The Forgotten Heir

Chapter 4

August P.O.V 

-

    Waiting for Nienna was one of the most awkward moments of my life. Cyra looked as though she was trying to imagine the best way to skin me alive and where my pelt would look best in the palace. The Queen also retreated upstairs to change. She was coming as well. I didn’t remember too much how Tóra was as a queen in Wolf Kingdom, but she was obviously very hands on here. Very opposite from her former husband. 

    Finally, Nienna headed down the stairs. Her ebony hair was tied up, showing off her pointed ears. Ears she was forced to hide in her father’s kingdom. The power that came from her made me breathless. Clad in leather armor and a blue cloak, a bow slung over her shoulder, a sword strapped at her side, and her beautifully woven silver crown on her head. She looked like a goddess. 

    “If you hurt her,” Cyra muttered suddenly at my side. “She will gut you like a pig,” the Captain warned before heading out the door. I didn’t doubt it.  

    “What’d she say?” Nienna asked as she reached the bottom of the extravagant staircase. 

    “Nothing,” I said, shaking my head. The Queen was right behind her daughter, Tóra had simply added metal armor chest plate to her current attire. The silver metal complimenting her pastel blue dress rather nicely. 

    “Let’s be off then,” The Queen said as she made her way out the palace door. 

    “I didn’t realize you were so…” I muttered to Nienna as we followed her mother. I didn’t quite know how to finish that sentence, especially since now she was almost glaring at me, raising an eyebrow. I gestured to her outfit, not knowing how else to dig myself out of this hole. 

    “I bet I could teach you a few things, Captain,” she chuckled. 

    “I’d like to see that,” I teased her, a smile cracking on my lips. 

    “But I’ve always tried to help my people in every way possible. Mom has led our armies against the wolves and the witches. I always remained here protecting our home and our crops,” she shrugged as we headed down the stairs and the Queen had a carriage pulled around. I hadn’t ridden in a carriage in years. But the Elf Kingdom wasn’t completely updated. There were some cars, but they preferred horse and carriage to automobiles. I helped the ladies, except Cyra of course, into the carriage. The Elf Captain wasn’t interested in my help. We then headed to the farming side of the kingdom. As soon as we got closer, I instantly smelled the smoke. 

    “Nienna,” I said cautiously, my eyes looking in the direction I smelled the smoke. 

    “I know,” she said calmly. I glanced over at her, her silver eyes were observing the hill ahead of us. 

    “What is it?” The Queen asked. 

    “Smoke,” Nienna answered her. 

    They went silent. At least it sounded like they did. Nienna and the Queen’s facial expressions seemed like they were having a serious conversation. 

    “Are- are you guys talking?” I stammered, a little confused by the interaction the mother and daughter were having. 

    “One of the many benefits of being an elf is the ability to mindspeak,” Queen Tóra suddenly said in my mind. 

    Whoa. That was weird. Wolves could communicate this way with their pack and their mates, but elves had the ability to do this with anyone? I knew elves were powerful and dangerous creatures, but I couldn’t help but feel intimidated. 

    “Don’t worry, we weren’t talking about you,” Nienna’s voice said, and my uneasiness subsided. Her voice could probably calm me down no matter what was happening. 

    “If you three are done,” Cyra blurted, and there went all comfort. I did not like her voice in my head at all. We had arrived. 

    They scorched the hills. The crops that once filled the farmland were no more. Burnt and black, down to the soil. Elves were scattered through the fields, conjuring water to put out the fire before it spread to the forest. That was one elf ability I knew of. One I’d had to fight against. Conjuration. Wasn’t exactly fun. But that made me wonder if Nienna had that ability. I didn’t have time to ask because she hopped out of the carriage, and she carefully made her way through the burnt hills. I recognized the way she paced through the field. The way her body moved. She may not have shifted, but she might as well have. This was her wolf. She was finding the attacker’s scent. I could feel my wolf’s pride in his mate as I stared at her in admiration. She was one interesting woman. 

    “Nienna be careful!” The Queen called out to her as she made her way to the closest house to speak with the victims of this attack. I made my way over to Nienna, but I was caught in a tight grip 

    “Where do you think you’re going, Wolfie?” Cyra asked. 

    “I was going to help Nienna,” I answered. 

    “Oh no, the princess is the best tracker in the kingdom. If we have a chance to catch whoever did this, she’ll get them. But if they’re long gone, we need to know who did this. You’re going to listen to the witnesses with us,” she insisted and pulled me after the Queen. My eyes looked back at Nienna. She was now heading into the forest, just a couple of guards at her heels.  

    “Be safe,” I spoke to her mind. 

    She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me. 

    “Always,” she spoke back. 

    My wolf and I both did not like this. 

Nienna’s P.O.V 

    I loved tracking. With my wolf being as absent as she has been over the years, tracking and hunting were a couple activities that helped wake her up a bit. Her alertness really helped. Once I found the scent of the attackers, I didn’t stop following it. Rushing through the woods, the guards behind me struggling to keep up. I couldn’t stop. The attackers trail was getting cold, their scent weak. I didn’t have time to waste waiting on them. Elves were naturally swift, but not nearly as swift as wolves. So I had a natural advantage against the pureblood elves. But a disadvantage to the pure-blooded wolves I was hunting. They were shifted, their wolves leading them out of the forest. Suddenly their scent was a lot stronger. 

