What The Fox? (Completely Free!)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The bumpy journey through the Gobi desert gave me time to reflect on my mistakes. My sincerest regret was not killing that bastard Alix when I first laid eyes on him. At first, Alix made comments about how my real form, as boney and pale as I am, was much more attractive than that rose-cheeked little teenager Sixi Teng. I didn't know if he was attempting to flatter me or mocking me, so I ignored him. Soon, he stopped talking to me and instead, ignored even my requests for water or a break to relieve myself. 

For the first half of the trip, Alix had me thrown over the front of his horse like a sack of rice. For the second part, Alix came across an imperial soldier and relieved the gentleman of his fine horse. The Imperial Army was sent here by the emperor's decree to defend the northern borders, but they never made it as far north as we are now. With every step we took, my hope for escape faded. Now, I've come to accept that I was truly alone with this brute. My wrists were tied together and bound to the lacquered pommel of my saddle.

Alix rode ahead, and he held the reins of my horse in his spare hand. The desert heat bothered him more than it did me. Werewolves were naturally hot from what I recalled; their blood runs like rivers of fire through their battle-hardened bodies. Alix was riding bare-chested now, his tanned, muscular torso glistening with beads of sweat. I was grateful that I had my own horse. Even from here, I could imagine how intoxicating whiffs of masculine musk emitting from that bull-like body could be.

In the distance, I saw the circular tops of yurt tents. It was the type of housing that nomadic people, especially those wandering out in the desert, often use. The mass encampment was different from the ones I had seen in the past. These belonged to the lángrén that I had only heard about in stories but never seen with my own eyes.

Instead of the usual tents of sheep wool, these dwellings were made of the hide of black goats. The ash-colored tops with their white tuffs of smoke reminded me of a midnight mountain range reflecting the blackness of a starless sky.

At its center, there was a tent made of white tiger skin. One didn't have to be well versed in werewolf lore to know that this was where the Alpha lived. This was where the leader of the werewolves held court. That was where Alix's treacherous brother resided.

We ride into the encampment without much opposition. The guards recognized Alix. They even greeted him with a curt nod of their mangily flea-bitten heads. I saw a glimmer of yellow in their irises even though they tried as best they could to hide their eyes under their broad armored helmets.

"Zirui," Alix said as we approached the unsmiling werewolf king who stood at the entrance to the white tent. "It has been too long, brother."

Zirui didn't respond when Alix approached him with a hug. He was too busy trying to understand why his brother had suddenly returned. Zirui's beady yellow eyes studied me with suspicion. I knew what he was thinking, why has my brother brought his woman here?

After examining me for what seemed like an eternity, he finally concluded that I was just a harmless woman. Perhaps by my elaborate yet tattered manner of dress, I could have been an imperial spy or a noblewoman taken hostage. Whatever I was, Zirui seemed to decide that I wasn't anything more than human.

Not a threat.

Zirui turned his attention back to his brother. He shakily reached out with one hand and patted Alix between his muscle-bound shoulder blades. Then Zirui quickly backed away as though he wasn't sure if Alix was planning to pull a dagger on him.

"You're alive and well, brother. I have searched for you near and far after our father's death."

"Yes, I left to see the world. I have returned now."

"You left quite a gap in leadership during your absence. I had to step in and pick up the pieces. But no matter, brother, now you are home. And you will serve at my side."

Alix smiled back at his brother, but I noticed his eyes were as cold as death. Even here in this desert sun, I felt a chill from his harsh glare, studying what became of his childhood home with unblinking intensity.

"I bring news from the Imperial City," Alix said without acknowledging his brother's invitation to serve as his number two. "The emperor is sending his son, the Sixth Prince, out there with an army to annihilate us. We need to make preparations."