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2025-02-05 09:35:54I didn’t have a choice, so I told Teah what had transpired in the woods. However, I was wise enough to leave out the part about watching the Alpha change and swim in the nude. I knew that if she ever found out, she wouldn’t spare my life like the wolf had done.
I think the only thing that spared me any punishment was that I still was in bad shape. And I soon got worse. Looked like my leg wasn’t the only thing I’d messed up during my night adventure. The pond’s cold water, and all the hours I’d spent wearing my soaking-wet clothes, had affected me. That night I was burning in fever, and in the morning I was coughing and struggling to breathe.
I lost count of the days I spent lying on the straw mattress before the hearth, shaking and choking, moaning in pain every time I tried to move, because my chest and my leg hurt and burned.
Finally, Teah forced her rheumatic bones to crouch down by my side. I wasn’t fully awake, lost in that fevered tossing and turning that filled my head with hot clouds. Even so, the way she caressed my forehead worried me. I was surely dying for Teah to show any affection.
“Listen, Joy,” she whispered. “I need to go out. I’m giving you a soup that will help you sleep, and you won’t wake up until I’m back.”
I intended to nod, but I don’t know if I did.
And a moment later it was broad day, the fever had broken, I could breathe with ease and my leg felt ready to run uphill. I sat up on the straw mattress and felt the light weight of a delicate thin chain around my neck, from which a cold pendant hung. I grabbed it, looking down, but I couldn’t quite see it. So I brushed my messy hair to the side to take the necklace off.
“Joy?” Teah cried from the other side of the room. “Wait! Don’t take it off!”
I grabbed the pendant again, frowning, and felt it with my fingertips. It was a stone carved as a crescent moon.
“What stone is it?” I asked.
“Moonstone,” Teah replied in the most casual way, bringing a pot full of water to hang on the hearth.
“Moonstone?” I repeated, stunned.
Teah shrugged, grimacing as she faced me.
“You were dying, child. Nothing worked. So I ask the healer of the pack for help.”
I stared at her, eyes like grapefruits, and needed a moment to find my voice.
“So you hang a wolves’ stone from my neck?” I cried. “Knowing about my dirty blood? Were you trying to kill me?”
Teah patted my head with a mocking chuckle.
“It worked, didn’t it? You were so far gone, I had nothing to lose by trying. I’ll bring you some clothes while you wash yourself. You stink!”
I got up still grumbling and froze in surprise once again as soon as I looked out the window.
“It’s…!” I mumbled. “It’s all covered in snow! What day is it?”
“It’s January fifth,” Teah replied.
“What!? I was out for two months?”
“Why do you think I dared to try wolf medicine on you?” she asked, throwing an old dress to my face.
I looked again at the winter landscape, cloaked in pure white snow. January fifth!
“The Wolf Moon!” I cried. “It’s in two days!
“At least the fever didn’t make you forget the calendar. Happy birthday, by the way”
She rolled her eyes when I faced her, puzzled.
“You’re turning sixteen today, aren’t you? Come, wash and get dressed. You must get ready for tonight’s ceremony.”
“What for? Not like I’m taking part of it.”
“Not taking part doesn’t mean not going. We’re going together, to make sure they take your spoiled stepsister away.”
Her reply made me chuckle, and her smile added to the surprises of the day.
“If we’re lucky, they’ll pick her and her two friends, and your life will be a little easier.”
I shrugged, grabbing the pot with hot water from the hearth. She was right. My dear sister Lily and her two best friends were the main source of abuse and lies about me. And maybe if they left for the castle, in time the older villagers would die, and the younger ones would forget to hate me and attack me around the clock.
Teah tried to untangle the mess in my hair, until I grew tired of her pulling and yanking.
“Enough,” I grunted, rubbing my sore scalp. “Just cut it off.”
She leaned to look at me with a slight frown.
“That’s not a bad idea. It’ll be easier to hide if it’s short. I’ll go grab the scissors.”
I waited for her fidgeting with the crescent pendant, eyes on the fire before me.
“The wolf that came to see you the other day,” I said.
“You mean two months ago,” she corrected me, trimming down my hair with vigorous snips.
My hair was limp and silky, and had it been a different color, I would’ve regretted having it cut.
“Right, two months ago. Was it the Alpha?”
“Why would the lord of the Dale come asking about you? Like he didn’t have better things to do.”
Because he’d saved me from the lion? I shrugged.
“He said my woods.”
Teah let out another mocking chuckle.
“That means nothing. All the wolves consider the woods and the Dale as theirs. Because they are, just like ourselves. We would be all dead had they not saved us from the immortals.”
