Anti-fan of the Werewolf Prince

Chapter Two: Breathtaking Husband

The man before her looked nothing like she had been expecting. His eyes were golden but they looked so beautiful. His fangs weren't showing. In fact, he seemed to have no fangs at all. And… he wasn't as hairy as the Werewolves she had encountered before. He didn't have that werewolf appearance nor do he have a pointy nose.

He was hairy compared to humans, but he wasn't that hairy like all the other Werewolves she had previously seen. And the most striking thing of all was that… he was just… breathtaking.

Roselle was lost in a trance but was immediately jolted back to the present when she heard someone clear their throat.

She couldn't take her eyes off his as she slowly lifted her hand to place it in his outstretched one. His eyes were golden yellow, akin to the bright moon, and they were full of life, as if there were many stars swirling within them. Then there were his lashes… they were so indecently long and thick for a man. His lips, his jaw, his nose… every single part of him rendered her speechless. She had never seen another human who had been fashioned with such beauty and perfection. But then again, she remembered that he wasn't human to begin with.

She told herself to look away but for some reason, she couldn't. She felt like he somehow did something to her as soon as their eyes met.

When her hand touched his, she almost flinched as her heartbeat thudded even louder. He led her to stand right next to him before he let go of her hand. When he released her hand, she felt the cool air replace where his hand had been and it was then that she realized his skin wasn't cold. She had heard from human soldiers that Werewolves were cold blooded creatures and that they were as cold as corpses to the touch.

But his hands weren't cold at all. Why was that? How come his hand was warm? It couldn't just be her imagination!

Roselle didn't have the chance to even begin to ponder this puzzle any further because the ceremony started without delay. Anyone from the outside looking in would easily be able to tell that everyone couldn't wait for this wedding to end. The humans present were eager for the Werewolves to finally leave this place and their empire while the visiting Werewolves were certainly also looking forward to granting the humans' wishes to leave this place and go back to their own empire. For once, humans and Werewolves agreed on the same thing.

And thus, just as everyone hoped, the wedding hastily ended.

Roselle had attended other princesses' and nobles' weddings before and she almost wanted to smirk at the speed at which they carried out and ended what was meant to be a most special occasion; her wedding. But then again, she couldn't blame anyone. No one wanted this wedding in the first place. Every one of them, even the bride and the groom, was forced into this union.

A deep, quiet sigh escaped Roselle's lips when everyone started to quickly move and disperse. She couldn't believe how quickly the hall became empty.

Her husband offered his hand to her again. Of course, Roselle already prepared herself for this. She was going to the Northern Empire, the Werewolf's land, right after the wedding so she already said her goodbyes to her family before the Werewolf even arrived.

A little shaky, Roselle placed her hand in his. Her eyes were hot but she swore not to tear up. She looked at her mother as the Werewolf prince led her towards the door.

Her mother was crying, sobbing quietly where she stood, and it took all of Roselle to stop herself from following her lead. Roselle looked away, focusing on the path before her instead. As the newlyweds reached the door, Roselle halted and looked back one last time. She subconsciously gripped her husband's hand before she turned to him and finally stepped forward. This was all she could do from here on out; to bravely walk into her future, one step at a time, to find out what destiny had in store for her.

"Scared?" His deep and masculine voice echoed inside the carriage causing the already tensed Roselle to flinch. She realized that she was clutching her dress so hard that her knuckles had turned white. She kept her face looking outside the window, blankly staring at the palace that they were just married in, as it slowly disappeared from her view.

With a deliberate slowness, Roselle turned to face him. When she lifted her face, his perfect face graced her eyes. Only one thought ran through her mind as she looked at him. If only… If only, he was human.

She answered him with a shake of her head. Of course, that was a lie. She was scared to death. It didn't help that her husband… yes, her husband was such a gorgeous creature, because she knew what was really hidden behind all that beauty and perfection.

"I… I thought w-werewolves didn't ride in carriages," she stammered, saying the first thing her mind could think of that had nothing to do with how perfect he looked, in her desperation to break the awkward and deafening silence. And perhaps, also to try and subdue her rising fear. She needed to relax. There was nothing else she could do anymore. There was no turning back so it was no use being scared now. If she wanted to survive this, she needed to conquer her fear and face her new life head on. That was the only choice left to her, to willingly lay in the bed that others made for her or suffer the consequences.

When she saw a small smile curve on her husband's face, Roselle almost forgot to breathe. "That's right. We usually don't need to," he replied.

"T-then why…" she trailed off realizing that it was definitely because of her. Her fear somewhat lessened, knowing that this Werewolf prince, her husband, was at least being considerate. But then she remembered this was part of the deal. The Werewolves, especially her husband, were now responsible for her. They were to watch over her and keep her safe whether they liked it or not. Still, Roselle was glad that at least her husband, the prince, decided to be the one to accompany her on this journey. "T-thank you, y-your highness."

His immediate response was a soft sigh.

"Rosella," he called out and Roselle didn't know why but she caught her breath. The sound of her name spoken by him suddenly sent a strange and weird feeling through her. "Do you know my name?" he asked.

"O-of course I do."

"Then use it when we're alone."

"Yes, your…uh, I mean, Prince Romeo."

His brows creased, causing Roselle to subconsciously flinch. "Remove the title, Rosella."

"R- Romeo," she uttered obediently as her eyes wandered around. Surprisingly, this somehow wasn't as hard as she imagined. Roselle never once thought she would one day find herself married to a Werewolf, a creature she, and every human, grew up believing to be a savage monster. She had expected she might not be able to speak at all to her husband without trembling but somehow, conversing with him wasn't as dreadful as she thought. She was tense and stammering but she was glad, she wasn't muted because of fear and she wasn't trembling before him as she had thought she would be.

Romeo leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "The Werewolves promised that no one, I, your husband, included, could lay a finger on you without your consent. Your father and those human emperors made us take that vow. I'm certain you know that vows are sacred to us. We rarely make vows because we don't break vows. We can't," he said suddenly without looking at her. His eyes remained closed. "That should be enough to ease your fears."

Roselle bit her lip but before she could say anything, he continued.

"I'm your husband now, Rosella." His voice became a little firm. But then, he opened his eyes and leaned closer to her. He stared so deeply into her eyes that Roselle couldn't turn her gaze away even if she wanted to. Why? Why did he have to look this gorgeous?

"Let me remind you again that as your husband, I personally vowed to protect you. So stop flinching every time I speak to you…" he trailed off and he lifted his hand as if to pinch her chin but stopped midway. "I don't like it when my wife keeps flinching as if I'm going to attack her every time I speak."