Chapter 20: The Ghostly Grotto
Titan jumped, ready to fight or flee as needed. He stared at Prince Hayden. Prince Hayden stared at him.
“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be watching Corinna! Where is she?” Bellowed the Prince angrily.
Titan relaxed. This was the real Hayden, not a doppelgänger.
“It’s really you? You’re not a doppelgänger? How do you know it's really me?” Questioned Titan, the Prince’s lack of suspicion making Titan suspicious again.
“It’s me! I know it’s you because I killed your doppelgänger after it attacked me. In its place, I found one of these,” said the Prince gruffly, holding out a stone eye.
Titan gasped.
“Looks like you found one too!” Said Hayden, pointing at the stone eye on the floor near Titan.
Chapter 21: The Vermillion SwordHayden drew his sword as the douens swarmed him. Sprout hid under the Prince’s collar. The douens were fleshy little creatures scurrying on their backwards’ facing feet. It was difficult to tell which direction they were going in but they drew closer and closer to the Prince in a circle. He sliced one clean in half from the tip of its straw hat to its feet. The two halves fell to the ground and moulded together like soft clay until it reformed the creature. The Prince gasped.“They’re already dead,” called Sprout from under the Prince’s collar. “You can’t kill them.”“Then what do I do?” Yelled Hayden, slicing them in halves on all sides as quickly as possible to buy time as he cleared a path towards the grotto’s centre.Cory managed to levitate towards the hole in the ceiling of the cave. Her hands just reached its outer r
Chapter 22: Moments Before MidnightCory sat staring into the dancing red, orange and yellow flames of the roaring camp-fire. The pack warriors had been extremely impressed to hear about how the Prince retrieved the Vermillion Sword before his first shift. That made him a formidable future alpha indeed. Hayden had been in such a good mood, he had allowed them to set up camp early just a few yards away from the Dale’s Veil. The Vermillion Sword was tucked into Hayden’s belt and the Prince had a certain spring in his step. Titan was overjoyed and more than a little intoxicated with ale. The Beta was recounting their tale of triumph for the umpteenth time. Even Sprout was in on the revelry.Cory was the only one not thrilled at the moment. She continued to stare at the fire ignoring the festivities surrounding her. The pack warriors had begun to sing in unison, raising their glasses to
Chapter 23: Alpha WolfCory ran out of the tent but Hayden was nowhere to be found. The campfire had been outed and the men had gone to their tents. She did not want to alert any of them especially not Leech. She shuddered to think how he would behave if he knew she were alone and Hayden was indisposed somewhere. She did not want to be accused of acting indecently either but she had no other choice. She crawled into Titan’s tent. She spotted the Beta sleeping under a pile of blankets. Sprout was asleep on a saucer piled with blankets on Titan’s night stand. Both of them were snoring softly.“Sprout!” She hissed.Sprout stirred.“Sprout!” She called a mere inch from his ear.The tiny dweller shot up out of his saucer-bed. He tumbled off the night stand but she caught him in her outstretched palm.“Cory?” He said, rubbing his eyes.He curled up on her palm and tried to go
Chapter 24: LunaCory was not sure she had heard correctly. Either way, it did not matter. She was clearly hallucinating. This was Hayden’s wolf but she could not possibly be Hayden’s mate. He was the Alpha Prince, soon to be the Alpha King. She was a human peasant. From what she knew about wolves, they were matched up with the most suitable partner by fate to ensure survival. There was no way she was the one most suitable for Hayden.“I’m glad you’re ok,” she said softly, backing away from the wolf slowly.Don’t be afraid! Said the Alpha wolf in her mind.“I’m not afraid,” she answered it out loud. “I…Titan said I shouldn’t bother you during this time and he was right,” she said. “I’m…sorry,” she mumbled and with that, she tried to get Blaython to head back to camp but the tiger stubbornly refused.S
Chapter 25: BathCorinna was relieved to see the camp fire out when they returned to camp. All the warriors had retired to bed so none were around to see a totally nude Hayden carrying a scarlet-cheeked Cory. Blaython happily sauntered into his tent.“Night, boy!” Called Hayden as though the massive white tiger was a loyal house dog.Hayden crawled into his tent. Cory felt her cheeks grow redder and warmer if that were possible. He set her down and stared at her as if he had never seen her before, as if he were trying to memorise every feature.“I need to wash up before bed…you are worse for wear from all the excitement,” he commented, picking a leaf out of her hair.He grinned widely at her.“Yes, of course, after you, Hayden,” she offered.“No, ladies first,” he said. He paused thoughtfully and then spoke hesitantly, “Perhaps, we do not need to go one at a
