“Get. Your. Hands. Off. Her,” I demanded, half growling. My hands fisted as I fought the shift. My wolf was ready to protect.
The man froze at my voice, and his head snapped towards me with a vicious glare. “Piss off. Mind your own business.”
My gaze quickly shifted to Sarah, while her pleading eyes were raw with fear. Though I wasn’t certain she was scared for herself or me.
“Are you deaf? She said no,” I barked at him. “No, means NO.” My heart took on a double beat as more of my wolf pressed forwards.
His stormy blue eyes raged as he turned to face me, without letting go of her. “This is not your concern. Leave before I beat the shit out of—”
Before he could finish, I appeared before him and my fist connected with his jaw—my wolf strength spiked the punch, sending him flying backwards. His back hit the dumpster with a loud clang, and he bounced, crashing to the ground. Finally free of him, Sarah rushed out of the way, and I guided her behind me, feeling her trembling body underneath my grasp.
I had to repress the urge of killing the freaking guy. Killing was never the answer.
“No one threatens me,” I warned as he stood, spitting blood onto the asphalt.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” he roared, stepping closer. “You have no idea who you pissed off.” His hands fisted at his sides and he squared off to me, eyes wild with rage. “You just signed your death sentence.”
Zelin burst through the door in that second, finally finding the cause of the threat she felt from the moment we arrived. She took in the scene in a split second and lunged for him, claws shooting out of her fingers. I jumped forwards at the same time and caught her mid-air. My arms hastily wrapped around her waist, stopping her from doing something that could jeopardize our secret, and uncover the truth about who we were.
There were humans present, so a pissed off Iron Knight, seeking justice, was the last thing we needed right now.
The guy laughed at Zelin, as though the idea of a woman attacking him was ridiculous—he obviously hadn’t noticed her claws. He stepped back, his gaze sweeping over us. His eyes filled with hatred as he stared at me, then shifted to Sarah who was still trembling behind me.
“You are not worth it,” he spat at her, and Zelin jerked in my arms, itching to rip into him.
I held her tighter, though the truth was, if she really wanted to attack him there was no one in this world who could stop her. The thought filled me with relief, because it meant there was still a rational side of her, telling her she shouldn’t go after him. Nevertheless, her rage and need for justice were still driving her strongly.
The man’s gaze shifted behind me, when Rod, Oils, and Egon stepped out of the pub. I was sure the rest of the knights were right behind them.
“I’m not done with you,” the asshole challenged, staring into my eyes.
My nostrils flared in anger as my wolf struggled against my skin, heart thundering in my chest. Feeling my muscles violently jerk, begging me to beat him to a pulp, I took a settling breath. If we were back in our kingdom, he’d be dead already, but we weren’t, and we couldn’t forget that.
Spitting blood into the ground one more time, he sent one last hate-filled glance our way, promising retribution, and walked away.
I let go of Zelin, seeing her take deep breaths to retract the claws that had protruded from her fingers. Finally getting a hold of herself, she exchanged a loaded glance with me. She wasn’t going to let this go that easily. She would find him again, and he would pay.
Facing Sarah, I gently held her shoulders as she shook, her eyes were still trained on the direction the man had disappeared a few moments ago. “Are you okay?” I asked gently, forcing her to look at me.
She flinched, startled by my unexpected touch, and I let go of her immediately—even against my instincts that told me she needed to be held. I didn’t want to upset her anymore. Sarah began to nod in response but a sob escaped her, and she cupped her mouth. Copper brown strands swayed as she rapidly shook her head, and I tentatively opened my arms to her. I watched her take a step forwards, and falling into my offered arms, she began to cry.
My chest constricted, as I held her, every tear making me want to go after the bastard and smash his face. I was almost convinced I shouldn’t have stopped Zelin from slicing him to pieces with her claws—humans be damned—when she moved me out of the way, reaching for Sarah.
