The Red Cloak Girls

Six: Prince Raoul

Six

Prince Raoul

    I had waited so long for this. Crimson said goodbye to her family, and I transformed into my wolf. I had imagined many times her riding me back to Castle Lupine, blissfully happy that I had been chosen as her mate. But there wasn’t anything blissfully happy about this. I could sense her unease, feel her fear. It radiated off of her in waves. It was the last thing that I wanted for her.

    I had thought that she would so eager to not be cursed, that she would eagerly consent to be with me. But she was right. Simply because she had consented to The Mating Season, did not mean that she consented to s*x. I would have to do whatever I could to convince her to let me claim her, fully.

    She gripped my fur tightly as she rode me. The castle was several miles from the village, uphill, in the snow. Her teeth chattered, and she coughed into the handkerchief that I had given her.

    When we finally arrived at Castle Lupine, I lowered myself so that she could climb off easily. Then, I transformed back into a man. She stared at me.

    “Now what?” she asked, hesitation in her eyes.

    “Now, we retire to our rooms. Tomorrow, your introduction to Castle Lupine begins.”

    I saw her staring at the giant, stone fortress of a palace. Once, our family had held great power. That was    before the curse. Now, we hid in the forest like the monsters we were. But there were still some remains of our former glory.

    “This isn’t what I expected,” she confessed.

    “What did you expect?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

    She shook hers. “I don’t know, but not this. It’s…..”

    “Severe? Cold? Awful?”

    “Stately,” she replied, “far more so than I thought possible.”

    “Well, come along. You should get some rest. I imagine that you are tired from your journey.”

    She said nothing, only seemed to wait for direction. There was a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Conan standing there, his expression dark.

    “Your highness, you need to come to the war room,” he said.

    At his words, my whole body tensed.

    Crimson looked at me sharply. “The war room? Why?”

    “Yes, why Conan?”

    He glanced from Crimson back to me. “Something’s happened. Something I was instructed not to discuss in front of the lady.”

    “I won’t leave her unattended,” I said.

    “Take her to your chambers, then come as quickly as you can. Your father insists this cannot wait.”

    I nodded, then I grabbed Crimson by her hand, gripping it tightly in my rush to get her somewhere safe. An unclaimed mate in a castle full of wolves were a dangerous thing. There were still those without mates. Sometimes, wolves went years without finding them. If they hadn’t, they would turn ravenous at the sight of an unclaimed female.

    I led her quickly to my room. I opened the door, and shoved her inside so hard she fell on the stone floor.

    “Ow!” she cried out, clutching onto her wrist.

    I winced, and stepped inside to close the door. I knelt down to her so I could get a better look at it. “I’m terribly sorry,” I apologized, “did I hurt you?”

    “Just a bit bruised,” she said, scowling at me. I held out my hand and helped her up. She steadied herself. “Go. You’re clearly needed.”

    There was no love in her voice, no kindness at all. With a curt nod, I said, “Don’t open the door for anyone but me.”

    “How will I know its you?” she asked.

    “I’ll knock six times,” I said, “if it’s any less, don’t open it. You’re unclaimed. The mating season makes werewolves feral whenever an unclaimed female is around. I won’t have any harm coming to you.”

    She nodded. “I understand,” she said without looking at me.

    “I don’t know when I’ll be back. Rest, and I’ll return as soon as I can.” Again, she did not look at me. My heart sank. But I nodded politely at her, then exited the room. When I did, I bolted it shut.