The Knight; His secret author

In want of a happy ending

*Knightley*

Althea looks magnificent sitting astride Queen. I knew she would, which is exactly why I purchased the mare for her.

Over the years, I have toyed with the idea of sending the beast to her as an apology, but I wasn't sure she would accept the mare or appreciate the gesture. She was furious with me, still is, and rightfully so, with hatred reflected in the tears brimming in her eyes.

I knew she wouldn't take her feelings out on the horse, but I couldn't imagine she would love the steed either. Animals deserved to be adored.

However, after placing her on the horse, I'm rather certain they are growing fond of each other, and I hope she takes Queen back with her when our journey through the Park is completed. That's where the horse belongs, with the she-wolf who was born to ride her.

I remember the pride I always felt with Althea at my side. It's with me now, swelling my chest, my head, and another part that it shouldn't, but how can I look at her and not want her?

I feel like a withered field in want of rain… desperate for it. I thought I have schooled my emotions, tamped down my desperation for her, but having her near is tormenting, and yet I can't seem to mind it.

I do wish for the ease we once shared to return, to hear her laugh fully and completely, not with the caustic bark she now occasionally tosses my way. Sometimes she does forget her hatred of me when she smiles, and I relish those moments when her lips curl up and her eyes reflect joy.

As our horses trudge along the riding path, I can't stop myself from saying, “You spend quite a bit of time in your book describing our first kiss.” That damned garden scene everyone is on about goes on for pages.

She gives me a sidelong glance, those lush lips of hers hinting at a smile but not fully committing to granting it to me. “For me, it was a moment of awakening. I had never imagined it could be so all-encompassing. I suppose a small part of me wanted to alert she-wolves to how it should be, how it overtakes all your common sense.”

“It’s not like that for everyone.” I point out.

“Because every man is not as experienced and skilled as you?” She ask.

After sidling Shakespeare a little nearer to her, I remove my hat because I want no shadows to prevent her from reading the truth in my eyes. “I’m not boasting here. What I’m about to say is simply to make a point. But I had kissed... several she-wolves before you, and yet that night was a revelation for me, a shock clear down to my boots. You owned me that night.” And every night since.

She stares at me as though I have knocked her off her horse, and she is unable to catch her breath.

I settle my hat back into place. “Was that not your experience when sampling all the men you fancied abroad? That I was somehow different?”

She looks ahead, to the side, and back at me. “No one has ever made me feel as you did, Knightley. That realization might have fueled my need for revenge.”

I want to ask her more about those men, but they aren’t my business, just as the she-wolves in my life aren’t hers. But not a one could measure up to her.

"Alpha Knightley! Miss Leyland!" Miss Letitia draws her horse to a halt near us, causing us to stop as well. Two she-wolves are with her, and she quickly makes introductions. After which she says, "That's a gorgeous horse, Miss Leyland."

Althea blushes. "Thank you. She belongs to Alpha Knightley."

"But Miss Leyland may have her if she wants her," I interject.

Miss Letitia wrinkles her nose and smiles cunningly. "Are you courting her again?"

"No," I reply.

"Absolutely not!" Althea insists with firm conviction.

Miss Letitia laughs. "You do make a handsome couple."

"We’re striving to put the past behind us," I tell her.

She leans so far forward toward me that I am surprised she doesn’t topple out of the saddle. "You will never guess what I got my little hands on."

"The Alpha of my Desires?" I suggest.

Her face falls. "Well, yes, but it’s rude to guess correctly and ruin my surprise."

"It was a lucky guess, I assure you." I say.

She brightens. "My friends and I were discussing it over tea yesterday, and I think I should warn you that some ladies are determined to lure you into gardens for a bit of mischief in an attempt to determine if you are indeed Alpha K."

I chuckle low. "They shall leave the garden convinced I am not."

"But will they leave it kissed?" She asks with a giggle.

"I very much doubt it. I read the book as well, Miss Letitia. It is the passion of the she-wolf he is kissing that he reacted to, that swept him away, that silenced his voice of reason, that made him want with a desperation that is near impossible to satisfy. It was more than merely a kiss. It was breath, life, and love. It was a world where dreams dared to exist and yearned to become reality."

She sighs, "But in the end, he abandons her. Not at the altar. Otherwise, I might suspect Miss Leyland here of being She-wolf. But he simply disappears, leaving her waiting on the railway platform, all her hopes for a life with him dashed."

I shrug. "Some dreams are not meant to be."

"That is my only fault with the story. I dearly wanted them to be together at the end." She sighs again.

"Instead, he was a rotter," Althea says.

And I refrain from glaring at her.

"Did you secure a copy as well?" Miss Letitia asks her.

She smiles with a touch of irony in the twisting of her lips. "I did manage to find a copy."

"Didn’t you think it was brilliant?" Miss Letitia asks.

"I suppose it was somewhat entertaining." Althea mumbles.

Miss Letitia places a hand over her heart. "I want Alpha K to return to her. I believe they are destined for each other. I do hope this She-wolf will continue their tale." She glances back at her companions. "Well, we must be off. It was lovely to see you both. And together as it were, considering your tumultuous past. Gives me great hope that Alpha K could be forgiven."

"You speak of him as though he truly exists," I say.

"To me…" she looks at her friends, "…to all of us, he does. Good day."

The trio trots away, and I glance over at Althea. "You might have to reconsider the demise of Alpha K. Perhaps you should give him and his Miss the happy ending Miss Letitia wants."

Her smile is wickedly frightening. "Oh, his Miss will get her happy ending… she will find his horrifying demise incredibly rewarding."