If I weren’t concerned about her, I would have smiled. Walking to the dresser, I pulled her Pjs, and handed them to her, for her to change. She slightly frowned but followed my silent request. Gently pulling her to me, I helped her undress while she watched me. Laying her suit on the bed, I helped her into a pair of blue shorts, and guided the soft white t-shirt over her head and chest, covering her bare form.
It was a sleeping set I had gifted her last year, and the shirt read ‘cute but psycho.’ Her expression had been priceless when I gave it to her—no one but me would dare call her cute—but it was her favorite set of Pjs.
Internally smiling at the memory, I gave her my back—my universal sign for jump on me—and held her legs to my sides once she did, taking her through our new door to my room for our sleepover. Usually, we watched TV until she fell asleep, and I had to carry her back to her room, but tonight something seemed off.
Tucking her under the covers, I turned on the TV and set it to her favorite episode of Friends, then I proceeded to change too. When I was done, I found her curled up on my side of the bed, her lustrous onyx hair graciously fanned out on my pillow.
See? Cute.
Zelin’s gaze was focused on the screen, seeming absent. I knew then that whatever was haunting her was serious, because if there was one thing that made her smile no matter what, was a Chandler/Monica scuffle. Yet, as they battled each other over Chandler’s fear of commitment her lips remained in a slight frown.
If there was anything worth witnessing in this life, was one of Zelin’s smiles. She didn’t do it often, being her fierce self most of the time, but I had the uncanny ability to bring a smile out of her.
And when Zelin smiled, truly smiled… wow. She could light up the night sky.
That was how powerful it was.
In moments like this, when she was lost in her thoughts, it made me want to bring it out of her. I wanted to know what had her like this, but I knew I couldn’t force her to tell me.
Getting under the covers I lay next to her, reclaiming my spot, and pulled her into my arms, feeling her snuggle against me. My gaze settled on the TV while my hand dug into her sleek hair, soft strands tangling around my fingers.
Forsaking the show, Zelin’s attention moved to my broad chest, her fingers reaching for it, and my muscles instantly clenched in response to her touch. I watched her while her fingertip slowly began to trace the skin above my left pec, where the RavenWolves’ clan tattoo had once been.
The branding showed a lone wolf howling at the moon. It’d been placed on me when I was a baby as part of the ritual where my birth mother was sacrificed. They’d awaken the shifter genes dormant inside me, by essentially killing the human side of me. After the ReinheitWölfe Queen claimed me as hers, I woke up one day to find the tattoo was gone. Fully cured by the one ability that had taken the longest to awake in me—self-healing.
“Do you think I’m heartless?”
Zelin’s question brought me out of my thoughts, leaving me stunned.
“Of course not. Why do you ask that?”
Her gaze didn’t search for mine, but she instinctively slid closer to me, as though seeking refuge in me, and my arms tightened around her protectively.
“Iron Knights are cold and emotionless,” she quoted Walter’s words and my chest constricted. “He’s right,” she reasoned. “I see things only in black and white. Right or wrong… there is no in between for me. The need for justice to be served, no matter the cost, is hardwired into my essence, and I can’t escape it. I’m like a machine, programmed for only one thing.”
Zelin’s head lifted from my shoulder, and her eyes bore into mine.
“Does that make me heartless?”
I held her gaze, mystified. The very question was a reminder that no matter how strong Zelin’s guardian side was; the emotions inside her were more powerful… even if she never let them show.
Regardless of what anyone thought of her, I could see past her fierce demeanor to the real her. I knew how affectionate, funny, loving, and sweet she truly was.
“No. You are not emotionless or heartless, Z. You proved that tonight, even if you don’t realize it.”
Her brows gathered in a frown, and I reached for her stretched neck as she looked up at me. My fingertips trailed the perfect curve slowly, until they reached her shoulder.
“You wanted to make Logan pay for what he had done to Sarah, and if you hadn’t listened to Walter’s conversation with his son, you would have. Yet, after what you heard, you changed your mind. You felt a father’s pain and need to save his son, and your heart responded to that. Your resolve softened, and instead of punishing him, you gave him another chance.”
My head shook as I looked into her eyes, fingers tracing the lines of her neck over and over, having memorized them already.
“You may be an Iron Knight, but you are not heartless. Whatever principles are imprinted into your essence, they are only there to guide you. It’s your own strength, kindness, and compassion what make you who you are. And from where I stand, you are a pretty remarkable woman.”
The glistening of her eyes accompanied my words, as that softness I knew lived inside her showed itself to me. It was what made me want to protect her, and keep her here in my arms, so nothing would ever hurt her. It called to me, even if she kept it locked inside, hidden from everyone. I appreciated that, because it made these moments all the more special.
It was my privilege to be the only witness to who she truly was.
“Though you could smile a bit more,” I added, only half joking, and just like that the sadness in her eyes receded, and her full lips stretched into a brilliant smile. “There’s my favorite smile.”
Leaning in I kissed the tip of her nose, and she wrinkled it as though it tickled her. I loved when she did that.
