Cayne's story has been posted and is called 'Patience of a Gordon'. Also, there's eleven chapters left!

Chapter Thirty Six

"Go around, now! We're under attack! Kill them on sight without hesitation!"

My panicked eyes found Nolan who was already slipping the key he had into a pocket. "Give me your keys and let's go," he said, all traces of humor gone as he held out his hand.

I fished for the set of keys and threw them to Nolan, who successfully caught and pocketed them. A quick glance around revealed that, unfortunately, we hadn't rescued all of the werewolves.

But we did save a good amount of them, some of which were already gone. They must've known about the other way out or Nolan must've shown them. Either way, we were left with a few dozen wolves.

Nolan started towards the back, taking his sweet time and allowing the other werewolves to leave first. I ended up shoving him out after the last batch of wolves. But when the door closed behind us, Nolan didn't budge.

"Go!" I hissed, and Nolan didn't even bother to look at me as he placed an ear near the door and pulled me towards him by the waist.

"What the he-" I started, but the rest was drowned out when Nolan put his hand over my mouth, muffling my voice. I growled, thinking about the last time someone's hand had been placed a little too close to me.

"I love you, darling. That being said, shut up and prepare to listen," Nolan said quietly, and my eyes narrowed, but I did as he said.

I pressed my own ear close to the door, knowing we wouldn't be able to hear anything yet since it was a soundproof room. I caught Nolan's eyes and frowned at his sly grin. He leaned closer until his lips were less than an inch away from mine. I smiled back, leaning close enough so that our lips were barely touching, and I could see the desire in his eyes. My hand then proceeded to find the back of his head and meet it with a satisfying thunk.

Nolan frowned before baring his teeth at me and pulling away, making me grin. I froze as he began turning the doorknob and opened the door a crack, causing noise to filter through the room and to us. It sounded as if they were drilling through the stack of doors.

I started to move away, but Nolan's arm around me tightened as he pulled me to his chest and his lips moved against my ear.

"Listen, darling. The wolves are causing a large distraction for the guards outside. The second one looks away and catches us leaving the palace from this way, we'll be caught. We need to go inside, not out. They'll finish drilling before the guards outside are able to make it in. We'll wait and blend in with them instead. They'll be surprised enough by the empty cells to not notice us," he whispered, and I nodded, relaxing against him.

By the time they were finished, both of us were tense and alert, their voices boomed throughout the room as they began entering on multiple sides. Nolan waited before taking a breath and swinging the door open.

The few seconds after that were scary as hell; neither of us would be able to deny that later. My fear and paranoia created white noise around myself as I waited for someone to call us out, to attack us. But it never happened. They were so stunned by the empty cells or were too busy taking the leftover wolves out to fight. They never even noticed us slip into the room.

Nolan and I separated, mimicking the guards and yelling along with them. They searched the room, looking for the smallest piece of evidence. I did the same, but for a different reason.

It was at least an hour later before I saw a group of guards exiting through the back way. I joined them, mentally wishing Nolan good luck before doing so.

The way led outside, and I made sure to casually stroll away from the others before I quickly found somewhere secluded nearby to strip and shift. After, my panic eased and my actions settled in.

Excitement bubbled, but fear was what shoved it down. It was that same fear that kept me from howling in happiness and jumping around. It wasn't my life I feared for, but Kendall's reaction if he found out.

It was clear he wasn't going to be happy; he'd be furious. It would only worsen if he somehow managed to unmask the two anonymous guards. This was an act of defiance and betrayal.

I knew Kendall and I weren't serious, which I was more than fine with, but I wasn't sure how I would act if he rejected me. With Nolan, rejection had been a player on both sides, not just his. It had been hell to deal with, but I'd made it.

I still wanted Kendall and I didn't plan on that changing anytime soon. I was becoming dangerously attached to him emotionally. I may joke, tease, and snap at him, but in the end, we were fine. If Kendall found out, rejection would play against me, not for.

I walked back into the palace, hoping Nolan would grab a hold of the uniform before the others did since I'd left it exactly where he told me to. I was also hoping the growing guilt and worry would leave my system sooner than later.

The second I stepped foot into the palace, I was noticed. "I've found the Protector! Escort her to Prince Gordon immediately," a guard barked and I huffed.

I didn't need them to escort me. I was capable of taking care of myself without the help of a couple of lousy humans. But the second I started walking, three guards were by my side, "escorting" me as told.

We found Kendall pacing in front of his officer door, surrounded by several guards, anger etched into his face. The guards were looking in every direction for danger, and I could hear one attempting to urge Kendall back into his office. Once those angry pools of ice landed on me, they thawed instantly.

He walked over to me quickly before he knelt down and wrapped his arms around my neck, burying his face in my coat of fur. I nipped his ear affectionately before running my snout along the side of his face and resting it on his shoulder.

"I was worried something had happened when I could not find you, love," he whispered, allowing a stream of guilt to seep in.

I reached and tugged on his hair with my teeth, lightening the mood. Kendall looked up with annoyance, running his hand over his hair several times as if it had been turned into a bird's nest.

My tongue rolled out of my mouth and the frown on Kendall's face increased as he stood back up. But his eyes sparkled with their familiar amusement, telling a different story.

"Why do I still bother with you?" Kendall muttered as we made our way to his office. His guards looked relieved when we entered, probably happy to have their precious Prince contained.