Her nurturing side flared to life, and she pulled Sarah into her arms instead. “It’s okay. You are safe now,” Zelin assured her, caressing her back soothingly. “You want to go to our house? We can talk for a bit, help you calm down? We’ll take you home afterwards.”
Sarah looked at her, wiping her cheeks and drying her hands on the soft blue dress she wore with white sneakers. Her gaze was hesitant at first, sweeping over us, but when it returned to Zelin she offered her a kind smile. Sarah nodded, clearly feeling at ease with us.
“Let’s get out of here,” my guardian instructed the knights, who were now all out in the alley with us, and we walked towards the door of the pub.
I paced the hall outside Zelin’s room like an idiot, while Egon, Rod and Emory remained with me. The rest of the guys were spread around the house, doing only the Goddess knew what, but I couldn’t seem to move from here.
It had been about an hour since we returned home from the pub with Sarah, and Zelin had been inside the room with her since then—helping her calm. I still had no idea how little or how much that bastard had done to her. I hadn’t exactly stopped to ask questions when I found him cornering her in the alley.
“Is she okay, Z?” I asked Zelin through our link for the millionth time, without getting an answer. Again. “Answer me, woman!”
Nothing.
Sighing, I stopped walking, letting my back fall against the wall behind me. Zelin was in protector mode right now, using that intensity she was known for, to be nurturing, understanding, and comforting. Shielding Sara from anything that could hurt her. She’d normally behave that way with me, except right now, I wasn’t even allowed inside the room.
The guys looked at me, concerned, while I stared at the door, wishing I could make it melt with my eyes. Though, I wasn’t sure if they were concerned for Sarah, or for me—I was about five seconds from blowing the damn door down. From the weary looks they sent my way then, I guessed it was me.
Ms. Elizabeth appeared in the hallway then, walking towards us while carrying a tray with several cups of hot chocolate. The guys took theirs, and I accepted one as well but didn’t drink from it. I couldn’t.
Turning away from me, she knocked on the door. “It’s me, darling. I brought hot chocolate.”
A soft click sounded and the door opened. Zelin took the two cups, glaring at me, and closed the door in my face yet again.
“Z! I swear, if you don’t let me in right now, I—”
She opened the door again, giving me the evil eye, but stepped aside, letting me enter. I rushed inside before she changed her mind, and my gaze instantly found Sarah on the bed. She was sitting cross-legged, with a pillow hugged against her chest. Her eyes were red, but her cheeks were dry. She was no longer crying.
My feet took me to her side. “Hey…” I offered her a small smile, sitting next to her, and offered her my hot chocolate. “How are you doing?”
Abandoning the chocolate, she reached for me. Her arms wound around my torso tightly, and she rested her cheek against my chest—I had replaced the pillow. “Thank you so much for helping me,” she whispered, and my chest constricted as her voice broke.
Handing the cup to Zelin, I welcomed Sarah’s awkward sideways embrace, and smiled. “No need to thank me. Are you okay?”
She nodded, but didn’t offer any explanations.
My gaze connected with Zelin. “What did he do to her?”
Onyx eyes filled with both sadness and rage as she watched me. “He forcibly touched her...” She paused for a moment, as though to let me understand her meaning, and
every cell in my body was became alive with fire.
I was going to kill him.
“He wasn’t able to do anything else,” Zelin continued. “You stopped him.”
A string of German curse words erupted in my mind as my ire grew, and my arms tightened around the sweet and funny girl whose eyes had remained with me since that morning. There was something about her, that I felt even now.
“I should have let you kill him.”
Zelin’s gaze turned from caring, to menacing. “We can’t kill humans,” she reminded with a half growl, half sigh. “But he’s going to pay for what he did. I will find a way, and the crown will have justice.”
My attention returned to Sarah when she pulled away from me, to wipe the fresh tears that escaped her eyes. I didn’t let go of her, I couldn’t. My wolf rustled with the need to protect. The feeling too great within me to be set aside, and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to let her out of my sight any time soon.
