The Lost Werewolf Princess

Chapter 5

Maddox

"The warriors are back, they brought more prisoners." My Beta, Erik said lazily, standing in my office doorway. "Shall I do the honors or will you?"

"I will." I quickly said, willing to make any excuse in the world if it meant not having to deal with the papers in front of me.

While being King certainly had its perks, there were quite a few things I was unprepared for. I ignored most things which I did not understand, but some things just can't be ignored. So I would put it off just a little while longer. Not that this was going to be a long distraction. I told my men not to take anymore prisoners, yet here they are with another group. I think they just enjoyed killing. After I told them not to bring anyone back the second time, I had them all kill the prisoners. Since then, I have seen even more come through. I will need to address that eventually, I'm sure, but for now, what harm would it do? If they were dead, it meant they wouldn't try to come back for revenge later.

"Alright Ivan, let's see who you brought me this time." I said to my Delta as I took my seat in front of the line of people.

"Thirteen for you, my king." He laughed menacingly. He knew as well as I that we didn't have the room for all these people, and he knew I was going to sentence them all to death in just a moment or two. My presence was merely a formality.

As soon as I sat down, every single person started begging for their lives. Everyone but one, that is. A young woman at the end, with the longest hair I had ever seen before, which was saying something. She stared straight ahead, not ever sparing me a glance. Her shoulders were squared and she looked almost... confident.

I ignored the rest and spoke directly to her. "You there, why do you not beg for your life?"

Her brows furrowed, her head only slightly turning in my direction, as if unsure if I was speaking to her or not. She was obviously not from around here, she might not understand a word I was saying.

"Why beg when you have already decided?" She said, surprising me. Her speech was slow, thoughtful even. It was not her native tongue, but she seemed to know enough to get her point across.

I got up and stalked toward her. She again, did not even care to look in my direction, until I crouched down in front of her so I was only a few inches from her face. Her deep blue eyes finally met mine, a shimmer of silver swirling in her irises telling me that her wolf was just beneath the surface, staring back at me also. I couldn't decide if it was a challenge, or just curiosity. Whatever it was, it was anything but fear.

"Kill them all, except this one." I said, my eyes still fixated on the fierce beauty before me. "Find a position for her in the castle." I said as I stood back up. I could see her face scrunching up again, trying to intemperate, no doubt.

"I...live?" She asked, finally looking up at me.

Something about the way she spoke was quite endearing. But I knew nothing about her, she couldn't be trusted. Not yet anyway. If she lasted more than a week in my castle, perhaps I would spare her a second glance.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Annalise

"I...live?" I asked, dumbfounded.

I stared up at the king, who was singlehandedly the most gorgeous man I had ever laid my eyes on. I found it hard to look away, in fact. He was very tall, he had enough muscles to give Hercules a run for his money, and he was covered in many tribal-looking tattoos, not too far off from my own. His head was shaved on the sides, and the hair growing in the center of his head was long, not as long as my hair, but it went down to his upper back. It was in what almost looked like dreadlocks, keeping it out of his face. There was something about him, a rugged, primal elegance, that drew me in. Not to mention his vibrant hazel eyes. I don't think I have ever seen a more attractive man before.

"For now," he said, before striding out of the room. Or at least that's what I think he said. I knew very little of the language, but I believe it was Old Norse. He didn't originate from Greenland as it would appear.

I was hoisted to my feet and uncuffed while the rest of the prisoners....well, they met their maker. It was gruesome. I fought back the bile that licked at the back of my throat as I was whisked through the halls. The castle was similar in build to my own, made of stone and decorated with animal hides and weapons. In a way, it was almost comforting.

"Yeah, stone and animal hides, so comforting. Not the gorgeous man who just spared our life." Aria snorted.

"We don't know a thing about him, he could be evil for all we know," I scoffed.

"We know that he is something carved out of the sleazy books you read at night..."

"Stop it!" I growled.

"Mistress Lilith, she needs a job, King's orders." The guard escorting me said to the snippy-looking woman in front of us.

"She looks like the human version of a hairless cat," Aria snorted.

She wasn't wrong either. She looked skeletal and unwell. The scowl on her face was not very reassuring either. She wore a sharp-looking black maid's dress that did nothing for her figure.

"Oh!" She scoffed. "Can she even do anything?!" She growled.

