An important thing I didn't realize wasn't made obvious is that the injured snow leopard at the end of the last chapter WAS Kai! I apologize for that error if some of you missed that part. TWO CHAPTERS LEFT OMG

Chapter Thirty Five

The wolves were not werewolves. That much I was able to tell based on just their appearance. Two flanked the middle wolf, following his or her lead. They were smaller than an average werewolf, but all equal in size. I could tell that they had all been in several fights, each wearing battle scars as their prize.

I growled lowly at them, stepping over the hurt lumeleopard, ignoring his protests. I watched at the two wolves on the outside lowered their heads, their ears flattening against their skull. I could see them baring their teeth causing me to snarl, my tail swinging back and forth anxiously.

The leader of the trio raised his head, a howl escaping his throat. The other two joined in, setting the dark atmosphere that would only grow in-depth by the end of the day. I waited for them to move forwards and attack but they remained as they were, ears flickering at the sound of footsteps.

Behind the wolves, coming into view, was none other than Martin. I could feel confusion distracting my actions but I did not feel an ounce of surprise. I knew he was not here to scare off the wolves but was most likely the reason they were here. Martin was a man of bad intentions, not good ones.

He smirked at me before throwing the jacket in his hand towards me, everyone watching as it fell to the ground. I did not move but kept near Kai.

Martin sighed in irritation before gesturing towards the jacket. "Take it and shift right now or I'll tell my friends here to kill Kai. You may have claws and fangs but I don't take you as a fighter. So do as I say or he dies." He said the words without emotion, without consideration towards the dying lumeleopard behind me.

But he was right. I had been trained to take care of vegetables, cubs, and a mate. I had been taught the workings of a leap and the history of our kind. But because Kai had chosen me, it had been decided that I would not learn to fight. In the leap's eyes, the leader's mate was too valuable. They were the most protected during battles while also being the least equipped for one.

I grabbed the jacket with my teeth, running off nearby. I did not go too far, but far enough that Martin could not watch. I took a deep breath, considering my options. Were there any other ones besides going back out?

I walked back towards them, caution in my every step. Kai and I were outnumbered. It was not possible for Kai to run away so I could not do so either. He wasn't able to fight but even if he would, I did not think he would be able to defeat three wolves. So for now, I could only do what Martin says while stalling for Kai and time.

Martin was standing in the same position, a sick glint lighting up his eyes when he saw me approaching. He starting slowly clapping, throwing his head back and laughing. I did nothing in return, kneeling down towards Kai, running my hand through his fur.

"Did you honestly expect to turn the public on your side, much less a prince? Did you truly see this working in your favor?" he asked and I bit my lips, keeping my eyes on Kai. Yes, I had expected it to go well.

"Why are you doing this, Martin? Did Prince Gordon send you?" I asked, knowing the last question was not likely. However, we had already entered the realm of unlikeliness and I did not think it would stop just yet.

Martin scoffed at the question, rolling his eyes. "As if the prince would send me here to kill you. He's too blinded by your differences to ever do such a thing," he replied, annoyance in his words. "If you were human, he would've never given you a second glance. But he's never met someone of your kind so I suspect you were intriguing to him. It no longer matters but I'm sure you would've dulled in his eyes over time."

I did not tell him I agreed with his words but repeated myself. "Then why are you doing this?"

He sighed once again, tapping a finger on his chin as he circled his wolves. They had not moved an inch, waiting on him to give the signal that they could do so. They were his puppets in every way.

"Did you know what it feels like to be disrespected in front of your Master?" he asked, glancing at me. I did not respond but it did not keep him from continuing. "Imagine how it feels to be disrespected by a werewolf much less. I saw it fitting for Kendall to be punished but Prince Gordon waved me off because of her. He saw she was 'changing' his brother and sent them off with a pass. He continued to do so when she visited, making a fool of me. Prince Gordon simply watched with amusement as she treated me like I was the mongrel out of the two of us. In short, Ivy, I'm doing this because of Snowflake.

I don't deserve to be disrespected, especially by lesser creatures such as yourself. When I heard the two of you would be arriving at the palace, I already knew I would be subjected to your wants and desires. I tried persuading Prince Gordon to send them elsewhere, but he wouldn't listen to a word I said. So, I decided the make the best of a bad situation. I would use it to do just the opposite of what you were hoping to do.