Chapter 26: Skin of the SoucouyantCorinna slowly opened her eyes. Her cheek was sticking to a hot surface. It took her a while to realise this hot surface was Hayden’s chest. She blushed deeply as flashes of last night’s escapades rushed back to her. She inhaled his scent, so clean and distinctly masculine. Had the Prince always smelled this good? He had certainly never smelled bad but she had not noticed this. Everything about him made a definite impression on her now that his first shift had passed. She was reluctant to get up but she knew there were still two more weapons to procure. She wondered if Hayden would increase the pace of their travel now that he had ascended to an Alpha position physically. He would not be able to take up the post of Alpha until he returned home to his father’s kingdom of werewolves.Cory sighed. She carefully tried to extricate herself from his embrace but it was to no avail. Ha
Chapter 27: Mixed-up MushroomsNow that the Prince had inherited his Alpha abilities, their methods of travel would be vastly different.“We’ll leave the horses behind along with all of our supplies. They’ll only slow us down,” announced Hayden.“It was fine when it was the prepubescent Prince slowing us down,” mumbled Leech to Lynx who snickered.Hayden glared at them and then slowly smiled.“Leech and Lynx will stay behind to guard the horses and the supplies,” said Hayden.Leech scowled and Lynx frowned.“We cannot leave our horses unattended with wild beasts about,” said the Prince.“So we’re leaving them with Leech, they’d be better off with the wild beasts!” Said Fracture, his laughter filling the forest.“And Fracture will stay behind to keep an e
Chapter 28: Overgrown and Under siegeZurie was large for such an isolated village. They grew all of their own crops. They made trips to the sea for fish and carted the fish back to village. They also fished in the rivers nearby though this was not encouraged. The rivers were a last resort for when food was scarce so the elders of the village did not want them depleted by overfishing. Cory was amazed at how colourful the village was. Each house was painted a different colour and the villagers were not afraid to choose vibrant shades. She spotted houses painted canary yellow, emerald green, coral pink, azure and even blood-red. It was as if there was an ongoing competition among the villagers with a grand prize for the house with the loudest colour theme. Cory and Sprout loved it. Hayden and Titan were not so impressed. Hayden, Titan, Venom and the twins had all shifted back to their human forms and dressed themselves near the outskirts of the vi
Chapter 54: The Alpha Prince’s Princess They were not outside amidst the splendid array of food and ale already adorning tables at which no one was seated. She checked the hallway she had come from, struggling to open the heavy doors alone. The ladies were not in there either. She forced her way back outside, making some of her dark curls tumble out of their elegant bun in the process. She left them like that. She could go back to her room or she could investigate. She undid her hair. It was easier to think without all her curls piled atop her head. “Letting loose already?” Joked her father.“Father!” Squeaked Cory. “You frightened me!” Her father was dressed for the banquet too and that put her at ease. “I heard nobles tend to be fashionably late,” he said, holding out his hand to her. She took his hand and he led her to a magnificent fountain near the middle of the courtyard. “Night widows!” She exc
Chapter 53: Happy Homecoming The cheers were deafening. Cory kept her arms securely around Hayden’s waist as she tried to make herself as small and insignificant as possible. She was seated behind the Alpha Prince on his steed, Blaython, and she found the heat of thousands of gazes unbearable. An astounding number of people had come out to line the streets of Merdenor to welcome home the victors. Everyone was whispering about the girl being brought home by the Alpha Prince, the girl who had saved the kingdom and stolen his heart, the girl who belonged to him, the “property” of the Alpha Prince. She could hear snatches of their conversations as she passed by. Property was a generous term. Some were rudely calling her his “plaything.” “What is it?” Asked Hayden, looking over his shoulder at her. He winced just from having to turn at the waist to glance backwards. “Be carefu
Chapter 52: Sorceress in the Swamplands “She’s gaining on us!” Cried Sprout from his perch on Titan’s shoulder. It took all of Cory’s focus to keep them airborne whilst maintaining the protective sphere around them. She dared to look over her shoulder at Anestra whose levitation was effortless. The Sorceress seemed to soar through the air, cutting through wispy clouds as effortlessly as a bird in flight. Cory knew she could not keep this up but she needed to get them a safe distance from the den of Stormbringers below. Another ball of lightning hit the sphere housing them. Everyone felt the impact of it. They tumbled about within the bubble but thankfully the sphere remained intact and none of them went plummeting down to the earth. “You should shoot her with an arrow!” Cried Sprout. “She can only do so much at once!” Yelled Hayden. “We have to try somethi
