
Lion and wolf tumble across the battlefield, the sounds of war thundering through the auditorium. Although smaller than my father, Noble’s strategy has tired the great king who’s barely able to stand. Poised for the final strike, Noble rushes to my father, who closes his eyes in defeat.
“Noble,” I whisper, my voice breaking as my eyes fill with tears.
He stops, and after a few beats the wolf glances up at me. Trembling fingers cover my mouth as we look at one another. Still staring at me, he shudders once, his beautiful black fur trembling with the gesture, before he changes into human form. Cuts and bites mar his body as blood spills, painting his skin a crimson red. I take in a desperate breath and bow my head to him, my gaze never falling from his.
“We’re done,” he announces and looks down at my father. “I’ve won your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Chapter 17
Liana
“Liana,” my mother’s voice echoing through the long hallway stops me.
I pivot in her direction and curtsy. Noble’s mom follows suit as his father bows his head. My mother is the only one to remain upright. A small, but satisfied smile spreads, across her regal face. I turn my head in the direction I was going, my eyes darting to the room only a few steps away where my wolf awaits me.
“It is not your duty to tend to your husband’s wounds,” my mother says, arching a single eyebrow, daring me to counter her assumption.
“It may not be my duty, but it is an honor.” I tilt my face to address the king and queen wolf, who I find smiling kindly at me. “He fought well,” I say to them. “When the day comes, I will be proud to call him my husband. As his wife, I will care for him and remain loyally by his side. It is my hope to also make him proud.”
His father reaches for me and I extend my hand to him in return. He cups my hand, rubbing his calloused fingers over the soft surface of my skin. It’s neither displeasing or welcome, but a sign of our union.
A house servant approaches us and curtsies before she speaks with her head bowed and her eyes downcast. “My lady,” she says to my mother. “His grace would like a word with you.”
My mother nods and the servant rushes away. Placing a hand on my arm, my mother leans into me to kiss my cheek. “A queen waits to be summoned after battle,” she whispers.
I tip my head down, hiding the exasperated expression that must be evident on my face. Because, my mother knows my destiny as queen no longer exists. I am to remain a princess. My children will be king or queen. Not me and as much as it shocks me, I’m also quite elated to find I no longer care.
Noble’s father coughs, drawing my attention. “Already, you have made him proud. And us, Liana, you have made us proud. We welcome you to our pack, and trust you will find happiness there.”
“I will.”
His mother palms my cheek with two hands and I incline my head, so she may press a kiss to my temple. “We thank you, Liana. I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.”
I retreat a step. “I don’t understand what you’re thanking me for, my lady.”
Her hands find mine and she squeezes. “You do,” she insists. “You know Noble’s true nature and not only were you able to call him back into human form, you are also willing to marry him despite it.”
Hissing, I place a hand on my waist. “Noble brought himself back, and it is his true nature I wish to marry, not in spite of it.”
Spinning on my heels, I leave my future king and queen with their mouths agape and enter Noble’s room without knocking or invitation. My hackles further rise when I find him lying on his bed naked with my sister, Lia, touching him.
Mine, my brain growls.
I pull back my lips, bearing my teeth to my sister. She cowers, a small yelp spilling from her lips when I snatch the cloth she’d been using to clean Noble’s wounds.
“You may leave,” I dismiss her.
Lia scurries away, her departing back fleeing through the double doors before I have time to turn back to Noble. But when I do face him, I find him still lying on the bed, but now a ridiculous grin spreads across his beautiful face.
“Jealous?” he asks.
I place the cloth into a nearby bowl of water and wring it before I begin to tend to Noble.
“Yes,” I answer.
“Your honesty is humbling. Always be honest with me, Liana. I’m tired of games and manipulations.”
“You’ll always have my honesty, even when you don’t want it,�
�� I promise. “Now lie still, my brave Noble, so I may clean you.” Kneeling beside him, I place the warm cloth on his chest and trail gentle kisses as I sweep over his battered body. His body shudders.
“Thank you for showing mercy to my father. I am forever in your debt.”
