Chapter 7 Hello stranger

~ KELANI ~

I woke up to find myself in a dimly lit room, lying in a canopy bed. Candles were burning in almost every corner and the room smelled sweet. But my head was pounding like a hundred archeologists were in it, digging for artifacts.

"You fainted." a small voice stated.

Of course, I did. I had not eaten or drank anything since last night and yet I had gone through so much physical, mental and emotional stress.

"Water, please." I pleaded as I managed to sit up. I could see the owner of the voice now. It was one of the two women that ran in with the princess at the royal court.

She offered me a cup of water which I immediately emptied in three large gulps.

"My name is Coco, Princess Orlanda's maid. She asked us to bring you here when you fainted. You're in one of the chambers in her quarters."

My stomach groaned in appreciation.

"Oh, you must be hungry. First, go take a hot bath," she gestured to a door, "You smell like a skunk."

Slowly, I climbed out of bed and went to have a bath. Although refreshing, the water brought my wounds to life; cuts and bruises I sustained while trying to escape the Shana warriors. They stung badly but at the end of the bath, I felt better than I had in a while.

When I returned to the room, the beddings had been changed (I must really have smelled like a skunk) and a set of clean male clothing and bandages were laid on the dresser. Coco really paid attention to details.

I could manage my wounds without bandages but I knew somewhere that needed to be bound - my breasts. I fastened the bandages around my chest so tightly, it hurt. Bostin's tunic had done a good job of concealing them but these new clothes were more fitting so I needed to put in more effort to maintain a masculine front.

When I was fully dressed, I ravaged the food platter that was kept on the table. At the end of the appetizing meal which had served as my breakfast, lunch and dinner for the day, I felt mildly content.

I should think about the events of the last twenty four hours. How I suddenly went from the doted daughter of the leaders of a revered pack to an orphan without a pack.

How I used my Saturni El-Ron chant which I would never get back, my unforgettable encounter with the Moon Goddess and giving up my beloved hair in exchange for the lifting of a curse.

How I am now a slave in the kingdom of the people who I am supposed to get revenge on. How do I get my revenge when my life is literally in their hands?

I should think of all of these but I couldn't. My body was sore and my mind was hazy. I didn't sleep a wink on the long journey here. So I let myself escape into sleep. A sleep I wished to never be awoken from. But when did my wishes ever come true? Never.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A whisper was floating around in my subconscious, getting louder with each passing second.

"Hey, wake up."

"Werewolf alpha slave."

"Wake up and follow me!"

Now that was an instruction I would have a hard time following because I could barely wake up, let alone follow anyone.

I wondered how long I had been asleep but from the way my body still ached, I figured it wasn't that long.

"Does your sickness affect your ears too? Be on your feet, slave!" the voice said in an angry yet hush tone.

I groggily opened my eyes to see the Shanakoi princess staring down angrily at me. When she saw I was awake, she walked away from the bed and stood across the room, her angry stare unshaken.

I climbed out of bed. With slow steps, I walked until I was facing her. That was when I noticed she looked very different. Her eyes were calm and she seemed composed. She looked... sane.

"Quick summary," she started, still whispering, "I am eloping with my lover and I need you to come along and be on the lookout for us. If we get caught, we get killed. All three of us."

WHAT???!!!

"What?"

"You would not let me repeat myself, werewolf alpha slave. If it weren't for me, you would have been long dead by now so move. Follow me."

I had a thousand questions but I forced my mouth shut and my legs forward. I followed her into her room where I saw Coco and the other maid sprawled on the floor deep asleep. I suspected they were drugged.

"So we go out through this window, out to the woods. There is a cave at the end of the forest. We go through the caves to the river. When we successfully sail through..."

I zoned out of her directions. I didn't know where any of these places were. Dear Goddess, this sometimes-mad princess is going to get me killed tonight!

But I didn't have a choice. We successfully made it out of the palace grounds. At the mouth of the woods, a man came out of hiding with a knapsack - the princess's lover. They exchanged quick hugs and kisses while I waited awkwardly, counting the stars. I learned his name was Philip.

