Chapter 6

“We are walking there?” I wined. 

 “I travel transformed usually.”

“Oh I have an idea, why don’t you transform and run back to your castle, and I just stay here? Win-win.” I sarcastically said. He glared back at me. “How long is the walk?” 

“Two hours if we cut through the forest.” 

“I am not allowed in the forest,”  I said.

“I am allowing it. My permission is the only one you need now.”  He barked. 

“My permission is the only one you need now.” I mocked. “Start moving!” I barked back.

He started walking without arguing back. So fast I could barely keep up. 

“Wait! Wait up.” I yelled. “Wait for me!” 

He slowed down, giving me a chance to catch up to him. He was right at the entrance of the forest which wasn’t far from our cottage. 

“Don’t ever, ever, command me like that again.” He said. His black-red eyes are more red than black now. 

“I wasn’t commanding,” I said, taken aback. “I was just joking.”

“I want you to quietly follow behind me. Not another word till we get to the castle.” He sternly said.

We walked, Kent several inches ahead of me, and I talked. I told him about my oldest sister Crystal's mating ceremony.

“She was the only one who had one. The other sisters just left. No ceremony. No celebrations. Of course, I wasn’t allowed to go anyways. My mother wanted me at home, but one of my younger sisters, August, took a memory transfer potion and I got to see the whole thing. I loved it.” I blabbed on.

Kent stopped in his tracks and turned to face me, “a transfer potion worked on you?” 

I shrugged. “It’s fine if someone else takes it, and transfers the memories to me. It won’t work if I take the potion and try to transfer my memory. I did drink it once and—let’s just say it didn’t end well.” Didn’t feel like admitting to a guy who’s been antagonizing me since we met that I puked my guts out after. For two days.

“Interesting.” He said and again began creating a few inches of distance between us. I trailed behind having no more energy to talk. We had been walking for over an hour.  All in the forest. The bag my mother had packed was getting heavier and heavier with each step. 

The talking was helping keep my fear of the forest at bay, but now, in the silence, the hooting and howling were getting to me. I rushed up to join Kent. I mean if I was stuck in the Unclaimed Forest with anyone, I would pick the most powerful Alpha. As I ran up to him, I must have stepped into some slippery mud because instead of landing next to him, I slammed into his back. In order to make sure he didn’t fall, he twisted to face me, caught me by my waist and kept me from eating mud. His touch was again warm. 

“What the hell?” He yelled. 

“I—the forest is scary.” I stuttered.

“Learn how to walk!” He gruffly said and let me go. “And stay away from me.”

Kent sped walked the rest of the way, and I tried keeping up. Till finally, the trees became thinner, and plain grassy land came into view. We didn’t walk far before we ran into the river. 

“I usually transform to get through the river, we are going to have to walk on the mountains to the right here—that’s going to add another two hours.” Kent exhaled. He sounded exhausted. Ditto buddy!

“What? You can fly over the river as a wolf?” I shot. 

“Almost, I am one of the fastest wolves in Astoria,” Kent said. Not bragging but just like it was a fact.

“Why don’t you transform and I hop on your back? I can hold on pretty tight.” I suggested.

Kent turned to me slowly. He looked beyond angry. “How dare you!” 

“What?” I asked, confused.

“How dare you ask an Alpha to be your mule? I have never, will never, let anyone ride my back.” He explained further.

“My sister lets me ride all the time.” I shrugged.

“They were mere betas. I am—“

“The all-powerful Kent. Got it. Nevermind. You transform. I’ll go on the mountain all by myself.” I said.

Before I completed my sentence, Kent's face went stone. His nose was the first thing I noticed. It was no longer human before I could focus on the rest of the changes. Kent's skin had gray and white fur on it, and eventually, I was looking at beadier red eyes. In front of me now stood a wolf, a few inches taller than me. All around the wolf, I saw torn clothes on the ground. 

Kent towered over me as a human, but it was nothing compared to how larger he looked in front of me now. He was the biggest wolf I’d ever seen. Bigger than my sisters. Bigger than my mother. Much bigger than the one that attacked me. Kent growled, and his breath moved my loose blonde hair.

“Change back. Change back now!” I demanded. He was scary. Probably more than the wolf that attacked me. Thankfully, the fur dissipated back into skin and his wolfish features turned back to manly ones, as two of his four arms turned back into arms and he was standing upright again. Naked.

I took in his chiseled torso and buff arms. My gaze went a little lower, and lower, till, “Give me your shawl.” Kent demanded. And I forced myself to look at his face instead, though curiosity was forcing my sight down. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a glance. Kent came up to me and removed the pink shawl my mother had placed on my shoulder, and wrapped it around his waist.

“Shouldn’t have told Max to leave me early. Would’ve been better if he bought you and not me. Commanding an Alpha to change. There had to be a limit. Has madam Amelia not taught you basic etiquette?” Kent half mumbled, half barked at me.

“She tried, but I am hard of hearing.” I joked. The truth was, my mother was full of DOs and DON’Ts. I just DON’T listen to her. Gosh, I am funny, I thought.

Kent, finding my joke unfunny—well at least the one I told out loud—rolled his eyes and shouted out. “Max!” 

Maybe a minute passed—if I was being a harsher judge of time, I’ll say maybe two, but no more—before the same dog that had circled me showed up. Now that I’d seen Kent in wolf form, Max just looked like an oversized dog. 

“Let her ride you into the castle. I can no longer stand being in her presence.” Kent sneered.

Max bowed down. For a second I thought he was just bowing to his master. Accepting Kent’s request. Max didn’t move. Not till Kent rolled his eyes again, came up to me, picked me up from behind, and placed me on top of Max.

Max zoomed past Kent, giving me very little time to wrap my hands around his neck. All I was able to notice was, we went up the mountain path Kent had suggested.

Max stopped only when we reached pebbled grounds. He got up, balancing on his two hind legs, dropping me on my back in the process. This caused me to look up at the gray and black castle that stood before me. It had countless steeples and each of them had a red flag with a black wolf stitched within it. From the windows I could see, I saw designs of red and green glass with a candle dancing right in the center. It looked majestic. 

“Took you both a while.” Kent was already here, wearing yet another fur coat, giving me a devilish smile.