Caressing my face with his outstretched hand, he traces small circles on my cheek with his thumb. I take his hand with mine and kiss his palm. He sighs, a heavy breath that sounds a lot like relief.
“It is I, who is indebted to you.” Long fingers brush over my mouth and I part my lips. “The wolf heard you whisper my name. Your father is alive because of you.”
I nod my head as if I understand, but truly I don’t. He hasn’t come out and said it, but he and his parents have skirted around what I thought may be true.
“Will you be honest with me, Noble? If I ask you something important, will you tell me the truth?”
Taking the cooling cloth, I dip it back into the warm water and squeeze it before I trail it over his chest. He quivers, his eyes darken, and he closes his lids, his hands falling to his side. His tongue sweeps his lips in a quick dash of motion but when he opens his eyes, they’re clear.
“Ask me anything, my princess.” His words come out as a rasp. “But be careful what you ask. Some truths aren’t worth knowing.”
“Your truth is worth knowing.”
For now, I drop the cloth back into the bowl of water and edge closer to him. I run my fingers through his hair and across his face. His throat bobs, the prominent veins on his neck dancing when he swallows.
“That day I saw you in Summer, you were off your mark. You weren’t with your pack. And when I went to Winter to talk to you, it wasn’t yet a full moon, but you were in wolf form, again without your pack. And now,” I bend down to kiss the creases lining his forehead, “you said the wolf heard me. Are you and the wolf not one?”
His face crumbles, resignation settles across his dark features. “Do you know what you’re asking me?”
“I do.” I take his hand in mine and bring his fingers to my lips. “Will you tell me?”
As if the idea pains him, he turns from me, slipping his hands from my grasp. I let him, because I know what I’m asking isn’t easy. It’s admitting a fault to a lineage I’m supposed to marry into. A fault that could break our betrothal despite him winning my hand.
Needing him to know I’m still with him, that whatever he tells me is of no consequence to our future, I lay my hand on his chest and rest it over his heart.
“The wolf and I co-exist, but the wolf has more control than I do.”
Like a stampede, his heart pounds through its confines and against my palm. The thunderous commotion incites war as much as it calls to me to protect him. Both man and beast.
“So, when you turn into a wolf…” I trail off.
“I’m no longer man. I’m rogue, Liana. Do you know what that means?”
“Yes,” I murmur. His lack of command over the wolf is frightening. And exciting. “But the wolf recognizes me?”
“As much as the man does.”
“Then it’s a good thing the wolf is as beautiful as the man.”
“You tease?” An incredulous laugh rumbles from his chest and he reaches for me. I let him, absorbing the warmth of his hands when he touches me. “I tell you I’m rogue, that I’m flawed, and you make jokes.”
“Flawed?” I snort, distaste for the word evident in the way I contort my face.
“You know this makes me flawed, Liana. Do not play the fool. I’m flawed and weak. If your parents, the king and queen, knew of this they wouldn’t permit you to marry me. You shouldn’t want to marry me.”
“It is you who is the fool here, my wolf. I would never marry a flawed or weak man. Yet, here I am. I want to marry you, Noble.”
Swiftly, he sits up, and pulls my face to him. He kisses me. His lips move against mine, soft and tender. When his lips part, mine separate with him and our tongues dance and coax. Fingers, just as tender, hold onto me, massaging the base of my neck, yielding me to him.
Even when my lungs burn for air, we continue to kiss, his lips moving as if he were composing a sonnet I hope will never end. In his arms, I send out a silent prayer that both man and wolf can one day love me the way I wish to love him.
When we break apart, Noble rests his forehead against mine. His fingers dig into my neck and he presses another quick kiss onto my lips and then my cheek. “You are a wonder.”
“As if a royal would marry anything less than a wonder.” I tsk. “Now let me finish tending to your wounds. When I finish,” I add, brushing my lips over his ear, “if you’ve been a good wolf, I’ll ride you soft and slow.”
Chapter 18
Noble
Liana is as beautiful as I knew she’d be in her white dress. Today is the day, and though I’d wished it would come more swiftly, now I’m as nervous as a cub in his first run with the pack.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” I say, not meaning a word. I’m transfixed with my bride to be.
