Chapter Seventeen

It seemed as if I'd almost forgotten how sound the outside air could be. It instantly calmed me, my muscles relaxing as the whispers and stares trailed farther and farther behind. I was finally alone, but not as alone as I'd felt in the ballroom.

There was the cool wind that played gently around me, whistling and sweeping through my fur. The prickly grass tickled the pads of my feet while the leaves crunched beneath, killing the silence. The stars and moon illuminated my path, guiding me lightly from the palace.

My mind had cleared itself by the time I reached the edge of the forest where I found myself hesitating. Was it wise to enter after what had happened last time? Yet, Kendall owned the land, and it would be redundant to capture the same wolf twice. They would see the tribal sun marking on my ear soon enough and know I was already the property of a Gordon boy.

So with the latter in mind, I took a step into the forest and continued on, the illuminated path cut short by the tall, towering trees. I no longer had guidance, but I also still was not alone.

I could hear the sounds of numerous animals tending to their dens and nests as the prepared for yet another night. As I stepped closer, they would abruptly quiet, recognizing the sound and scent of a predator. None of them wanted to take the risk to find out if I was truly to be feared or not.

It wasn't until much later that I realized I was lost. I had managed to become distracted enough by my thoughts to not pay close attention to my surroundings. I considered using the scents around me to lead me back, but I took too long deciding.

Just as I raised my head to sniff the air, droplets fell on and around me before the rainfall became steady. The rain destroyed the scents within a few minutes, leaving me lost without a hint. All because I wanted to avoid the crowd of royalty's judgment.

It was then that I heard the footsteps. I darted behind a pair of nearby bushes to use as crude protection, cursing myself inwardly. Not only had I gotten lost, but I had allowed someone to get too close to me. Both were things that did not commonly happen to wolves. That was, unless they were as naïve and dense as me.

My trail wore a dark, thick coat, masking his or her face. Judging by their size, I assumed they were male. He carried a flashlight, which he swung slowly from side to side. The object would make a useful weapon, but it'd become useless against me when I attacked him.

He suddenly stopped, his back towards me. I lowered closer to the ground, my hackles raised and my hind legs coiled tight in preparation for jumping. I waited patiently as he slowly turned, almost facing me. There was an eerie howl and the flashlight swung in my direction. I let out a threatening snarl before pushing off the ground.

The flashlight flew out of his hand as soon as my paws met with his upper chest. We drew closer to the ground, and I was able to hear the slam of his body against the hard dirt as they both met. I remained over him, baring my teeth, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Through my growling and teeth snapping, I could hear his voice. It sounded as if he was calling out to me, his voice trying to overpower my growls but only succeeding in scaring off any nearby creatures of the night. I took a closer look, wondering if I should consider him as a real threat or not.

Judging by his body, he wasn't a true threat. He knew better than to struggle or touch me, but he hadn't remained quiet, which made me hesitate. However, the more I studied him, the more I realized my judgment had been right. I would recognize those blue eyes from anywhere, even in the dark depths of a forest.

"It is Kendall!" He snapped, sounding irritated and cautious. I huffed at him, my growls subsiding reluctantly.

Kendall let out a sigh, one that sounded too much like relief, before giving me a pointed look. I didn't move as he wanted but gave him a toothy grin. Only he didn't laugh as I expected he would. In fact, Kendall looked annoyed.

"Move now," he said shortly, no humor to be found. Kendall was angry at me.

I narrowed my eyes, knowing he wouldn't notice in the dim lighting, before slowly moving away. Kendall stood up, muttering under his breath as he tried dusting the mud unsuccessfully off his jacket.

I huffed, knowing it was pointless. My coat had become soaked, mud encasing various strands of my fur. The only remedy was a hot shower, which would be my highest priority once I made it safely back to the castle.

Kendall's eyes shot to me, his ruined clothes forgotten. Had I not been paying attention I wouldn't have thought anything of it. But one look at his eyes, and you were almost able to feel the clustering anger.

He suddenly shrugged off his thick jacket before I was blinded by the previous object. I wasn't sure what was wrong, but I had clearly done something. I was proven right by the amount of ice he managed to pack into one word.

"Shift."

I steeled my spine, preparing to object. I didn't simply shift when it pleased him. But then I realized I wouldn't have the opportunity to curse him out. The growls would be meaningless if he didn't understand what they were implying.

So I grabbed the jacket between my teeth before finding a large tree that stood a decent distance away from Kendall. I shifted, feeling my body weaken just a fraction from the use of energy, before shrugging on the jacket. It was large on Kendall and overly huge on myself, stopping just a little above my knees.