"Send the guards in when they have found something useful to me," Kendall instructed before closing the door, leaving us alone.

He walked over to the chair in front of his desk rather than his own and sat down. I noticed then just how tired he looked. Today had run him dry, and exhaustion seemed to be settling all over him. It made me wonder how often his duties bled him dry of everything.

I gave a low whine, catching his attention. Kendall showed me a weary smile before saying, "Come here, love."

I walked over to him, my head resting in his lap. We were like that for a while before Kendall went to sit on the floor, and I was practically in his lap, nuzzling him absentmindedly.

"I am sorry for this morning. I sho-" Kendall started but was cut off by my sharp growl and an abrupt snap of my teeth. He looked bewildered but was no longer speaking.

I ran my nose along his, my eyes closing as his hands tangled themselves in my fur. It was then I realized Kendall was truly one of a kind.

I would never find a werewolf who didn't expect me to settle down within a month and start picking out baby names. I would never find a human comfortable with my animal side. Except, I had found the latter ,and he was holding me as if I weren't a wolf.

He still spoke to me, mocked me, and laughed at me. He still pressed kisses to me, held me, and called me his "love." There was no true difference in his actions towards me and my wolf. And Kendall didn't even realize how special he was.

Thinking about this only made me realize just how hard it would be if I lost him. I would never find another one like him, human or not.

"Love?"

I didn't realize it, but when my mind started to trail back to thoughts of losing him, I'd started tensing, and Kendall had kept asking me what was wrong. I could only respond by scooting closer to him and burying my head into the back of his shirt.

Kendall understood somehow and wrapped his arms tighter around me, pressing his lips to my ear while murmuring reassuring words. I would've given anything for us to stay in that moment, but we were interrupted, of course.

A knock on the door had me growling instinctively against Kendall, loud enough that the person outside could surely hear me. I bared my teeth as I looked towards the door, my growls increasing in volume.

"All is fine; calm down, love. They mean no harm to either of us," Kendall kept saying until I eventually let him up with much reluctance. He looked back at me with concern before sitting in his own chair.

"Come in," Kendall said, all emotion and signs of exhaustion gone. It was like he had some light switch that he turned on and off.

The door opened and in walked a guard, his headwear off and revealing brown hair slick with sweat. By the look of his bowed head and fidgeting hands, he didn't have good news for Kendall.

"Please tell me you and your inefficient bunch have found something of value," Kendall asked, clasping his hands together. I could see the penetrating stare he gave the guard without looking back.

"No, sir," the guard said, his voice unwavering. I had to give him credit for that.

I heard Kendall's sigh before I heard him run a hand through his hair. "It is 'Your Highness' to you. Do you at least know how they were able to pass? And why is Officer O'Conner not informing me of your useless information instead?" Kendall asked, irritation thick in his voice.

"They stripped Officer O'Conner after knocking him out and locking him in one of the cages. He's in the hospital wing right now. We believe it was an inside job and done by a pair because the guests all have sufficient alibis. However, only a single guard beside Officer O'Conner walked in, supporting that it was only one person. Due to the doors that were used as a blockade, we believe they weren't human," the guard concluded. I decided the news was good rather than bad.

They may have realized a supernatural being was responsible, but they didn't know it was a werewolf and only believed it to be one person. They had absolutely no evidence or suspicions that led directly to Nolan and me.

"There are only two supernatural beside my Protector residing here. Do they have alibis?" Kendall asked, causing the guard to nod.

"Yes, Your Highness. Nolan claims to have been with your Protector during the incident. He said they were both in his room. Valeria was said to have been waiting in the conference room for you at the time," the guard replied, and I tensed at the mention of the witch.

"Find the guards who were watching the door and inform them that they no longer work for me. Is that understood?" Kendall asked firmly.

"Yes, Your Highness," the guard replied, nodding his head again.

Kendall ran another hand through his hair before asking, "And the wolves? How many escaped?"

"All of the ones that were released. We weren't equipped to handle them so suddenly," the guard explained, and Kendall sighed.

"I will deal with your idiocy at a later time; leave us. You are dismissed," he said, and the guard walked out quickly, closing the door soundlessly.

I walked over to Kendall, sitting by his side and receiving a hand that ran along my ears. We were both silent and enjoying it before he began talking once again.

"I need a promise from you, Snowflake," Kendall said lightly, but the words themselves were heavy. I glanced up in response, meeting his searching eyes.

"Promise me you will not leave without warning of sufficient reason. I realize this is a lot to ask of a person, but I cannot lose you," Kendall pleaded, and I blinked at the amount of power in his voice.

He was right: it was a lot to ask. You don't suddenly ask someone something so loaded and expect the answer you wanted. You planned it with reason and persuasion, both of which Kendall was missing.

However, I enjoyed myself here. I enjoyed the people, the constant adventure, and the rather annoying Prince. I hadn't experienced something so lively in a very long time. Here, I had everything and more, along with challenges.

Even if I left, I had nowhere to go. Home was too complicated, and I hadn't been anywhere else. I'd gone places with Nolan, but they were places to visit, not stay.

I found myself nodding and genuinely cherishing the smile that cause me to forget about my guilt for the rest of the day.

Now for the biggest question of all time: Team Scarlan (Nolan) or Snowfall (Kendall)?