Chapter 108: Help
"I’ve never seen anyone try to fight a wolf with a handful of rubble... Are you okay?"
Emira nodded and quickly threw the handful of mud she had gathered and quickly stood up, her chest rising and falling as she steadied herself. Her gaze snapped to the wolf still trapped in Prince Zen’s grip, claws scratching uselessly at the air as she struggled to break free.
Zen glanced down at the wolf as though he was only just reminded he was still holding the stray wolf...
With one flick of his hand, he hurled the struggling wolf a few metres away. The thud as she hit the ground echoed faintly across the clearing. He brushed his hands together, almost as if they had been dirtied by the contact, before strolling forward with an easy, careless confidence.
"Where did this crazy rogue wolf come from? Who dares trespass into our lands?" he asked drolly, not the least bit bothered.
The wolf scrambled upright, and in her panic, she shifted to her human form and hurriedly dropped into a bow, "Your Highness. I am not a rogue. I am Lyra Soire from Moonville. I swear it, I was only trying to teach this Omega a lesson..."
At the word Moonville, Zen’s brows lifted. Of course, he knew this...He gave a low amused laugh, and cocked his head, "Moonville? Ah. So you’re the tribute your Alpha sent with us. So why aren’t you with Teacher Shen? Why come here to teach the Omega a lesson?"
He stepped closer, each unhurried stride pulling the air taut. Lyra’s heart leapt. This was it-he had noticed her at last and he remembered her. Even though she had been given to the Teacher, he remembered her..
Her mind replayed the moment he had held her in his grasp, the strength in his arm when she had been in her wolf form. So easily, without even effort, he had restrained her. That power was intoxicating. Just how powerful would his wolf be?
Her pulse raced as she dared to lift her gaze to his face. He was smiling. Not the sharp, cutting smiles of Prince Kael that made her shiver, nor the rare, distant smiles she had glimpsed from Prince Lance when she had been introduced to him.
Prince Zen’s smile was warmer, easier, almost inviting. And it was directed at her.
In the few days since her arrival, she had studied them carefully.
Prince Kael was terrifying, just as the stories had said, his presence like a shadow that made her wary of even breathing near him.
Prince Lance was seen even less- whenever he appeared, the future Luna was always close behind, making it impossible to approach him. Only Prince Zen was accessible to her.
He stayed in the Pack House, speaking with others, laughing freely, his manner so much lighter than his brothers’. He was the one she had chosen to charm.
And now, with him standing before her, she felt her chance had finally come.
She schooled her face into something delicate and vulnerable and forced a tremor into her smile. "I was just missing my home and wandered out for a walk," she explained in a soft, hesitant tone. "But then this Omega crossed my path, and when she dared argue with me about the past, I only meant to remind her of her place... She has betrayed my pack..."
Her eyes shone as his hand lifted toward her face. She held her breath, the world shrinking down to that single moment.
His fingers slid under her chin, and a thrill rushed through her entire body. Her skin prickled, her pulse thudded in her ears. Was he going to kiss her? Had her pretense of vulnerability worked? It should have. After all, that is how Emira had seduced him previously, hadn’t she? When she’d knelt on the ground and pretended to be weak?
She was of course, better than that filthy Omega. More beautiful, more alluring and she even had a wolf. Something that Omega did not have.
But the sweetness of her fantasy shattered in the instant. His hand shifted in the next moment and clamped hard around her neck. Without warning, she was lifted clean off the ground, her toes scraping uselessly against the earth as her hands came up to free herself.
Zen’s smile was gone, replaced by a cold stare that made the air itself feel heavy. "You are a guest of the Stormhold Pack," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "And you dare lay a hand on one of my own? Who do you think you are? Next time, if I see you anywhere near my people, I will bury you so deep into the ground that your own people will not recognise you. Am I clear?"
Lyra nodded, trying to breathe. This was Prince Zen who was always smiling. How had he become so terrifying so fast?
Zen shoved her back to the ground. "Go. Ten seconds," he said.
Lyra hurriedly raced out away from the lake, rubbing her throat even as she swore vengeance against Emira in her heart.
Meanwhile, Zen turned to stare at Emira who was standing still as a statue. His mood that had not been good to begin with after the fight with his brothers, soured even further. "You’re hurt."
Quietly, he walked to her and leaned down, caressing her hand where the skin had been scratched by claws... Emira nodded and hurriedly said," I’ll go and get it bandaged..."
Without a word, Zen sniffed the air and closed his eyes. The scent of her blood seemed to be having a calming effect on him. Without saying anything, he walked to her and gently licked the wound, and watched the wound close... The tang of her blood on his tongue made his wolf raise its head, interested in Emira as he looked at her carefully.
She pulled back her hand from his suddenly and bowed down," Thank you, your highness for your help just now...."