I stormed over to Kendall as my anger surfaced. The arrogant man had the nerve to be angry towards me without an explanation before demanding me to shift. He may be everyone's beloved Prince, but by the time I was through with him tonight, he would understand that respect and trust was a two-way street.

"What the hell is your problem?" I snapped, my voice seeping with enough venom to kill an elephant. Kendall looked slightly surprised at my outburst before the storm started back up.

"Me? Not a thing. But you are a complete disgrace," he hissed back, his own voice filled with an ample amount of distaste.

Before meeting Kendall, being called a disgrace would've caused me to crack up until tears rolled down my face. However, hearing those words come from him actually stung. But I would cease breathing before I told him so.

"Please, Prince Gordon, enlighten me on why I'm such a disgrace," I spat, receiving satisfaction in watching him flinch at his formal name. But the feeling washed away when he began talking.

"Once again, you disobeyed me! I informed you to tell me if you felt the desire to leave. Yet, you ran off, telling no one. I searched for you for an hour!" He said, neither of us focused on our surroundings. We were pushing our attention and anger towards one another.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you once again," I started, my voice calmer than before in an attempt to keep the conversation from escalating. "But you don't understand what-"

"What? What it is like to feel utterly alone, crowded by others unlike you?" He finished, surprising me. He was a Prince, always with the company of family, friends, and even servants. He couldn't possibly know how I felt.

"I grew up feeling alone throughout much of my life. I had family, yes. In fact, I had two older brothers to play and compete with. Yet, somehow I still felt as if I was the only one in the room. I could not make connections, even with them. They grew more and more interested in females and becoming powerful while I found nothing to grasp onto. So yes, I do understand what it is like to feel alone," his voice grew bitter near the end, replacing some of his anger.

Kendall remained silent after his rant, awaiting my heated response. Yet, the more I searched my mind for the ends of one, the more his argument seemed to win me over. He'd been alone for what sounded like a majority of his life; I had only been alone for less than a year.

"The next time you feel as if you are alone, you are to find me," he said, his voice stiff with mixed emotions. When I didn't respond right away he pressed, "Understood?"

"We should head towards the palace," I said, avoiding his demand. I had ignored Kendall when he'd first told me to find him, and there was nothing to keep me from doing so again.

I started to walk in the general direction I assumed the palace was in, but Kendall's hand gripped my upper arm before yanking me to himself so hard that I stumbled slightly when I slammed into his chest.

He leaned closer to me, so close that I could feel his lips graze my ear and his breath tickle my skin as he said, "I gave you a command, and I expect you to respond with an answer."

I wasn't sure what had caused the change, but the atmosphere was no longer thick with anger. It gingerly held something else, something I couldn't place a name to.

I could hear my heart rapidly thudding as his hand reached up to stroke my jaw, his lips brushing across my temple. But what surprised me was his own heart, which seemed to flutter faster than mine.

I bravely moved my head slightly until his lips were near my own. I looked into his eyes which seemed to glow softly in the dark. My lips parted, but our moment was interrupted by a chorus of howls.

I jerked away, my senses returning all at once. I'd almost kissed the Prince while practically naked. I'd almost kissed the Prince, period. Not only that, but the wolves sounded a little too close to us for comfort. I could smell their scents, able to tell they were nearby.

"Don't move. They're close by so I'm going to shift," I said lowly, not bothering to check if he had listened.

I quickly shifted before finding Kendall, who seemed pretty calm considering the situation. I nudged him with my nose, hoping he would realize I wanted him to step back so that we weren't in the open.

Kendall blinked as he came out of a daze and nodded. He walked in the direction, and I winced every time his boots noisily hit the ground. We were calling them forward with a blaring siren.

Kendall stopped, and I assessed the situation. They wouldn't be able to attack Kendall from behind because of the thick foliage, not that it mattered. They were inching closer in front of us where I was going to have to stand guard.

I watched as they finally appeared through the trees and into the opening. There were three of them in total, each of them looking to be of equal mass. It was clear the wolf in the middle was their leader as the other two flanked each of his sides.

They were also natural wolves, which gave me a slight advantage. Werewolves were larger in size than natural wolves. However, I wasn't large enough to take on three of them.

Judging by the skilled way they moved, not only were they natural wolves, but they were pets. Those who couldn't afford to buy or capture werewolves bought natural wolves. They most certainly hadn't come on their own, meaning someone has sent them.

I gave a low growl which began to build in my throat. I raised my hackles defensively, keeping each of them in my view. They remained silent, only stopping when they were a couple of feet away from us.

Suddenly one of them jumped, snapping at my feet. In response, I snapped back, hearing a yelp as I drew blood from his ear.

Tonight wasn't going to end anytime soon.