With our new companion, we continued our journey through the woods with me leading the way while they followed not so closely behind.

Okay, this was getting real. And scary. If the princess successfully elopes with her lover, what becomes of me? The first night I spend in her quarters, she mysteriously disappears. Who would believe I had nothing to do with it?

My heart pounded in my chest as I walked steadily ahead, sending a barrage of prayers to the Moon Goddess. Without warning, my foot caught on a stump and I fell forward with a small wail. Though loud enough to catch the attention of someone else in the thick bushes.

"Who's there?" a gravelly voice called out.

"Bullsh*t!" the princess cussed behind me.

A male figure materialized from the cover of darkness. He was wearing only breeches but his strides were long and sure, as if he owned the very ground we were standing on.

Soon he was towering in front of me, his deep eyes blazing under the full moon. I could tell he was a werewolf too - a powerful one. His aura was palpable, like he was somehow sucking up all the air around. And even in the darkness, I could see that he was handsome. Long dark hair, brown eyes flanked by thick lashes, a strong sculpted jaw, and a body that swore he never missed training.

I began to backtrack, suddenly desperate to put some space between myself and this intimidating man. His feet didn't follow me but his eyes did. Brown and fiery and daring me to take another step backwards.

"Who are you?" he asked.

My mouth went dry. Who is he? What do I say? My lips parted but no words made it out.

"Move away or I move you." I heard the princess's lover threaten behind me as they both appeared from their hiding, much to my relief. I retreated further into the background to let them take care of the situation.

The stranger squinted his eyes in the darkness to see the source of the threat, his annoyance palpable. "Wait. Isn't that Princess Orlanda? Are you two trying to abduct the princess? You're taking advantage of her mental condition-"

"I said MOVE!!!"

One second, Philip was lunging at the stranger. The next second, he was held up by his neck, feet dangling in the air as he struggled with the stranger's deathly grip.

"The next time you try that would be the last time." the stranger swore icily.

Maybe Philip was really a fearless man, maybe it was to impress the princess, maybe he was just plain stupid. But for some reason, he thought it would be a good idea to throw a blow at this menacing stranger's face right after that warning. The stranger neatly ducked but for how he reacted, I would have thought the blow split his head into two.

He pounced on Philip. Heavy blows in quick succession to his head, neck, everywhere.

The princess gave a silent scream - if I had ever heard anything like that.

"Our lives are in danger! All four of us. Stop this right this moment before you get us caught." she shrieked, trying to push him off her lover's body.

She was unsuccessful. The battering continued. Philip couldn't even get one blow in.

"They are not trying to kidnap me. I am very well aware of where I am going!" she continued.

But he didn't stop until Philip was bloodied and unmoving.

"You've killed him! By the gods, you've killed an innocent man. You have killed my beloved!" she cried.

The stranger stood and straightened his impressive body, then asked with a raised brow, "Your beloved?"

"I mean... he... we..." Princess Orlanda stuttered, trying to cook up a lie but it was too late.

"My hypothesis is that you have been deceiving the entire kingdom including the royal court about your mental state. You are completely sane. And you were trying to run away with this man. Tsk Tsk." the stranger stated calmly. Too calmly for a man who had just turned another man to a vegetable.

When she didn't deny it, he continued. "I can't begin to imagine your fate when King Aries hears of this. His precious daughter, betrothed to another, yet eloping with her secret lover, a mere human slave."

"He won't hear of it." she retorted.

"How can you be so sure, princess?"

"Because I would give you a hundred silver coins to keep your mouth shut."

"I would give you a thousand to never insult me like that again."

My eyes bulged in shock. He is rejecting a hundred silver coins? Who is this man?

"So what do you want?" the princess asked, the frustration evident in her voice.

The stranger's bored gaze swept through our surroundings, from the princess to her unconscious lover before settling on me.

"I want your bald slave," he said finally, "I happen to have use for him."

My head spun. Why couldn't I catch a break in this darn kingdom of Shanakoi?!