“Then who will fix this terrible job you’ve done on your cravat?” Soft hands brush mine away, fix things unnecessarily, and then linger at my throat.
“Do you like it?” I ask, meaning my suit. “It’s quite dated, I know.”
She smiles. “I’m the one that’s supposed to ask that.”
I smile back.
“You’re not the one in her mother’s dress that’s got more frills than any woman needs. If I fell in a puddle, I’d drown.” Liana sighs, glances down with a cute bit of doubt making frown lines on her lovely face.
“Liana,” I say, taking her hands and kissing each before squeezing them with reassurance. “This dress is perfect. You are perfect. This day is perfect. Nothing will ruin our wedding. I won’t let it. This is my kingdom and I command it.”
That makes her smile again, brilliantly. Her pointy teeth on the edges are just sharp enough to remind me that I marry no normal girl, no Spring prey, but a lion.
Liana must see what I do, for I know how my own teeth are getting longer nearing to the full moon. And I shall have a bride to see me off for that special night as well. A woman to send me into the pack as is tradition.
“Noble, I have to ask you. Are your people… are they okay with this?” She knows that they are not. She’s seen the side glances and she’s braved the sneers.
“They will be,” I say.
“Are you certain?”
Doubt fills her golden eyes and I feel guilty for something I have no control over. For a future that is not at all what Liana must have hoped for. For a moment, I almost change my mind. What if the pack never surrenders to this idea? And Liana will be what? An outcast.
I try to let go of her hands and do the right thing. I will myself to send her home. I do. But the rogue in me is a lonely selfish beast who wants a mate. Even if that means she joins him in exile.
“I won’t lie to you, Liana. The wolves are a pack. They see you as a threat. Lions and the wolves have not always gotten along. We’ve shed blood and so have your kind, but we will show them what unity can look like, alright? We must teach them.”
“I wish I had your positivity. I keep thinking one minute that this is where I belong. But since arriving…I’ve noticed things are so different than my home. I wish I could see it how you do, Noble.”
“I’m not the one facing a whole realm of doubters. That you have not run out of here and away from us already is a miracle. If someone has slighted you. Just give me their name.” Her eyes widen, and I know I must look ready to change. The wolf is angered at the very thought.
“The women came to get me,” she says. “They weren’t rude, but they were…”
“Trying to force you outside?”
“Yes. Why?”
I laugh and wipe my face. “Tradition, my lady. Tradition.”
She crosses her arms and raises a brow. “Do go on.”
I sigh. “There are a few of them for joining two people togeth
er in wedded bliss. For one, we hide the ring. My scent is on it. Don’t ask. And if you find it, Liana, you get to keep the prize.”
“And what prize might that be, my lord?”
I laugh at her curious cat nature. “Me.”
“Well then, I best be on my way.”
I grow serious. “You’d do it? You’ll do the traditions? All of them?”
Liana frowns. “All?”
“There are more than one, a few… But I’ve told them the dead fish in our bed is not going to happen.”
“I don’t think I want to know.”
I laugh. My heart lighter than it’s been well, ever. “You don’t. But the ceremony itself is normal. It’s the before and after that’s a tad…strange. The ring finding. Then um…they shoot you with arrows.” I look away, worrying my cravat. “They aren’t sharp. And then I come and break them all. To prove how manly I am.” I hide my smile. “Want me to tell them no?”
“They shoot the bride?” She looks horrified and intrigued which makes me love her all the more. “That’s terrible!”
“I know. It is quite old. It doesn’t hurt.”
Liana sighs. “No fish, Noble. The arrows are enough.”
“They barely shoot them…”
She shakes her head before a servant peeks inside the room. “You ready, milady?”
“I don’t know.” Liana gives me a mock glare. “Am I? Will they truss me up like a chicken after?”
Chapter 19
Noble
“Did you find the ring?” I whisper, and she giggles and nods beneath her veil.
The priest gives me his most chastising glare, and then continues in the ancient language of the realms. I roll my eyes at him when he’s not looking and feel Liana’s body shake next to mine with mirth.
The priest motions for another to come forward, pausing in his droning. “Sire, before you lift the veil, the arrows.”