“I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to disturb your night, I—”
“No.” My brows gathered as I frowned, looking into her emerald green eyes. “Don’t say that. You have nothing to be sorry about.”
My gaze connected with Zelin’s and she sighed, standing from the bed. “I’ll be outside if you need me,” she offered, and walked out, giving me some time to talk with Sarah.
“Are you sure you are okay?” I asked as my gaze returned to her.
Her eyes dropped to her hands, and she began to play with the hem of her dress. “I’m okay, but I’m just embarrassed. I can’t believe this is how we met again after this morning.”
My fingertips lifted her chin so our eyes could meet again. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m glad I found you tonight. I’m just sorry I didn’t do it sooner.”
“We were on a date,” Sarah offered, before I could decide whether or not I should ask what happened. “He walked me to the bathroom, and when I came out he pulled me outside and kissed me.”
Copper brown strands swayed over her shoulders as she shook her head incredulously.
“At first, I thought he was being playful, you know? Pressing me against the wall and kissing me like that seemed like the kind of thing you see in the movies. It was exciting…” Her eyes glistened again. “Then he got rough. I told him to stop. I said no, I swear I did, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“I believe you,” I whispered, pulling her into my arms again. “It’s over now,” I offered, kissing the top of her head. The scent of flowers filtered through my nose, as she shook her head again.
“It’s not over…”
“Yes it is.” I pulled away to gaze at her. “He’s not coming near you ever again. I promise you that. I won’t let him.” I reassured as my every muscle clenched at the vow. I would end him if he so much as looked her way again.
Anxiety filtered into Sarah’s eyes. “You don’t understand. Logan goes to our campus. Everyone knows who he is. He’s stupid rich and gets away with anything he wants.”
“Not with this.”
“Oh my God, I can’t go to school anymore.” Fear gripped her with the realization, and she began to tremble, cupping her mouth with both hands.
“Shh... It’s okay. It’s going to be okay,” I soothed, cradling her right cheek in my hand gently.
Leaning closer, I kissed her forehead and did something I had sworn not to do here. My eyes closed as I opened myself to her, and tingling reached my palm. The energy sparked to life inside me, my essence awakening as the gift the Great Moon had given me rushed through me. My eyelids snapped open, glowing blue, and the magic flowed from my fingers and into Sarah.
A small gasp left her lips as I infused my essence into her—something only a Moon Prince, or Princess could do. The peace, happiness, and love waves flowed from my essence and into hers, the feeling taking her breath away.
She stilled under my touch, experiencing Love—a name I had given this ability when I was five years old, and was forced to hide my gift from the evil shifters of the RavenWolves clan. Sarah held my other hand it tightly, but she didn’t pull back.
After a few seconds I called the energy back, and let it recede inside me, having already healed her emotional hurt. Sarah’s confused eyes met mine as she pulled away, and a louder gasp escaped her.
My breath stilled in my chest, realizing then she had seen my glowing eyes. Shit. How could I have been that careless? This was one of the reasons I wasn’t supposed to use my gift on humans. It could give away my secret. The healing ability I’d been gifted could only be described as a miracle. It could not only heal emotions, but grave injuries as well, bringing someone back from the brink of death.
Sharing my mystical essence with another Moonchild, made them recognize me as their Moon Prince and Alpha above all others. It inspired a fierce loyalty, respect, and ultimate obedience for the rest of time. The recipient would follow my every order, should if I ever choose to give it, giving me the ability to command a full kingdom if I wanted.
Yet, that wasn’t even the most powerful part of it.
I had the gift of life.
I could create life where there was none. Making someone once sterile, fertile again, or turn a human into one of us… A wolf shifter.
Logically, this was a gift used with extreme caution and responsibility—especially on humans. In fact, as far as we knew only one human had ever been turned. There might be side effects for them we didn’t yet know about… Which was the reason I had only focused on the calming, loving and peaceful part of the gift. Nothing else.
“What are you?”
