Chapter Thirteen

ASH

Her request made him hesitate. Would seeing him shift make her understand, or would it only terrify the girl? It was not the most pleasant of things to witness, he imagined.

He could shift very quickly, this was true, but it might disgust her despite that. He studied her face and could see the earnestness in her request.

~She is about to go live in a werewolf pack, you fool~, he thought to himself. ~Better she sees it now, just the two of us~.

He nodded and took her hand. She looked at him questioningly.

“We have to move away from the horse, into the woods. I do not wish to spook it,” he explained.

Their horses were made of stern stuff—they had to be—but the sudden appearance of a wolf its same size might be too much for his stallion to handle.

She nodded and walked with him into the trees. She became frightened when he started to remove his clothing, and he silently cursed himself for not explaining better.

He took the process for granted and was doing a poor job adjusting for her ignorance of the matter.

“Relax, Keyara,” he said in what he hoped was a calming tone. “I have to take them off to shift.”

She nodded but averted her gaze. He continued to undress, and when he was done, he turned away from her.

“Watch me, Keyara, my back is turned.”

He had to trust she would indeed watch. ~Here we go~, he thought. ~Will she run from me in fear?~

He shifted as quickly as he was able. The process was so ingrained into him now, the transformation barely hurt. He turned around in his wolf form to find her eyes studying him intently.

He was proud of his wolf form. He was large, even for an alpha. His thick fur matched his human hair, almost pure white.

He watched her, not daring to move. She watched him back, not saying a word. But also not running. Not running was good.

He dipped his head and took a tentative step toward her. She didn’t step back in fear, which gave him the confidence to continue.

He closed the short distance between them until he stood before her. He towered over her small frame. She slowly reached out a hand, hesitantly grasping a lock of fur below his ear between her fingers.

He hummed appreciatively and leaned his head slightly into her hand. She stroked his fur, down his neck, and the feeling was better than anything he had ever felt before.

He lowered his head to her neck, right where it met her shoulder, where he would mark her when she was ready. He pressed his nose against her, taking in her scent.

They stood that way for a long while before he finally stepped away. She shook her head slightly, as if awakening from a trance, and wrapped her arms around herself once more.

He turned away from her, back to his pile of clothes, and quickly shifted back to his human form. He did not gauge her reaction this time and dressed quickly, not wanting to embarrass the girl.

When his garments were all back in place he turned to her, running a hand through his now loose hair.

She had not moved, still standing with her arms wrapped around her body. Her silence drew out, and the suspense of hearing her reaction was painful. Would she reject him now that the truth had stared her in the face?

“You are beautiful,” she finally said, making his heart swell.

He strode to her quickly and pulled her face to his, giving her a deep kiss. When he broke away, he laughed softly. She reacted better than he could have possibly imagined, and he was filled with joy.

“~You~ are beautiful, Keyara,” he replied, taking her hand in his. They slowly walked back toward where they had left the horse.

KEYARA

She had been stunned at his transformation but not frightened, even though she knew that should have been the rational response.

What she had told him was true—he was beautiful. The enormous white wolf was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen, and she felt as drawn to the wolf as she was to the man.

~Which makes sense because they are the same, after all~, she thought wryly. What else was out there that she was blind to. Were all the childhood stories true?

“What are you thinking?” he finally asked her, breaking the silence.

“I’m just thinking about what you said earlier. How the world is not what I imagined. It’s true, clearly, you have proven that to me. What else is out there?”

He laughed softly, smiling at her. “Nothing that I know of,” he replied. “But who knows what lies beyond the sea.”

They had reached their small camp, the horse munching happily on grass. Her world had been completely changed in a matter of minutes, but the rest of it went on as it always had.

She looked up at King Ash. ~No, not king~, she told herself.

“What do I call you if you aren’t a king? Do I still call you ~my lord~?” she asked.

He smiled at her softly, caressing a lock of hair that had escaped from her braid. “You call me ~Ash~,” he said. “You’re my mate.”

She furrowed her brow. Yes, he had said that, but she didn’t fully understand it, besides the insane reaction his touch gave her.

“What does that mean exactly…being mates?”

“It means,” he replied, tucking the strand of hair behind her ear, “that we are destined to be together. That we will live as a pair, much like a marriage in your world. You will be my luna and rule the pack alongside me.”

~Rule the pack~? What about Levia, her birthright? Key did not want to give up the dream Anne and herself had clung to for so many years.

“I cannot do that, my lord.” She shook her head and stepped away from him.

“Hey, Keyara, ~Ash~, remember? Why can you not do it? Everyone will love you and follow you without question, it’s the nature of the pack.”

He tried to draw her close to him again, but she stepped away, wanting a clear head. His touch made her thoughts cloudy.

“Because you don’t know who I really am,” she replied.

Could she tell him so soon? This wasn’t what she planned; they weren’t even across the Levian border yet. Would he return her when he found out she was not what she seemed?

She did not know if the plan for the alliance was still possible after his supernatural revelation.

“Keyara,” he said huskily, drawing her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her despite her earlier rejection. “It does not matter in any way who you are or are not. We are destined to be together.”

She huffed softly and looked up at him. “Ash, I am not just a kitchen maid,” she began.

“You’re a royal,” he finished for her.