Taming the Wolf Prince (Re-uploading Edited Chapters)

Chapter 22 Built of Blades

Tilting her hand to watch the dried-up stalk in her hand illuminate with orange sunlight before dipping into harsh shadow, Winter released a sigh.

That golden light reminded her of him.

"Lorelei, how was it you got to Apollo to... behave around you earlier?" she asked.

Lorelei raised his head off Tamer's shoulder suddenly. "Why are you asking me about him?" he responded quickly.

She noticed a strange amount of anxiety swirling off Lorelei but she didn't think much of it – it seemed to just be anyone's natural response around a god.

"Just a feeling," she muttered. "I figured since you're also immortal, you might know him."

Lorelei touched his chin, frowning. "All I can say is Apollo doesn't like being treated like a god, Winter," he said. "That doesn't mean you should dare to disrespect him, but if you make yourself seem to be important as he is, his curiosity will at least win him over to try to figure out why. He's human, and you'd do well to never forget that."

She closed her palm on that dried-up stem. Twice now, the white roses had brought out some sort of power within her. While she doubted it could have any use without its petals, she tucked it into the fabric over her breast just in case.

Those final hours of comfort with Tamer slipped so quickly away as she simply enjoyed his presence. This might have been the last she'd ever see him.

She watched the sun sink into darkness over the horizon as she waited for the night to fall.

******

A half-moon towered over the forest as they waited for Xavier to signal his presence. The stem scraped against her chest more frequently as her breathing grew urgent. Without the full moon, Tamer's healing wouldn't be as powerful tonight -- any wound could be fatal.

The anxious waves emitting from Tamer sucked her in like a typhoon. Face buried in his hands, his leg bounced into an almost continuous vibration. A shaky breath escaped him as he clawed at his hair; squeezing his hand, she found his bones were rigid like talons.

She looked up at the sky, heart-beating with an electrifying sense of dread.

It hadn't kicked in yet, but there was a chance she could die tonight.

There was a crunch. Tamer's fingers smashed through the bulk of the log they were sitting on as if it were a twig in his hand. Claws burst from his fingertips as he spoke through his teeth. "Not... happening!"

The rasped words rumbled into a fully-fledged growl as his upper lip twitched; fangs burst in his mouth so suddenly that he cried out in pain. She realised then that Tamer had read her mind.

Lorelei chewed on his lip. "Ah," he whispered, "he's not having a panic attack. He's fighting off a shift."

"Why does he look like he's in pain?" Winter demanded.

"Because he is, Winter," Lorelei said gently. "In a bad shift, the wolf literally starts clawing uncontrollably through the flesh. Tamer's really upset right now. That thing wants blood. At this point, we should be the human form being devoured entirely."

Winter's hair whipped over her shoulder towards the writhing Tamer. It appeared she could lose him in more ways than one.

"Tamer," Lorelei said sharply. "You've come this far without losing your humanity, haven't you? You wouldn't dare prove your father right now?"

Tamer opened one eye at him and rested back against Winter, clawing at his chest.

Before he could respond, a howl echoed in the distance.