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The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 5
The village square was surrounded by torches burning in the winter night. Nobody cared about the cruel cold frosting the thick layer of snow on the streets, and the cleared stone floor of the square around the well. Everybody in the village, myself included, had worn all the warm clothes and cloaks we had to witness the ceremony.Once a year, two nights before the first full moon of the new year, known as the Wolf Moon, all the single girls in the village, between seventeen and twenty, lined up by the well wearing their best dresses. Then, several wolves in human form showed up to pick the three lucky girls who would leave the village. It was one of the rare occasions when wolves openly showed their human forms, and I think that was the true reason why nobody wanted to miss it.The chosen girls moved with the wolves to their castle, at the other side of the Dale, and paired up with a young wolf. They lived a long life full of luxury and happiness in exchange for giving birth to a coup
Last Updated : 2025-02-05The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 6
“Nice show you put on,” Teah scolded me the minute we walked into her place. “Are you crazy? Thank God she intervened in your behalf. Else the whole village would’ve jumped on you!”“The princess,” I murmured. “Her eyes.”“Oh, yes, and her hair. I know. Nothing as blatant as you, but anyway striking for a wolf.” Teah shrugged. “Every now and then one like her is born.”I rubbed my face, still trying to think straight again.“I need to go home. I need to pack.”“Pack what? You hardly own the clothes on your back. Forget it. They will give you anything you may need. And you better stay indoors. All the girls who weren’t chosen would give anything to find you alone. You’ll stay right here until it’s time to go to the clearing. And I’ll walk you there myself.”I couldn’t sleep that night. I lay on my straw mattress by the fire, under the blankets and the bearskin. By the time Teah woke up the next morning, I had already gone to the well and cooked breakfast.At noon, my father came knocki
Last Updated : 2025-02-05The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 7
“Yarrow!”My own cry startled me awake. I was half-sitting, and even though I was still facing the fire, the cold in my chest reminded me I was naked. I lay back down in a hurry, pulling blanket and bearskin up to my nose.I noticed a trace of light from under the edge of the blindfold still covering my eyes. Meaning the other times it’d been night?“Are you well?”The wolf’s whisper startled me again and I curled up under the covers, nodding.“What did you say?”I shook my head, embarrassed.“Say it again.”His whispers now had an edge of authority, the wolf talking to one of his subjects.“Yarrow,” I mumbled.“The flower? What about it?”“You…” I stuttered, trailing off.I heard the rustle of fabric and his next whisper sounded closer to my head, like he’d leaned over me.“Yes?”“You… You smell like yarrow, my lord.”I heard him stiffen up.“Beg your pardon?”He was still talking in whispers, but they lacked any warmth now.“I’m so sorry, my lord. I didn’t mean to. You smell like th
Last Updated : 2025-02-05The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 8
“Silver?” I repeated, puzzled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, my lord.”“This is how you thank me for saving your life?”He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. The moment he let go of me, I fell to my knees once again, fighting back my tears.“I have no silver, my lord!” I cried. “I never had anything made of silver!”“Stand up,” he grunted.As I did what he said, I remembered the delicate chain around my neck.“You mean this?” I tried, showing it to him.“That’s white gold. Do you think our healers would give us necklaces made of silver?”Teah had explained to me that silver didn’t kill wolves as many people believed, but it did weaken them, and prevented them from changing, trapping them in their human form and depriving them of all their strength and might.I let go of the pendant, shaking my head. For the life of me, I had no idea why I would smell of silver.He pinched my chin to make me face him. I froze, my heart hammering my chest.“The smell of your fear won’t
Last Updated : 2025-02-05The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 7
“Yarrow!”My own cry startled me awake. I was half-sitting, and even though I was still facing the fire, the cold in my chest reminded me I was naked. I lay back down in a hurry, pulling blanket and bearskin up to my nose.I noticed a trace of light from under the edge of the blindfold still covering my eyes. Meaning the other times it’d been night?“Are you well?”The wolf’s whisper startled me again and I curled up under the covers, nodding.“What did you say?”I shook my head, embarrassed.“Say it again.”His whispers now had an edge of authority, the wolf talking to one of his subjects.“Yarrow,” I mumbled.“The flower? What about it?”“You…” I stuttered, trailing off.I heard the rustle of fabric and his next whisper sounded closer to my head, like he’d leaned over me.“Yes?”“You… You smell like yarrow, my lord.”I heard him stiffen up.“Beg your pardon?”He was still talking in whispers, but they lacked any warmth now.“I’m so sorry, my lord. I didn’t mean to. You smell like th
Last Updated : 2025-03-03The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 8
