Chapter Nine

The ride home was . . . odd. In today's world, people drove from place to place in shiny, expensive mobile vehicles. The "Innovative Glass Car" had recently been released into the public and was surprisingly popular. People seemed to care more about the sleek look of a car than the shards of glass that would pierce them in an accident.

That was the car I was expecting Kendall to proudly own. At the least, I was predicting a foreign car yet to be heard of in our nation. But neither of those was what stood waiting patiently for our appearance. What waited at the entrance wasn't even a car.

It was a carriage.

I waited for Kendall to demand to know who was playing a joke on him, but his face held a neutral expression the entire time we headed towards the carriage.

It was a refulgent black, the metal bolts still holding their dull, silver color. Written in silver cursive on the door was a single word that held much power: Gordon.

Even in my underdeveloped town, the name had a dangerous reputation. The Gordon brothers were widely known for their cold, calculating ways and for their "heavenly" looks. Two of them took after their mom while one possessed the calmness of their father.

I assumed Kendall was the odd duckling in the bunch based on his features. The other two Gordon boys were rumored to have "luscious" blonde hair and "dreamy" green eyes. Yet, Kendall was quite the opposite with his sleek black hair and pale blue eyes.

If Kendall was a Gordon, then he was smarter than I was giving him credit for. The Gordon brothers weren't known for their cluelessness but for their cunning brains. That meant this ride home wasn't just a one way stop for me, but possibly much more than I predicted.

On the ride there, I sat inside the carriage with Kendall, a guard, and a werewolf whom I stared at for a long period of time. He stared back, unblinking, with eyes that held nothing. I waited to catch a shimmer of fear, anger, anything, but all I saw was an empty void. I think that was what terrified me the most.

Kendall did his best trying to lighten the mood by asking if I preferred a sapphire or ruby collar. That only caused me to give him a deadly glare while the guard gave me an equally malicious glare for disrespecting his precious Prince.

By the time we actually arrived at the town, I'd come up with several ways to kill Kendall, all of them involving various forms of slow torture. Those thoughts had put a glint in my eye and a relatively smug smile on my face. Both of which Kendall seemed to notice.

"Have you finally conjured up some excitement at the sight of your hometown?" He asked, his eyes looking out the carriage window with little to no interest.

"Yeah, that's it," I murmured, my smirk still in place. Kendall suddenly turned towards me, his eyes full of suspicion. I just shrugged and looked away, leaving his silent question unanswered.

The carriage came to a sudden halt, the sturdy horses outside thundering their hooves impatiently against the ground. I could hear a piercing scream showing someone had spotted the "Gordon" lettering on the side.

"I think there are a few things for us to discuss before we venture outside, Snowflake," Kendall started, and my head snapped his way as I gave him yet another glare. He gave an apologetic grin but made no verbal apology.

"What do we have to discuss, Prince Gordon?" I asked, and his smile quickly replaced itself with clenched teeth.

He looked at the guard and nodded his head the slightest, resulting in the guard and the werewolf exiting the carriage. They set off a round of screams, people seeming to think Kendall was the one stepping out of the carriage.

"I thought we agreed-" he started, appearing a little more relaxed now. But that didn't stop me from interrupting him.

"No, you agreed with yourself, not with me!" I snapped. I watched his eyes fill with frustration as he blew out a huff of air. Kendall clearly wasn't amused by my interruption.

"If you feel the need for another sudden outburst, then I suggest you refrain from doing so in front of my guards. I cannot have them thinking I have gone soft, which they will assume when you receive no punishment," he replied back, his voice filled with as much annoyance as his icy blue eyes.

"Then punish me. I'm not keeping my mouth shut just so you can look good!" I spat, my anger almost tangible, swirling around me. The anger was waiting for a chance to attack Kendall, just as my wolf was.

He blinked slowly at first, unresponsive. Once he spoke again, his voice was tender, no traces of the earlier annoyance. "I made you a promise that I would not let harm come your way. I intend to keep it."

The anger slowly drained out of me, leaving behind bits of exhaustion. Every time I argued with Kendall, this happened. A verbal fight shouldn't leave me feeling this tired.

I sighed, closing my eyes and cupping my head with my palms. This man was going to be the death of me, and I wasn't going to realize it until his hands were securely around my neck.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, not bothering to look at Kendall. I was sure he would speak whether I made eye contact with him or not. It turned out I was right.

"Your hometown is under the impression that I have arrived here today to continue my discrete Wolf Journey," he started, and I lifted my head slightly to meet his eyes.

It was custom for a Prince or Princess to undergo a "Wolf Journey," as they called it. They journeyed around their land in search for a suitable Protector. Traditionally, wolves with dusty black fur were chosen, never a wolf with pristine white like mine.

Throughout the journey, the Prince or Princess would divvy up their land into five balanced sections. They would carefully choose the order in which to travel the sections before setting out.

Of course, there were rules. The Prince or Princess was allowed to leave the first section with one wolf of his or her choosing from the section. Whether the wolf was one of the few voluntary who wanted the power or the majority wolves who were captured against their will, they left their section with their potential Master.

If the Prince decided to skip the second section, he was allowed to. But if the Prince spotted a more suitable wolf in the third section, then he was allowed to switch the wolf from the first section in trade for the wolf from the third section. However, if the Prince changed his mind, he wasn't allowed to go back in search for the wolf from the first section. The wolf he left the fifth section with would be his new Protector.

Princes usually refused to participate in this event, calling it a "mere waste of precious time." Those who did only went to their first section and skipped the last four sections. In other words, the Wolf Journey wasn't taken seriously.

"And?" I asked, letting the single word drag a little for effect. Kendall only sighed as if he was talking to an oblivious toddler.

"The order of the sections is not chosen at random, Snowflake. We would be in the third section as of now," he pressed, waiting for it to click in my mind. I just stared blankly at him and was rewarded with an amused eye roll.

"They are going to expect a wolf from one of the first two sections to be at my side and-"

"No," I said simply, finally realizing where this was going. He wanted me to shift and pretend to be his potential Protector. But I wouldn't bear the humiliation of being captured in front of the place I called home.

He seemed to realize this because he spoke once again. "Love, they will not know it is you. White wolves may not be common, but they are not so rare for your family and friends to recognize you. Have you not shifted but a little?"

I hesitated before nodding. Shifting was a rare pleasure we wolves indulged ourselves in. When I'd shifted in the woods only to be caught, that was the first time I'd allowed myself to shift in years. My parents had been extremely cautious and scolded me as a child when I'd asked to play outside as a wolf. So I shifted less and less until it only flickered through my mind.

He smiled, seeming contently pleased with himself. "Then there should be no problem," he finished but paused when he saw my reluctant expression. "What now?" He sighed.

"How am I supposed to decide if I want to stay?" I asked, waiting for his brilliant idea.

He only shrugged, replying, "You can do so in your wolf form. You may roam around as you wish, but you must return back to the carriage with your decision in hand when you hear the sound of the bell."

How he knew the town had a giant bell that could be heard throughout the community, I had no idea. But it showed that Kendall had thought this all out before we had arrived.

"Alright," I slowly agreed, unsure of how this would all backfire on me.

But deep, deep down, I vaguely knew this whole situation would explode in my face, leaving me confused and stunned. How did I know this?

Because Kendall was a Gordon.