"No clue, but she is your problem now." He said, pushing me in her direction.

I stumbled and fell, and Mistress Lilith threw her arms up, and walked away in frustration. "Keep up!" She yelled as she proceeded down the hall. I realized right away that I would need to learn the language fast if I was going to survive. Lilith was barking orders at everyone she encountered, it was hard to decipher who she was even talking to sometimes. She stopped abruptly at a small linen room and grabbed a few things before shoving them into my arms. "Bathhouse is down the hall, go clean up and get dressed. Don't delay."

I nodded, though I think I only understood half of what she said. I followed her line of sight and stumbled upon a large room with an even larger pool of steamy water. It looked heavenly. Until I noticed I wasn't alone. There was a man there with several women surrounding him, washing him. Goddess, I prayed that I wouldn't get that job.

"Hello beautiful." He said, his eyes raking over me.

I simply nodded and continued on my way, praying he wouldn't follow me.

Unfortunately, I was well versed in many topics, except intimacy. While I spent many hours reading about a variety of male heroes doing all sorts of spicy things with their lovers, and I knew how things happened, I never personally experienced it myself. Not that I was undesirable, men threw themselves at me all the time. But there was never one I was interested in. There was never one I thought would live up to my incredibly high standards.

That in mind, I quickly scurried over to the far end of the pool and began using my fingers to comb through my hair before I rebraided it and twisted it into a bun on top of my head, and then slipped into the warm water. I still had my nightgown on, and kept it on while I bathed. When I felt I was clean enough, I looked through the pile of things Lilith threw at me: a towel, a pair of panties, a long sleeved cream-colored dress, a dark blue smock to over the dress, and a pair of shoes that looked much too big for me. Most everything was too big for me actually. There were also some long thick strings, but I didn't immediately know what they were for.

Whatever, I would figure it out later, when I didn't have a set of eyes boring into the back of my head, or maybe my butt, now that I was out of the water. I quickly dried off and skillfully dressed without giving anything away. Werewolf or not, I still had my modesty to uphold, especially from the man who was looking at me like a meal from across the room. I tied the strings around my waist as a belt, hoping it would keep everything together alright given the fact that I was swimming in everything.

"What is taking so long?" Lilith hissed. She gave me a scrutinizing glance before rolling her eyes. "Come along," She said as she stormed out of the bathhouse. I could feel the man staring at me the entire time up until I was out of his sight. It was almost a relief being with Lilith, almost. She was still impossibly fast for my feet, which were still healing, and my stomach, which was currently eating itself. Thankfully, we were heading towards something that smelled amazing.

"Casey!" Lilith squacked.

"Yes Mistress?" He asked, weaving through the busy kitchen to meet her. He was wearing servants' clothes as well, but his were all white, a good indication that he was part of the kitchen staff. He had a clean looking haircut, unlike some of the other people around here with longer, unkempt hair.

"She is your problem now. Keep her busy and teach her our language, kings orders."

"Yes Mistress." He nodded.

Lilith gave me one more patronizing look before storming out of the kitchen. Everyone around me seemed to visibly relax once she was gone. Glad I wasn't the only one who didn't care for her.

"Hello, I am Casey. What is your name?" He said slowly so I could keep up.

He had a warm smile and beautiful brown eyes. He was tall, but not insanely tall, and his skin was perfectly tanned. Oddly enough, I felt safe around him, which is more than I could say about anyone else around here.

"Anna." I said, breathing my first sigh of relief.

"Nice to meet you." He smiled. "Can you peel potatoes?"

"Yes." I said.

"Perfect, but first, come with me." He said, flicking his head towards the back of the kitchen. I followed him into the pantry and he locked the door behind us. "May I?" He asked, plucking at my apron. I frowned and took a step back, looking back at the door. "Not to worry, I don't like women like that." He chuckled. "I just want to fix your dress."

I hesitantly nodded and Casey quickly fixed my apron which I had put on backwards. The strings I learned were actually for the sides, and could be loosened or tightened as I wished, like a corset.

"Thank you." I blushed.

"You know some language?" He guessed.

"Some." I nodded.

"Well, that is a great start. Why don't we get some food for you and then we can start prepping for dinner?"

I nodded furiously, my stomach ready to cry in relief. I think Casey might be my favorite person here.