Snarls of fury

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Rune Hemming pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before placing his cold fingers on his aching temples. His troublesome betas were at it again and this time, there didn't seem to be a way out.

He wished the goddess would come down herself and drag him out of this mess because he was completely exhausted. Physically and mentally exhausted.

He had just finished a meeting with the council when the two devils accosted him in the throne room and the topic of the day was of course Hera Kline.

“You have to let her go, Rune. Don't you feel bad about keeping an innocent woman hostage?” Knox accused with a frown deeply etched on his face and Rune let out an exhausted sigh. Could this night even get any worse?

“She's not his hostage, Knox. She's his prisoner.”

“They are the same thing!”

“Actually, they are not!”

The two devils bickered back and forth and Rune finally had enough.

“For the love of the goddess, can you two please shut the hell up?!”

“Rude.”

“Mean.”

Asha and Knox said at the same time and Rune rolled his eyes.

“I am too tired for this. We will have this conversation in the morning.”

“Come on, Rune. Hera's losing her mind in there. She went into shock earlier today. You needed to see how vulnerable and alone she looked. She's not fine, Rune. You need to let her out.” Knox said with so much emotion in his voice and Rune’s heart tugged.

Despite the current situation with Hera, he wasn't a complete monster and it broke his heart to hear that she wasn't fine and that she was vulnerable. Hera was a complete stranger to him but why did he feel so bad about her condition more than he should have?

“Please, Rune,” Asha said quietly and Rune was taken aback. Even Knox gaped at her. Asha never spoke that quietly and she certainly never pleaded on anyone else's behalf. “That poor woman has gone through too much. You need to let her go.”

Rune knew that he probably needed to release Hera but he still felt like he needed to still carry out more investigations and to know more about what he was dealing with but deep down, he knew that was not the only reason he was refusing to let her go.

For some reason he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't let her out of his sight and he didn't understand why he was feeling this way. He had to be losing his mind because there was no other explanation for what he was feeling.

Rune opened his mouth to speak but suddenly, the throne doors opened and a guard rushed in, panting heavily.

“Your Majesty!” He bellowed and Rune's eyes shot to him with a raised eyebrow.

“What is it?” He asked gruffly.

“T-the prisoner has escaped—” The guard paused trying to catch his breath and Rune shot up to his feet, eyes wide. “—in wolf form!”

“What?!” Rune bellowed as his heart rate sped up. Knox let out a gasp and Asha’s eyes went wide. Hera turned into a wolf?! Rune let out a growl, pinching in between his eyebrows. He should have known. It was a full moon after all.

The full moon made them all irritable and they all had been werewolves all their lives. He couldn't imagine what it would do to a human turned werewolf.

To say that he felt bad for Hera was an understatement. He felt horrible. He couldn't imagine how much pain and agony she must have gone through. All her bones shattering and restructuring.

And now she was somewhere out there. Alone and scared. This was all his fault. He should have paid more attention to her. She was a werewolf in transition and she was bound to turn into a wolf on the night of the full moon.

She just had her first shift and there was no one to help her through it. He needed to go after her quickly.

“Where is she now?” Rune asked and his voice trembled with worry.

“She ran into the woods, Your Majesty! The rest of the royal guards have gone after her.” The guard reported and Rune had heard enough. He rushed out of the throne room instantly and his betas rushed after him calling his name.

He paid them no mind and at that moment, the only thing he was focused on was finding Hera. Once they reached outside the palace grounds, he turned to the betas and the rest of the royal guards who had followed him.

“Fan out, comb through the woods and find Hera. No one returns to the palace until she is found!” The Alpha King ordered.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” The guards chorused and they disappeared, leaving Rune and his betas.

“Do you want us to come with you?” Asha asked and Rune shook his head.

“It would be best if we spread out. You two can go on. I'll take this side.” He said and the betas nodded in agreement.

“Please be careful, Rune.” Knox said and Rune nodded.

“I will. You too.”

The trio bid each other farewell and Knox and Asha went on their way, leaving Rune to find Hera by himself. He figured it would be easier to find her if he shifted into his wolf form and so he did, ripping his clothes into shreds.

The shift only took a few seconds and after the sounds of the cracking of bones filled the area, in place of a man stood a wolf. His eyes were brighter and his senses were sharper, perfect for finding a lost wolf.

Without wasting any more time, Rune ran through the forest, feeling the crisp air whip against his face but this was not the time to enjoy the run. This was the time to find Hera.

He ran for a while but he suddenly came to a halt when a certain sweet scent hit his nostrils. It was a familiar scent and it attracted him like a moth to a flame.