Chapter 51: Exit Point Cory was stunned. She was fixed to the spot, afraid it was some kind of trap. “Do you know this man?” Asked Titan. Hayden struggled to sit up as the wounds on his back slowly began to heal. The fabric of his shirt remained blood-stained and shredded. The twin beasts were still knocked out mere inches from Cory’s barrier after their collision with it. With two beasts out cold and one beast having undergone a spectacular transformation, there were four beasts left: two skulking as they withdrew into the passageway from whence they came and two more circling the barrier protecting Hayden. Cory was worried the beasts would attack her father who seemed disoriented. He stumbled towards her, his hands pressing against the barrier that she was in. Don’t let him in yet! Instructed Hayden. Titan, I need you to cut the collars off of those
Chapter 50: Under the Frozen Lake Cory could hear and feel the rumbling of the Stormbringer stampede. The snow-covered bank was trembling along with the lake’s icy surface. Titan had shattered a section of the ice about seven feet in diameter but it was quickly closing up. The ice was reforming at an alarming speed. “Blaython GO!” Commanded Hayden, giving the huge tiger a nudge. It made no sense being quiet anymore. The Stormbringers were well aware of their presence now. The thunder of their huge paws striking the ground was growing louder and louder whilst the ground shook more and more violently. Blaython leapt through the hole landing on an icy platform about ten feet down from the surface. Cory could see a staircase that led from the icy platform further downwards into the depths of the lair within the lake. “Titan!” Prompted Hayden. “You go next Alpha! In case I have to strike the ice again!
Chapter 49: The Marshlands Cory’s dress was soaked and it did not held that the wolf she was riding had drenched fur. The air was so cold in the marshlands she felt like her damp dress would freeze. Her teeth were chattering. She tried desperately to combat this as the sound could alert the Stormbringers. Her barrier was still protecting them from the trickles of hail. The hail storm was mercifully subsiding. Do you think you could make the inside of the barrier warmer? Wondered Hayden. Titan, Blaython and I are okay but you and Sprout don’t look so good. Cory looked over at her tiniest friend who was shivering so violently, it was hard for him to get a firm grip on the fur on Titan’s back. Maybe you can use the Bow? Wondered Titan. It is a Fire Weapon after all. The arrow that formed that huge chasm never came back to me like the others d
Chapter 48: The Swamplands Three! Yelled Hayden in their minds. Move out! Full speed ahead! The two massive wolves and the gargantuan tiger stole out of the tent, one by one, through the narrow exit, as quickly as possible. Cory clung to Hayden’s thick furry neck as hard as she could. She could see Sprout holding onto Titan’s Beta wolf for dear life on her left. On her right, she saw Blaython keeping up with them, flying across the meadow. Behind her, she could hear the grating high-pitched growls, snarls, calls and wails. The noises they made were so unnerving. She shut her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, readying herself for action. They’re following us, said Hayden in her mind, his voice strained with effort even over mind-link. He must have been using practically all of his energy to run as fast as possible. She needed to slow down
Chapter 47: Fiery Hayden sped up, dashing through the trees with Cory on his back. She steadied herself, keeping her hands as still as possible as her Alpha raced through the chilly forest. The air got colder and colder as they got closer and closer to their destination. She positioned her arrow and pictured her father, conjuring up images of his smiling laughing face, the way his eyes crinkled when he grinned, the way he tossed his head back and laughed out loud. Her mother had been a kinder gentler soul when her father had been alive. She remembered the fear that gripped her heart that night she realised the beasts had taken her father away. She let that fear burst into rage and then she let that rage burn through her, fiery hot. She let the arrow fly. It hit the ground just a foot from the stealthy Stormbringer. “You missed,” said Sprout, seemingly disappointed. “No, I didn’t,
Chapter 46: An Intangible Key Hayden marvelled at the smoothness of her skin. She was so soft, so delicate. He was terrified for her. All he could think of every time he laid his eyes on her was the jaws of the beast, their sharp pointy teeth, their massive paws and long steel-like claws. He also marvelled at how undaunted she was and how brave, almost recklessly so when one considered how frail her shell seemed. Cory marvelled at the strength of his build. He was built for battle, his body tall and toned, his muscles rock-hard under her fingertips, yet he seemed so afraid. All his power did nothing to quell his fear. She tried not to think of the Stormbringers, to block out the images of them gnashing their teeth and chomping at the air as they edged closer, hoping their jaws would soon clamp around flesh. She shut her eyes and buried her head in his bare chest. His hands were in her hair. He trailed his fingers down