Sarah’s whisper broke through my haze and I looked into her emerald green eyes, yet I knew there was nothing to fear. Something inside her resonated with me, and somehow, I knew I could trust her.
“Your guardian angel,” I joked, instead of telling her the truth, my German accent gracing each word.
She grinned, visibly lighter as the pain of the experience was no longer present in her soul. I had taken it away.
“I thought guardian angels came from heaven, not Germany.”
My lips twitched as I fought to keep a straight face. “Well, I was on vacation. October fest was a blast.”
Her eyes twinkled when she looked up at me sweetly, and the sight pulled at me. She was beautiful. My thumb shifted on her cheek, caressing her cheekbone.
“No one is going to hurt you again, Sarah. I’m here now. I’ll protect you.”
Instinctively, she leaned closer, her smile fading as her gaze drifted to my lips. Her hands lifted to my chest, unable to resist the pull of the dominance she felt exuding from me—even if she couldn’t recognize the feeling like a shifter would. Her soft touch remained on my chest, while she seemed held captive by my presence.
The way she looked at me… it felt nice to be seen this way, almost in awe of me—though it was probably the effect my gift had left on her. She leaned closer and I wondered if she was going to kiss me.
I swallowed, unsure, but couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to kiss her. Shaking myself out of my stupor, I began to pull back, knowing it wasn’t the right moment to find out, but I was too late.
Sarah’s soft lips closed over mine, and she fisted my shirt, pulling me closer. I stilled, but the chaste kiss seemed to take her breath away, and the soft feel of her lips made it difficult to move. The “something about her” intensified. My hand moved to her shoulder, finding the strength to lean back.
Her kiss had barely been a whisper, featherily soft and sweet, just like her.
Sarah took a shaky breath, slowly blinking haze filled eyes, and as the clarity returned her eyes widened. “I’m sorry, Gustav. I… I just—” She frowned.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you. It’s been an emotional night for you—"
“What did you do to me?” Wonder transformed her features with the question. A
I smiled while my thumb grazed her cheek once more. “Do you feel better?” She nodded, a
s though hypnotized by my eyes. “Then that is all that matters.”
“Will you ever tell me?”
There was so much hope in her voice that I was tempted to answer yes.
“Maybe one day.”
Sarah’s lips curved into an endearing smile, and she pressed her lips to mine again, but the dazed gleam in her green eyes made me question why she was kissing me. Did the sharing of my essence have this effect on her?
A throat clearing came from the door, and I turned around to find Emory standing there next to Zelin, who had a strange look in her eyes.
“Sorry to disturb you,” Emory was the one to speak, the unknown emotion in my guardian’s eyes changed to her signature scowl.
SIGH. “What did I do now?”
Zelin didn’t answer, walking towards Sarah instead. “It’s getting late. I think it would be best if we take you home now, so your family doesn’t worry,” she offered, and Sarah nodded, standing.
I followed. “Would you like us to pick you up tomorrow morning? We can carpool to the university and then take you home.”
“I’m not sure I should go to class for a while,” Sarah admitted, reminding me of her confession. She would likely run into Logan there.
“You don’t need to hide from him,” Zelin answered, picking up on her unease. “You did nothing wrong.”
“She’s right,” I confirmed, reaching for her hand. “You won’t be alone. We’ll make sure you are safe. He won’t dare come near you again, and if he does, he’ll regret it.” I meant that with every ounce of fierceness in me. Whoever this Logan asshole was, he had made an enemy tonight. “He’ll have to go through me,” I vowed.
“And through me,” Zelin declared, resolute.
“And through the knig—I mean, the cousins,” Emory added, standing behind us.
Sarah frowned at his slip up, but her eyes glistened again, and I squeezed her hand. “I’m okay, it’s just… Why would you do this for me? It’s so kind of you.”
Her words left me perplexed. What kind of question was that? “Because it’s the right thing to do,” I answered, wondering if there was any other reason to ever risk anything in life.
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