“Silver?” I repeated, puzzled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, my lord.”“This is how you thank me for saving your life?”He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around. The moment he let go of me, I fell to my knees once again, fighting back my tears.“I have no silver, my lord!” I cried. “I never had anything made of silver!”“Stand up,” he grunted.As I did what he said, I remembered the delicate chain around my neck.“You mean this?” I tried, showing it to him.“That’s white gold. Do you think our healers would give us necklaces made of silver?”Teah had explained to me that silver didn’t kill wolves as many people believed, but it did weaken them, and prevented them from changing, trapping them in their human form and depriving them of all their strength and might.I let go of the pendant, shaking my head. For the life of me, I had no idea why I would smell of silver.He pinched my chin to make me face h
Last Updated : 2025-03-03The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 9
When I came back to, I was still kneeling on the cave floor. Two strong arms wrapped around me, and my cheek rested on soft fabric, a heart beating underneath it. I straightened up, feeling for the folds of my bodice to close them. The wolf put a wooden cup in my hand, full of fresh water.“Thank you, my lord,” I muttered after gulping it up.“You need to lay down,” he whispered with an unexpected gentleness. “Because you still smell of silver.”He help me up to my feet and to the pallet by the fire.“Let’s see what other surprises your sister kept in store,” he said, guiding me to lie down. “Stay still.”He made me stretch my legs, removed my boots and covered my feet with the blanket, as to keep me warm. I held my breath when he leaned forward over me. He slowly sniffed my face and my neck, then his breath felt like a warm gust on my skin, from shoulder to shoulder.I shivered when he moved my hands away, letting the bodice open again. I w
Last Updated : 2025-03-04The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 10
My heart skipped a beat when I opened my eyes and found the blindfold gone. I instinctively covered them, exploring the smells around me. No traces of the wolf.“My lord?” I tried.No answer. So I finally dared to risk a glance around. I was all alone in the cave.I found Lily’s dress by the firewood. I had no other clothes left, so I wore it again. A chill ran down my spine as I tied the bodice ribbons.I didn’t want to waste another day sitting and pondering. I had only a little water left in the buckets, so I decided to venture out of the cave.It opened to the east, to a narrow ledge on a thirty-feet-tall cliff. I stepped out to see the woods, but I didn’t recognize the place. I was halfway down a steep rocky slope, and it looked like I was further south than I’d ever been before, where the hills rose to become the high mountains that enclosed the southern end of the Dale. That was forbidden land for humans. From where I stood, the woods hid whatever laid beyond.I followed the led
Last Updated : 2025-03-05
Latest chapter
The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 36
BOOK 2 - SPRING.Maybe it was a dream. I was sitting on something that jumped and shook, causing me an excruciating pain in my wounded arm. I couldn’t move it away from my side, like it was tightly tied to my chest. Something firm and warm held me up. The wind was cold in my face. I tried to open my eyes and all I saw was dark.The next thing I remember is the warmth of the sun on my skin. The air smelled of a puzzling mix of herbs and oils that threw me off.I opened my eyes to a large room with a square open hearth in the middle of it. I saw bundles of herbs hanging from the ceiling beams, shelves full of jars, flasks and books, and a big sturdy table. It was like Teah’s place, only clean and neat.I was lying on a real bed for the first time in my life, and sunlight came in through a window almost above my head.My wounded arm was stretched by my side, splinted with long sticks from my shoulder to my wr
The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 35
I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or sad the winter turned out to be so short. Snow retreated to the north by the end of February, and by the first week of March, the whole forest looked like we were already in spring.The wolf’s arm was healing fine, and ever since that last skirmish, he would spend three or four days straight with me, without going back to the castle. However, even if his wound kept him away from the fight, one morning, a raven brought a message from the princess.“Castle. Urgent.”So he was forced to leave, promising to come back as soon as possible.I missed him badly when he wasn’t around, but his absence would allow me to take care of those little chores left unattended when he was with me.The day was warm enough for me to put out the fire, giving me a chance for a deep cleaning of the whole cave, including the ashes in the fire pit. I washed our clothes, made a brand new pallet, brought the bl
The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 34
Feeling his arousal grow in my mouth was like a promise about the pleasure he would soon offer me. I’d laid the bearskin on the ground to kneel on it, leaning forward over the wolf, sitting naked on the pallet, his back against the wall.His hand ran down my back and slid between my buttocks, his fingers covered in oil. They caressed my butthole in slow circles, wetting my flesh before moving on to brush my womb.I muffled a moan against his length when his oiled finger slid inside my body, his thumb massaging my butt again. I enjoyed every prick he triggered while I licked his growing arousal, captive of my hand and my lips.His hand between my legs mirrored those of my mouth, driving me crazy. Soon we were both just as tense and out of breath, and his panting growls fed my need as I pushed him past his last limit, his hand making me feel what my mouth made him feel.He shivered with a shaky growl and his exquisite flavor caressed my tongue. He let
