The Stolen Wolf Princess

Chapter 3 - Never Give Up

Run! Dalla linked to me.

I looked at the woman who was still draped over Dalla’s back. I wasn’t about to leave the two of them behind while I tried to save my own life. I lifted up the blade in my hand and pointed it at the men.

Get her to safety, I linked back to Dalla.

“In the name of the Snow Moon Pack, I demand you leave our territory right now.” My heart was racing but I was able to keep my hands steady. This was my duty as a princess.

The man in the middle chuckled, lifting his ax in the air. “Do you think a small girl like you could really take three grown men like us?”

I looked at Dalla with a side glance, begging her to leave. I knew she didn’t like it, but the woman couldn’t defend herself in the condition she was in. Finally, I saw Dalla dash away.

“Just because I’m a princess and a woman, it doesn’t mean I’m weak.” I widened my stance and held the blade at an angle in the air. I was ready to hold off these men as best as I could to make sure Dalla and the woman could get to safety.

These men were taller than me and much thicker. Their muscles bulged, and I knew I couldn’t take them head on, especially after barely holding my own against one. I wasn’t planning on using my muscles, though.

I swiped my blade in the air, missing the men. The one in the middle jumped back, but when he saw I missed, he laughed, and I knew he was no longer taking me seriously. It was perfect.

“Come here, girl, and I promise we’ll hurt you only a little.” He stepped forward, trying to reach for me.

I twisted my body, easily missing his grip. I continued turning until I was standing directly behind the man. I swung my blade, this time making contact with his back. He screamed in pain, and the large gash started gushing blood.

“You’re going to regret that,” he said through gritted teeth as he swung his blade recklessly.

It was easy for me to dodge his attack, and I turned on my heels, bolting deeper into the hedges. “You’ll have to catch me first.”

The hedges were like a maze, and I had spent the little free time I had growing up, playing hide and seek with Dalla in these hedges. I wouldn’t have to fight the men if I could lose them in the hedges. I turned the first corner and made sure to make as many turns as possible to get them lost. I made sure to avoid any direction that led to a dead end as well.

“Split up! We have to get her. She and the prince are the only ones really worth the prize,” I heard the man shout.

So this was a planned attack. Of course it was. They had to know about the wedding and thought it would be the easiest way to infiltrate our territory since there would be a lot of guests coming. I was pretty sure they were humans, too, since I hadn’t seen a single one shift in any way, and I didn’t get any supernatural vibes from any of them.

I continued running through the maze, twisting and turning at every possible chance. There was an exit on the other side of the hedges, so if I could make it there, I would be able to escape these men. I kept my ears perked, trying my best to keep track of where the attackers were. Footsteps pounded into the ground, and I knew one of them was on my track. I could keep running and escape. I was sure of that, but I also knew that these men could come across someone who didn’t have the kind of training I did.

I made another turn and then stopped, pressing my back against the tall greenery. I held the blade up and closed my eyes, focusing on the noises around me. He was approaching and fast. My sensei taught me to use every sense, not just eyesight, which I was grateful for in this moment. I felt the change in the wind and knew it was time to strike.

I stepped to the side, lunging my sword into the man’s side. He grunted in surprise before tumbling forward and falling to the ground. I lost the grip on my sword as the man fell forward. He was still alive, but I knew he wouldn’t be doing any damage to anyone else in the position. I moved towards him, pulling my sword out of his side. He cried out in pain and the weapon left his body, and the blood started pouring out of his body.

“I warned you to leave,” I said, wiping the blade off on the hedge.

More footsteps started approaching, so I didn’t want to linger any longer. I started to move deeper into the maze, but as I stepped forward, I fell forward, barely catching myself with my hands. The man had a grip on my ankle, and he wasn’t letting go.

“You’re not getting away that easily,” he grumbled.

What kind of humans were these? Most humans were fairly weak compared to werewolves, but these men seemed to be on a completely different level. It was clear that hunting werewolves was their lives.

I kicked back, hitting the man square in the nose. His hand snapped back as his hands flung back to his face. I crawled away and stumbled to my feet, running away. I dropped my sword in the process, but the others were closer now, and I couldn’t risk going back for it. As I ran, I tried to pull off the rest of my dress, so I could shift into my wolf form, but I couldn’t reach the back to untie it. My mother had made sure the corset was as tight as possible to make sure the shape of my body was emphasized.

