CHAPTER THREE

-ROYCE-

I paced the halls, awaiting Helena’s mind-link. I’d heard from her not five minutes earlier when she let me know that they had managed to pick up the foul man’s scent, but that he had been all over the town in the last day. I prayed that they would find him soon, I didn’t know how long I could keep my beast tamed now that Arabella was awake and overtaking every sense within me.

“I will let you know as soon as we find him, sire”, Helena mind-linked, “Get some rest.” I nodded to myself and made my way to my sleeping quarters. My room was magnificent, with a wall of bookshelves covering the north wall, a luxurious hand-carved king-sized bed complete with bear skin blankets and the softest woven silk sheets. The walls were adorned with paintings that my wife had collected and portraits that she insisted we had commissioned. Although the room was large and full, it felt unsurprisingly hollow; empty. My mind couldn’t help but relive images of my beautiful wife sprawled out naked on the bed, awaiting me after a long day of Alpha duties. I shook my head at the pictures, but then my vision changed and the woman was no longer my wife, it was Arabella, her naked body in all its glory, spread out in the sheets, beckoning me to come and have a taste.

The door closing behind me snapped me out of my day dream and I turned to see who exactly had interrupted. I almost growled when I saw Harriet standing there, her nightdress hanging loosely from her body. “What do you want”, I growled, refusing to let my eyes wander her body. “Helena sent me for you, she said you needed to release your frustrations”, she said quietly, bowing her head. I let out a growl, Helena had crossed the line. As my head of guard, she shouldn’t worry herself about any needs other than my need to kill that behemoth.

Harriet walked forward when I didn’t respond and ran her fingers down my arm, “Please, sire. Allow me to help you.” She grasped my hand and led me slowly toward the bed, looking back at me with lust in her pale brown eyes. The beast inside of me was on edge still, he needed to let his anger out, and although I refused to release my frustrations on any members of my pack, today he dismissed my usual excuses. The haze of my beast took over and I followed his wishes willingly. I pushed Harriet down on the bed and crawled over her, holding my body just above hers. She writhed underneath me and moaned when I pulled her nightdress down, revealing her large, supple br**sts. I took her ni**le into my mouth with no hesitation and rolled it between my teeth. She let out a scream of ecstasy as I moved to her other br**st and repeated the motion.

The beast was in no mood for drawn out foreplay today, he wanted his sweet release, and fast. I stood from the bed and removed my pants and shirt, before kneeling between Harriet’s legs. She moaned when I rubbed the head of my pe**s against her ready and waiting folds. I pushed in hard, entering her all the way. Her eyes rolled back and her back arched at the sensation it gave her. I began pumping, hard and fast, as my beast roared in satisfaction.

Before long, I felt myself getting closer to my peak. I grasped her legs and held them over my shoulders as I thrust into her with all my strength. The woman was a pool of moans and screams, her walls tightening around my shaft as she neared her own or***m. With five more mind blowing thrusts, I spilled over inside of her, my pe**s throbbing with pulse after pulse of my seed. Harriet laid still, her breathing fast and pronounced. “You can leave now”, I demanded as I pulled my pe**s from within her and threw myself down on the bed. She stood quickly and pulled her nightdress back into place before hurrying from the room. I had had my fill, but still the beast raged on, unable to get Arabella out of his mind.

“Sire, we’ve located him”, Helena mind-linked. A grin grew on my lips, “Good work, Helena. Where is he?”

Within the hour I was on horse-back, riding into the tiny town just south of my territory. The wind whipped at my face, but I didn’t pay attention to the coldness, my mind was completely focussed on what I was going to do to when I got my hands on Arabellas attacker. The folk of this town knew nothing of the wrath that would befall them if anyone so much as touched a hair on that girl’s head. She was too good, too pure, to deserve what that monster did to her. There was a time when the human world knew of the existence of us Lycanthrope. I ruled the humans surrounding my domain, just as I ruled my own kind. But when the wars broke out and I lost my wife and unborn son to the neighbouring pack, I had a witch cast a spell erasing the humans’ memories of me and my pack; her spell kept anyone out that wasn’t from my pack, and that’s the way I liked it. But with every spell comes a loophole. The witch explained that once a year- for three months- her spell would be made ineffectual by the winter moon cycles. So, for three months out of the year, my guards took up their posts at the borders, keeping unwanted visitors out and protecting my people.

Every year I chose two pack members, ones that had proven trustworthy, and allowed them out for four hours, just long enough to collect any food and supplies that we needed to survive until the next winter. My people had never disappointed me in the six years since the witch cast her spell, until two days ago, that is.

I pulled the reigns on my horse as I neared the outskirts of town, “Where are you Helena?”, I asked through mind-link. “We are outside the tavern, sire”, Helena replied quickly. She was clearly embarrassed that Harriet had told me who sent her, and apologised profusely for involving herself in my personal needs.

I’d known Helena since we were children, her father was my father’s most trusted advisor when he was in leadership. When we were fourteen, she opened up to me about her feelings for me, but I couldn’t return those feelings and turned her down. I liked to think that we were still friends, but with her little stunt earlier, I was beginning to fear that old feelings were starting to stir in her once again.

I dismounted my horse and handed the reins to one of the guards, “I’ll be out shortly”, I said quickly before rushing into the tavern. With how late the night was, I felt a pang of surprise when I walked in and saw ten people sitting around the bar. The bartender looked up as I entered, “Sorry sir, I’m just about to close for the night.” I planted a friendly smile on my face; something that I very rarely did. “That’s quite alright. I was actually looking for someone, he knows a dear friend of mine and I thought we could have a quick chat.”

The bartender looked confused, “I’ve never seen you around here before. Who is this friend you speak of?” I let my eyes gaze over the men sitting around the bar, most of them drunk to the point of incoherence. “You will all probably know her”, I said, still faking a smile, “Her name is Arabella.”

A look of recognition crossed the bartenders face, “I’m sorry sir, but Arabella upped and left a couple days ago now. Nobody knows where she went.” I nodded to myself, but noticed one of the men slowly slide from his stool at the end of the bar and head towards the back exit. I quickly thanked the bartender for his help and hurried out the front door. “He’s coming out the back”, I mind-linked Helena and the guards. “I’ve already got him, sire”, Helena replied. I rushed around to where Helena was. I rounded the corner and saw her standing with a huge grin on her face, the escapee limp and unconscious over her shoulder, “This who you’re looking for?”, she smirked. I leant in to the man and inhaled deeply, his scent was disgusting. He smelt of old tobacco, whiskey and pigs’ faeces. “That’s him”, I grunt, “Shall we show him to his new home?”, I said, smiling at Helena.