“You could use this chance we have here, to let that other side of yourself out a little more, you know,” I suggested, holding her gaze.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that whenever you feel like smiling, instead of repressing the urge, you could actually let it out. Instead of scowling you could… maybe, I don’t know, joke around, enjoy other peoples’ company, make friends, not growl at others, and actually use your words for once.”
Her fist connected with my ribs, and I laughed. Ouch.
“I was just throwing random ideas out there, you know. I’m not saying you do any of those things. They were just a few examples.”
I wasn’t sure how she managed to narrow her eyes at me, and arch her eyebrow at the same time, but she always did it. Zelin’s scowl deepened, lips quivering as she repressed the smile at my silly rant.
“See? Right there!” I pointed at her mouth. “Let it out. Set it free!!”
She grinned, no longer able to hold it, and pushed me off her, proceeding to pommel me down with the pillows on the bed. Laughing, I jumped on her, getting the upper hand as my fingers began to wreak havoc on her waist and the sides of her torso.
Zelin squealed—probably for the first time in her entire life—and began to laugh, out loud, freely and uncontrollably while I fervently tickled her.
My heart nearly stopped with the sound of her laugh, leaving me speechless, and causing a rush of happiness to surge through me, but my hands continued to torment her, never wanting the moment to stop. She kicked her feet wildly, writhing under me.
The sight of her laughing like this was permanently engraved in my mind, and somehow I knew she would only ever smile like that for me.
6
My senses awoke slowly as the sun announced the new day on the other side of the window. Too slowly for my liking, the past few nights had been terrible.
Half my body was hanging off the bed as I finally succeeded in pealing my eyelids open. My muscles ached, rigid and sore as I lay in an awkward position. I was almost kneeling on the wooden floor, one leg bent, one extended while my claws held my upper half to the bed. And by held, I meant my claws had carved a path
through the mattress as I fell down.
Crap.
That wasn’t the only reason I’ve had a few terrible nights.
“This is their leader, and my son, Logan Schultz…”
Walter’s words resounded in my head as the image of that ass-hat he called his son returned to me. The look of shock on his face would have been comical, if the situation wasn’t so damn messed up in every way possible.
Logan was the man who had tried to take advantage of Sarah, the Alpha Supreme’s son, and the freaking leader of the new crime force. What the hell did that say about the team supposed to protect the people of this city, when its own leader was attacking women?
Holy, freaking husky puppies! Was he attacking all women, or had Sarah been the first? Furthermore, were all the shifters led by Logan doing whatever the hell they wanted, or were they actually following the rules?
Damn it.
Humans deserved better.
Walter deserved better.
He had already been through enough, and he was a good leader. The shifters here were happy, and you didn’t need to have enhanced instincts to realize that. The feeling of serenity was almost palpable in the air; the city was safe from anyone with bad intentions… except the son of the Alpha Supreme, apparently.
It had already been a week since the incident, but I could still see him pressing Sarah to the wall forcefully. Every detail my tunnel vision had missed at that moment, from my rage, was now painfully clear. Like her crooked dress top, and his hands on places of her body he shouldn’t have touch.
The look on her face and her call for help was what hurt me the most—forever engraved in my memory. No woman deserved to feel that kind of fear, or be treated that way.
No one.
A low growl began at the back of my throat at the memory, and I had to shut my eyes to fight for control again. The darkness I sensed inside me stirred, trying to rise to the surface, and every inch of my body clenched with the need to find Logan, and end him for good, but I couldn’t let it.
I could never let the darkness come out of me.
Feeling a settling breath course through me, I tried to get up, only to discover my toe-claws had dug deep into the wood boards underneath—the lower half of my body had partially shifted. Meanwhile, Zelin lay peacefully on top of my pillow, curled up like a little pup. She had stayed in my bed again, like every night for the past week, and I couldn’t even remember passing out last night.
I didn’t need to ask why she’d done it. I knew all too well that she felt the turmoil inside me, and knew without a shadow of a doubt that I needed her.
Another growl left me as I struggled to detach myself from the wooden floors, and Zelin slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position, blinking the sleep away as she focused on me. Concern filled her onyx eyes a moment before I growled again, jumping up and ripping my claws from the floors.
The wooden boards shattered beneath me, wood splinters flying everywhere, along with the shredded cotton/foam pieces from the mattress—I had torn into it during my restless sleep. My chest rose and fell sharply with my raged breathing, while I stood awkwardly on my hind legs.
Zelin’s arms wrapped around me the next moment, and her calming energy began to flow steadily into me. I accepted her embrace, my claws receding when my fingers curved around her waist, tugging her closer. My eyes fell closed when her scent travelled through me, soothing. She smelled like blueberries, mint and plums, every part of who she was calmed me down—another privilege from our connection.
Before I knew it, the pads of my feet were pressing against the wood floors, my legs once again back to normal, but Zelin continued to hold me. Her cheek rested against my pec, over my heart, and the warmth seeping from her and into me chased away the tension from my form. A slow, relieved breath left me.
My lips curved into a small smile when Zelin’s chin lifted and her gaze met mine, leaning down, I kissed her nose. Her eyes closed with the touch, the ghost of a smile brushing her lips, and I pressed my forehead to hers, taking a settling breath just as the alarm blared behind us.
