The Alpha King and His Human Queen

Wolves Heal Faster

Alexandra

It’s him!

The bird taps once again on the window and I spring to my feet.

“Opal!” I gasp and open the window widely. He comes in, walking on the ground and not flying as he did last time. The raven looks at me as if to say “hi”. Lave was right when he said he was a weird bird, but somehow seeing him now I feel like I missed him.

“Hey, little guy,” I tell him and he comes to me. I squat and the bird stands before me. Then I outstretch my hand and run my fingertip over his beak.

Opal ruffles his feathers and I continue petting him.

“You like this, right?” As an answer, Opal pecks my finger gently and bows his head urging me to continue.

“We used to have birds when I was little.” I say, “But there were some who absolutely hated being touched. I have a scar from that time one of them pierced my skin. She was a wild chicken. I was seven or eight, I still didn't know much about them. I still don’t know about ravents – but one can never know about them, right?”

Then I shut my mouth because what am I doing telling Nathan all of this? He doesn’t respond or comment either way.

I look up to see him standing, looking down at me. At Opal too.

“What?” I asked and he glared at me, not answering.

I get back on my feet.

I remember Opal wasn’t Nathaniel’s bird. If the king killed his brother, then maybe he hates the bird, too.

I sit back in the armchair and Opal lands on the armrest.

“Where was I?” I say, not daring to look at Nathan who seemed like he was about to throw Opal- and me- through the window I just opened.

***

I am warm and comfortable. Too comfortable. I pull the soft bed cover and turn to my side. My hand touches something and that wakes me up in an instant.

I sit up in bed and discover Opal to my right. He stirs as he hears me and opens his eyes. I must have touched his feathers but he doesn’t seem to be very bothered by it, just startled.

Then I look around terrified.

“What time is it?” The room is dark and the fire is burning in the fireplace. I am also alone.

I don’t know when I have fallen asleep in the armchair or how long I’ve read. But Nathaniel has moved me to the bed. I hesitantly lift the bed cover and see he’s removed my shoes and socks. But besides that, he hasn’t touched my clothes.

As if he would.

“He is a monster and a murderer,” I tell myself as I lean back on the pillow, “Don’t act like he isn’t. Please.”

Opal shakes his head and closes his eyes.

“You have a very strange master, Opal,” I whisper to the bird.

He makes a clicking sound and his breathing evens out. I fell asleep shortly after. But when I wake up a few hours later I discover I am still alone and there is no trace of Nathaniel.

Nathaniel

I run as fast as I can, the trees, the sky above - it all becomes a blurry background. I try to outrun my thoughts, my feelings, and the whole world.

“You can't keep running away from her, “ my wolf tells me, “And you can’t disappear every time you spend some time together. “

“I am not running away. “

“Yeah, like hell you aren’t.”

If my wolf was human he would be snorting and laughing at me now.

“I just don’t like her presence. “

“Because you want her. “ my wolf points out.

“It’s you who wants her, “ I remind him, “I just have to deal with the whole bullshit and mess you keep creating for me. “

“You were looking at her too. “

I want to roll my eyes.

“I can't stand her. And I have to spend time with her so I can learn something- anything- about Sirius. “

“You could just ask Lave to sleep with another of Sirius’ pawns and you would know what he's planning. “

“Don’t be ridiculous. “ I snap at him and continue running.

What I don’t get is why is Opal so fixated on her… This crazy raven… The thought of Opla reminds me of Garreth so I speed up.

My wolf starts taking over and I lose myself in the feeling of freedom, of running till my feet are scratched and all the thoughts I have eventually blend with the horizon.

My wolf is wrong. I am not running from Alexandra. I have no reason to.

Once I’ve shifted everything is different. My human mind quiets down and the world changes. Colours become different and smells, textures and feelings change. Letting my wolf take over is the only way for me to let go of control even if it’s only for a bit. It’s not like I lose myself entirely. I am still somewhere there. It's just that the past somehow feels different - wolves have different perspectives of time and space. So my past seems more distant when my wolf guides me. Things that happened not that long ago feel like they were events from ages ago.

That's helpful, sometimes. Wolves heal faster. Not only physically.

I don’t know how much time I spent running, but I find myself in a different part of the forest. I have gotten really far- I am almost at the border. I begin to walk slowly. There are other wolves, patrolling the lands and they recognize my scent way before I’ve approached them.

Some of them bow their heads as I come near them, and others stop moving. They react as humans would. They react as if I really am their king and that makes me hate everything even more.

I walk past them when I catch movement on the other side of the border. All my wolves stand on guard and I smell- rather than notice- the brown fur of an omega.

“Shall we attack, “ one of the wolves asks.

The intruding wolf in the distance must have felt us too because he pauses. He is alone, I can tell. One of my wolves is ready to spring and attach the omega but I call him to stop.

“No, wait. “ I tell him, “he is alone and he is not going to attack. “

“Then what is he doing here? He is not one of ours?” Another of the wolves suggests and sniffs the ground.

“That’s a great question, “ I tell them, “What is he looking for? “

Or who… the question pops in my mind and a bad feeling spreads inside me. Because if I am right- and I hate to be right, - I know very well who he is looking for.

The wolf disappears in the direction it came from and the other wolves resume guarding the perimeter and the border.

I brace myself to go back to the castle. She will be there. In my bed. I try not to think of this as I break into a run, considering changing the direction and spending the entire night in the woods.