I was upset that Prince Gordon didn't notice it with her. He didn't once put her in her damn place when I was humiliated. Then, you came along. You acted as if you were so much better than everyone as if your kind were just creatures of kindness. Prince Gordon fell for your mask but I knew better. You're a lesser creature, Ivy. Your kind is dangerous so I knew I had to help Prince Gordon realize this."

He stopped, a smile on his face. It was then I knew he was truly crazy. He believed that his every word was just and that there was not a bit of cruelness in them. Out of the two of us, he thought that I was the dangerous one.

"What did you do, Martin?" I asked, my voice holding fear. I was afraid of what his answer would be. He was an unsteady person who did not know his limits.

His smile grew in size, showing off his teeth and sending a shiver down my spine. "Well, my dear, I wasn't the only one that disapproved of the two of you. I knew I couldn't act alone so I spent time within the village and towns, listening to the public's opinion of your arrival. I quickly learned who approved and who didn't and used that information to my advantage. It wasn't hard, really, when more were against you than for.

They knew most people would be paying attention to the two of you when you first arrived at the village. Between that and the market, I had an endless supply of distractions. It was easy to have someone start-up a fire while I stayed close by, eliminating myself as a suspect. That was the easiest of the three.

They were thrilled with the result, the distrust of your kind that starting growing. But they were hesitant to find two people to kill. The fur was easy to find because someone was selling it in the market, bragging that it belonged to a shape-shifter. I doubted it but knew it would do its job.

I got ahold of the paint used while I thought about how I could get them to kill someone. I couldn't do it myself for obvious reasons but it had to be a fresh body to make it realistic. So I compromised, promising to give them something in return. But I'll fill that in by the end.

I had them do it an area close enough to the palace that someone screaming would be heard, but far away enough that they wouldn't be caught by guards while they were setting it all up. It was risky, truly, and I'm a bit surprised that they were able to pull it off," he paused, snapping his fingers. I jumped at the sharp sound, the wolves by his perking up.

"But the hardest of them all was finding some way to link an incident to you. I knew there had to be something that related to you personally or it would have room for doubt. I was with you every time you interacted with someone outside of the palace. So, you ultimately chose my next victim, or should I say your victim? You ate with the family on Kendall's land and I knew it would spread quickly. So I had to act just as quick to keep them from thinking you were innocent. Have you ever been to a town filled with lesser creatures?" Martin had turned to me once again, pausing for an answer. I did not give one, not bothering to tell him I had never left the village.

"Well, let me tell you, it's quite different than what I was used to. Yet, it was predictable. Your kind, Ivy, will do just about anything for money. I told them they just had to come into the village as a leopard, attack their target, and leave. They didn't even hesitate to ask me any question. Just said yes and asked when it was happening.

So he attacked while I was in the village. The mind is a funny thing. I knew if I told people that I swore I saw it was you that shifted into the leopard, they would trick themselves into believing they saw the same thing. Some wouldn't believe it but I knew I wouldn't need many people to cause panic. So I ran off to Prince Gordon, informing him of the attack. I knew if I did so myself, it would be believable that there was enough time for you to arrive back at the palace." He clapped, signaling the ending of his explanation, turning to give me his full attention.

I was silent, not understanding how he could hate my kind so much that he was willing to cause disasters for his own, even deaths. Did he think they were simply necessary losses or destructions? Was he truly such a bad person that everything was justified in his mind?

"I also told Prince Gordon that I saw the two of you being intimate at Calyx's palace, if you were curious. I needed him to distance himself from you in order to make this all easier. I was upset that Calyx's sent us away earlier, but I knew Prince Gordon wouldn't question me. He trusts me enough and he prefers to keep his life private so he wouldn't ask his own brother." I did not look up at him as much as I wanted, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing the tears that had fallen long ago.

"What are you going to do with us?" My voice was barely audible and it was difficult to get each word out. I wanted nothing more than to lie here with Kai and wish the world away.

He exhaled loudly as if disappointed. "As much as I would like to kill you both myself, I promised my followers that I would allow them to join me in doing so if they killed those two humans. A life for a life, right? They should be arriving by nightfall. Until then, it seems like you're stuck with me."

[lumeleopard - Snow Leopard]