My only option was to keep running. I was nearly through the maze, and I was sure I was faster than the rest of the men. I had been nimble and fast since I was able to stand, which gave the staff trouble for the longest time. I always kept up with it too, going for long runs in both human and wolf form to see how fast I could go. I loved the wind in my hair and fur, my feet barely hitting the ground before springing into the air once again. It was the only kind of freedom I knew.

Now my speed would keep me free from these attackers. One more turn, and I would be out of the maze where I could find another weapon, or someone to get me out of this dress so I could fight in wolf form.

I dashed through the entrance, but something solid hit my torso, causing me to flip forward and land flat on my back. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe or move. My chest throbbed, and I was pretty sure I had a couple of broken ribs. I stared into the sky, looking at the full moon, lingering above me. She was subtle compared to the sun, but she stood tall and proud, not caring that she wasn’t the center of attention.

She was the Moon Goddess, watching over all werewolves, even during the day when she was often forgotten. She was supposed to bring luck on a day like this, where she showed her entire face against the blue sky. But as I lay there, hardly able to catch my breath, I was sure my luck had run out.

Footsteps approached, urgency lost to the masses. I tried to stand up, despite all of the pain in my body. I couldn’t give up now. I was the Princess of the Snow Moon Pack, and I had to protect my people, no matter the cost to me. Before I could stand up completely, a foot came crashing down on my chest, flattening my back to the ground once again. I heard a couple of cracks, and if my ribs weren’t broken before, they surely were now.

The pain radiated through my body, catching my voice in my throat. My breaths were shallow and stung with every attempt to get the smallest amount of oxygen into my body. I tried to grab the foot and move it, but I didn’t have enough strength.

Looking up, I asked the Moon Goddess to help me somehow, but a face blocked my view of the sky. I hadn’t seen this man before. His face was covered in a peppered bushy beard, and his long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He was wearing different armor compared to the others. It was highlighted with gold around the edges of the black leather. His arms were exposed and bulging as he held a large hammer in his hands.

“Oh sorry. I didn’t see you there,” he said, a smirk teasing his lips.

He moved his foot and crouched next to me. His fingers stroked my cheek, giving me the chills. Finally, he looked at my tiara. He pinched the metal and pulled it off my head, yanking my hair in the process. I watched as he turned the piece over, inspecting it closely.

“It’s a beautiful crown, princess,” the man said. “Probably worth a pretty penny. Not worth as much as your pelt though. Did you know that an all-white werewolf pelt is worth more than any diamond out there? Rumor has it the prince of the Snow Moon Pack has the coveted pure white pelt. I wonder if that’s true.”

I stared into the man’s eyes, seeing no empathy in them. He had been a hunter for a long time, and if he ever had any humanity, it was long drowned by riches. He had likely killed hundreds of werewolves without hesitation.

I tried to roll away, but he quickly grabbed my hair, dragging me back. “Let go of me, you scum!”

The man only laughed at my struggle. “It’s pointless to fight. You’ve lost at this point. I will give you props for how much of a fight you put up. I wasn’t expecting a pretty princess to give me such trouble.”

“Go to hell,” I muttered. I grabbed the hand gripping my hair, trying to loosen his grip.

He pulled me closer to his face, and his rancid breath hit my nose, making me gag. “I like it when they have a little fight. It makes it more fun.”

I swung my foot up and kicked the man in the face, shocking him and making him let go of me. I rolled over and jumped to my feet, ignoring the burning pain inside of me. I tried to run away, but two more men grabbed my arms, pulling me back. The man I kicked stood up, rubbing his jaw. His jaw was clenched.

He walked over to me and slapped me in the face. “You really do have some spunk. It’s going to be fun breaking that out of you.”

“You’ll never break me,” I spat back, ignoring the stinging on my cheek.

He grabbed my chin, making me look directly into his eyes. “We’ll see about that.” He turned to his men. “Take her back to the others. Let’s clear out of here before reinforcements come.”

The men dragged me away. I tried to twist out of their grasp, but I didn’t have the strength with all of my injuries, and even if I did break free, there were too many of them here. I wouldn’t be able to escape on my own. 

We left the garden, heading towards the back of the territory where carts were set up. They had been prepared for this attack, and they were ready to take several prisoners. I had heard about hunters like this, but they had never ventured into the northern territory. It was too cold here for humans, so the only issues we had were with other wolf packs.

As we approached the cart, I saw several of my people locked up, including Dalla. My heart tightened. I thought she had made it safe. I started struggling more, desperate to get to her.

“Dalla!” I shouted.

Her eyes widened when she saw me. “Kai!”

“Enough!” one of the men said before hitting me in the back of the head. Everything went dark.