    I slung my bow off my shoulder as I stopped and closed my eyes. Focusing on the attacker’s scents. 

    They separated. Split up in multiple directions. All but one. One scent was stronger than the rest. And the distinct smell of blood. I pulled an arrow from my quiver and notched an arrow as I silently followed the smell. Carefully, walking on the balls of my feet, I held my breath as I made my way to the large tree the scent was coming from. What I saw on the other side of the tree surprised me. 

    It was a young kid. Probably fifteen years old. But he was seriously injured. The blood spilled from his shoulder, and parts of his skin were pretty badly burned. This kid was one of the wolves who attacked my kingdom. 

    “Please,” he begged me. “Please don’t shoot,” he gasped. 

    “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t,” I said, not lowering my bow. 

    “I didn’t want to,” he sputtered as he shook his head. “We had orders.” 

    Orders…? 

    “Nienna!” August’s voice rang out in my head. For once, his voice angered me. They were under orders? Did August know anything about this? “Nienna please listen to me,” he begged. “These are my men! My Lieutenant is very loyal to Queen Ida, this is probably her doing! Get back here now!” 

    Not a chance, August. 

    I kept my bow trained at the boy. "Orders from whom?" I asked him slowly. He didn't have time to answer before a snarling sound came from behind me. I immediately spun around, pointing my bow at the wolf that stepped out from the brush. But then came another from the opposite direction, and then another, then two more. They surrounded me. I swallowed hard. I was confident in my skills, but just me against four werewolves? I didn't like my odds. I had to think of something else. 

    "You guys don't want to do this," I warned as I slowly lowered my bow. "Do you have any idea who I am?" I said boldly as I stood tall and proud. "I am princess Nienna of the Moon Elves. I'm the daughter of Alpha King Kaiden, and Queen Tóra! The mate of Captain August Hawthorne! If you dare tear me to shreds, then you will not only face the wrath of the Elvish people, but your Captain, and your king!" I shouted. My words did not seem to affect them whatsoever. The wolves slowly circled me, I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my wolf. I did my best to try to summon her. But as countless times before, it was useless. I could not shift. 

    Off in the distance, I heard what sounded like thunder. THUMP THUMP THUMP. Suddenly a large grey wolf leapt from the brush of the forest and landed right in front of me. August. 

    "I told you to run,"  he growled at me. 

    "Let this be a learning experience," I spoke back to him as I turned my back to him. "I don't listen," I continued as I drew my bow again, pointing it at one of the wolves. 

    August snarled at me and turned back to his men. All that could be heard was the sound of growling and snarling wolves. 

    August was trying to talk them down. 

    One of the wolves in front of me leapt at me, and I fired an arrow into his shoulder. The wolf yelped and collapsed to the ground. His yelps turned into screams as the magic arrow forced him back into his human form. Behind me, August was wrestling the two other wolves. The snarls echoing out in the forest. 

    "You b***h," the wolf I shot snapped. I rolled my eyes. 

    "I warned you," I said with a shrug, and the wolf on the other side of him bolted. I ran after him, drawing another arrow from my quiver. 

    "Nienna!" August growled. I ignored him and continued after the wolf. 

August P.O.V 

-

      This woman was going to drive me insane. I felt the anger rising through my wolf as she sprinted off into the woods after the other wolf. Lucas Dalemont was his name, and he was not someone I wanted Nienna around. He was known for his crudeness and was known from time to time of being inhumane. 

      "You're a traitor, Captain,"  the dark wolf in front of me, Brandon was his name, snarled as we collided. My wolf's teeth wrapping around his neck and tossing him to the ground. He didn't get up. I didn’t have time for this, I had to find Nienna. 

       "You were going to attack the king's daughter!" I snarled back at him. "The king himself tasked me to protect her!" 

      "She's Elvish! Wolf or not, she's still got Moon Elf blood running through her veins, you should have rejected her as soon as you saw her!" the other wolf, Marcus barked back. 

      "She's more of a wolf than both of you combined!" I snarled and lunged at him, digging my claws into his chest as my jaw clamped down on his neck as I forced him down on the ground. He nipped at me as he tried to wiggle free. I had him pinned down. I grabbed his throat with my teeth and threw him into a tree off to the left. Cyra and her band of guards finally caught up. They surrounded the injured werewolves, and in that moment I had never felt more ashamed of being a wolf. “You all are traitors and I’ll see to it that the king punishes you properly. You’ll surely never serve in my guard again,” I spoke to the men before darting after Nienna and Lucas. 

    I couldn’t feel Nienna’s fear which I suppose was a good thing. But I could feel her anger. The heat in my chest was so unbelievably powerful that I could feel it spreading. My wolf’s ears felt hot. 

    That was nothing compared to the rage I felt when I saw what I saw. Myself or my wolf had never been this angry. He was ready to tear Lucas in half. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it echoing in my ears. 

    Nienna was pinned against the ground, her sword just out of reach, and Lucas hanging overtop of her. But he was no longer shifted into his wolf form. 

    He had her pinned down as a man.

     Completely naked.