Zelin perked up instantly, slipping out of my arms, and rushing through the adjoining door into her room, like she had just won the lottery.
“Time to get ready!” She called back, and might as well been skipping from the joy.
I really hated morning people.
Downing my third coffee since I woke up that morning, I walked into the Swift Hall for our first class of the day—Developmental Psychology. Zelin was perched on my back, and Sarah’s hand was held in mine. She had no classes until later in the day, but she was hanging out with us in the mean time, sitting in on our class. She’d spent every day with us, since last week.
Students chuckled as they saw my group of weirdos walk by, though they were already used to us. The knights walked around us like normal students for once. Olis was showing off his muscles with the tight t-shirt he wore, forgoing the winter jacket. It wasn’t like we needed them since our wolves were used to the cold, but it made us look like normal people, especially when everyone else was wearing hats, scarves and gloves. No human in their right mind would wear just a t-shirt on -20° degree weather.
Two girls who had somehow become Olis’ groupies, greeted him in the hallway, and he rested one ripped arm on each of the girls’ shoulders as they began to walk with him to the classroom. Another girl seriously swooned at Rod’s Wolverine charm, while Len, Ivo and Egon bumped fists or high fived with a few guys. And “All smiles, Dale,” well, we all knew what he was doing.
He might as well be Mr. Congeniality, blowing kisses, handing out free hugs, and dazzling the people passing by. It didn’t matter if they were girls or guys, he didn’t care. He was an equal opportunity “smiler.” Dale was just happy to be alive, and wanted to share that happiness with everyone.
I needed a bit of that today.
Zelin slid off me when we reached the classroom, and Egon played the gentleman by opening door for Sarah to walk in, just as my phone buzzed in my back jean pocket. Zelin’s hand sneaked in to grab it before I could, and when her eyes connected with mine I knew exactly who it was.
The Alpha Supreme had called a hundred times since the party. Calls I had ignored because I had no idea how to proceed with this, or what to do about Logan. Zelin showed me the screen as we walked into the classroom, and I discovered this time it wasn’t a call.
“Please, Moon Prince, I’d truly like an opportunity to talk to you about what transpired between you and my son. Could you pass by my office today?”
Sighing, I slipped the phone back into my pocket, and we all settled in our seats. Sarah took the desk to my left, while Zelin took the one to my right, and the guys spread all around us, mixing with the other students.
My brow furrowed when I found Sarah doodling our names inside a heart. She was doing it on the back of her notebook over and over again, until the page was filled with them. The heart was pierced by Cupid's arrow.
Her eyes sparkled at me when she caught me watching, and she grinned, reaching for me to kiss my lips. I conceded, while a part of me cringed a little—like that teeth bearing emoji. That was normal, right? Girls did those kinds of things, like draw hearts and be mushy like that.
I was so clueless when it came to dating human girls. I internally cringed again. My parents hadn’t exactly warned me about dating humans while in college. The closest thing I had ever had to a relationship was Zelin, and that didn’t count because we were bonded to each other by our mystical nature. The way we needed each other from day one was natural, expected. Right? The way she felt in my arms…
Wait. Did that mean that Sarah was now my girlfriend? Wasn’t I supposed to ask her to be with me, or something? Or was that a given after we kissed?
SHIT.
Humans were so complicated.
Zelin snorted beside me, and I realized to my dismay that she had been listening to my guy-rant. Of course, she was. Making a face at her I chose to ignore everything, an
d I pulled out the book from my messenger bag. It fell on my desk with a heavy thud—the damn thing was like an encyclopedia—and I proceeded to search for the right page while the professor spoke.
“She’s talking to you.” Zelin’s words interrupted my search, and my attention snapped to the front of the classroom. The professor was holding a note someone had just handed to her.
“Gustav Von Reinheit, could you please pass by the President’s office? He’s called for you.” Her words made my insides constrict. What a sucky way to start the day.
* * *
The receptionist outside Walter’s office smiled at us candidly when we arrived, but this time she didn’t pick up the phone. Instead, she got up, walking towards Walter’s door and opening it for us. I guessed he was expecting us. I wondered what tipped him off that we were coming—maybe the fact that he’d been stalking me since last week, and had actually sent someone to physically pull me out of my class?
Zelin sent a reproaching glance at me, and I made a face at her again. Sarcasm wasn’t really my thing but the lack of rest, on top of what had happened, was messing with me.
I was going to need another coffee soon.
Surprisingly enough, the roles were reversed this morning. My usually grouchy guardian smiled at the lady, thanking her for her kindness, while I grunted my way into the office, mumbling something unintelligible in German.
It was just the two of us, thank goodness, since the knights had stayed behind in the classroom—though it had taken all kinds of threats for them to follow the orders. The President’s office was on another part of the campus.
My annoyance died the moment my eyes fell on the Alpha Supreme, and he turned to face us. Walter was wearing a pristine suite as usual, he was cleanly shaven, with his blond hair combed back with gel, but there were dark circles under his eyes, and his gaze was dismayed.
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