The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 33
“Let’s cook, my lord. It’ll take us a while, and I don’t want you to faint out of hunger.”“We have a problem. If I stay barefoot, I’ll catch a cold. And trust me, you don’t want to look after a wolf with a cold.”“There’s fleece boots for you in the second trunk. Bring them and I’ll help you wear them.”He took me by the hand up to the table and went on alone.“Second trunk, second trunk,” he muttered. “Guess you mean this one?”“The one smelling of fabric, not food.”“Oh, right, makes sense. And what do you want from the one that does smell like food.”“Whatever you want to throw into the pot, my lord.”“Could there be a bear in there?”“I don’t think so,” I chuckled.“Maybe when they wake up, in a couple of weeks,” he said, and he sou
The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 32
I dropped the shovel and jumped to the snow down there, clumsily getting to my feet. I stumbled toward the trees. The wolf stopped when he saw me, keeping one of his front legs up and panting. I hurried to him, tears overflowing my eyes.“My lord!” I cried.He rested his head on my forehead, panting.“Come, come! You need to rest!”I followed him to the boulder. When he was forced to use his injured leg to climb to the ledge, his muffled groan broke my heart.Brenan was already up and waiting for us in the cave.The wolf limped up to the pallet, where he dropped himself on the bearskin with a shaky sigh. Brenan handed me a clean cloth and a bowl with warm water. I grabbed both things and turned to the wolf, oblivious to anything else. He closed his eyes, panting softly.“I’ll send you a raven,” said Brenan behind me, wrapping himself in his cloak. “So you can let us know if you need anyt
The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 31
February brought more snow, and two more skirmishes in the prairie. Brenan came back to keep me company on those nights of quiet anguish.Both times, he arrived with his brothers, carrying more supplies in trunks that replaced those they’d brought before.“Soon we’ll run out of space for all the things you have here,” he teased when we were left alone for the third time. He studied me and frowned. “Love suits you, Joy. You don’t look like a frightened rabbit anymore. Soon you’ll be a beautiful woman.”I blushed up to my ears, making him laugh.I was alarmed when the wolf didn’t come back the next day. Brenan was doing his best to distract me when a raven appeared to perch on the ledge, right outside the entrance to the cave. Brenan reached out and the raven jumped to his wrist.“Scratch. Tomorrow,” the raven cawed, in a perfect mimic of the princess’ voice.“Thank
The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 30
I complained when he left my body. But it was only for a moment, for him to kneel between my legs. His finger sank into my womb again, just as his tongue licked the folds of my skin. I let out a cry, wriggling and gasping, feeling the pleasure was so much, my breast was about to burst. I melted against his lips, struggling to just keep breathing.Then he made me roll over and lie on my belly, and his face stuck to my buttocks. I moaned and wriggled again, stunned by what he made me feel. His tongue ran between my buttocks, licking my tight flesh down to my womb.My back felt like about to break as I tried to push against his face.He grabbed one of my buttocks to kept them apart and kept licking and kissing my groin. And at the same time, his finger slid into my womb again.The friction made me cry out loud, as he moved it in and out faster. It was a hot throbbing that seemed to steal my breath away. I could only pay attention to it, oblivious to anything
The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 29
I shrugged and my grimace made him chuckle. As soon as I was done eating, he made me sit straddling his lap. His arm circled my waist while his other hand sneaked underneath my shirt. My breast rose to fill his palm as usual.“Do you feel it?” he asked. “My hand doesn’t quite cover it like before.”He took my shirt off and added his mouth and his nose to his exploration. I let him do, my arms around his shoulders and my head back, shivering and sighing to his whim.“And your essence is stronger,” he said. “Just like the taste of your skin.”His nose circled my nipple and I quivered from head to toes when he licked my skin before sniffing it.“Irresistible,” he muttered, seeking my lips to kiss me deep.“You’re changing, my child,” he said. “When will you turn sixteen?”“I did the day the princes came to the village,” I replied.
The Secret Love of the Wolf Prince 28
It was hard for me to sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, my head was full of images of fight and slaughter. I managed to fall asleep just before dawn. A shallow, restless sleep from which I woke up with a jolt several times.Until a hand on my shoulder made me sat up sharply. Brenan handed me a steamy cup of tea with a quick smile.“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you about all that last night,” he said.“Thank you,” I muttered, accepting the tea.“It’s hard to keep in mind he’s your mate,” he went on, coming to sit in front of me by the fire. “You know, you being human and all that.”“It doesn’t happen often, does it?”“Often?” he repeated, laughing. “I think the last time it happened was some centuries ago!”“Oh.”“I was thinking,” he said, denying me any chance to keep asking any questions. “You need a table. How about we build one? And maybe we can also build another seat.”“It would be great! Thanks!”
