Grey Skies, Brown Eyes

Chapter 3 - Paths Home

Leo, as of two hours ago, had managed to awkwardly find himself a rather large leaf to cover his lower regions. I giggled as he stepped out from behind the tree, the circular leaf tied securely around his hips. His blush did not go unnoticed.

As of right now, we were making our way through the forest in the direction that Leo felt was the right way back home. That is, the palace. We chatted along the way, through dawn and into the day. Lighthearted conversations kept us busy as the sun began to rise steadily, bringing along with it its harsh heat. We were soon taking regular breaks, drinking water wherever we could find a running stream.

Before long, Leo started to become curious.

'So, you know how I ended up in the woods, but how did you? You haven't mentioned it yet.'

I hesitated. Should I be upfront about my father's treatment of me? Or keep his pristine name clean of any rumors of child abuse? Even if I technically was no longer considered a child, I was still his child.

'I was, uh, kind of... voted out of the pack,' I said, wincing.

His eyebrows rose. 'Were you a trouble maker? I'm sorry, but I find that rather hard to believe,' he said, looking down at me fondly. He was so damn tall; he overshot me by a mile.

'Nobody really liked me, I guess. You should probably know, I'm an illegitimate child. My father was an alpha. My mother...'

He stopped walking, turning to face me. 'Is she still alive?' he asked, face sympathetic.

I chuckled dryly. 'You could say that. I'll be honest, Leo. She's a bit of a slut.'

He choked, eyes wide. 'Oh- ok. Right. You'd say that about your own mother?'

I shrugged. 'If you met her, you'd agree as soon as you saw her. She doesn't exactly hide her personality. For goddess sake, she slept with a man that wasn't her mate!' I sighed. 'We don't have a close relationship. It's more of an awkward compatibility, at best."

'Right. So not the best upbringing, then?'

I smiled up at him. 'No. But it's all behind me now. I don't know what's ahead, but it's got to be better than what I've left behind. Or, at least, that's what I'm hoping.'

He grinned. 'I'll be making sure it will be. Don't you worry your pretty little head, Jame; helping you get back on your feet is the least I could do. How could I not repay you for helping me?'

'All I did was scare you-'

'Nonsense.' He waved me off lightheartedly. 'Come back with me to the palace. It'll be the best decision you've ever made, Jame. Trust me.'

∞

We found the clearing Leo insisted on finding later that day, closer to sunset than noon. Nervously, he glanced around, eyes watering when he saw the two bodies of what must have been his bodyguards. I shifted uneasily, sticking close to Leo's side. To my surprise, he wrapped an arm around my waist, letting it sit there comfortably as I was drawn in closer to him. He was protecting me, I realised.

He looked down at me. 'I'm sorry you had to see this. But we've almost reached the palace grounds. Just another hour now. In wolf form, that is. Do you mind if we shift?'

I cringed. 'I've only shifted four times in my life. My father never liked me in that form. He said I was...'

With an angry expression on his face, Leo insisted, 'Was what, Jame?'

'Nothing, nothing important. I'm just saying, I'm not that great of a runner. You might have to slow down a bit for me.'

He nodded calmingly. 'No problem. You can shift, though, right?'

I nodded in return. 'I'll go behind this tree, you can go behind that one,' I said, pointing to the opposite side of the clearing. 'I'll meet you back here in a minute.'

He agreed, making his way over to his allocated tree, as I followed his lead. It didn't take long to strip and shift, grabbing my already tattered bag between my teeth. Making my way back out from behind the tree, I spotted Leo in the center of the clearing, almost dropping my bag in the process. Of course, I'd completely forgotten. Royalty, once shifted, sported the same colour fur as their tattoo. So naturally, Leo was currently sporting a coat of glistening silver fur. I whined in jealousy, hardly content with my own plain, black coat.

I hurriedly picked up my bag and made my way over to him. I bumped noses with him shyly, head bowed. My lower status was so much more obvious to us both in this form, though our size was quite similar. He turned his head as he began to lead the way, walking two steps ahead of me as we raced towards our destination.

It suddenly hit me, as we sped across the soft, damp foliage of the forest floor, that I was running beside the crown prince of the entire werewolf population, on my way to his home, the palace. The entire situation suddenly seemed too surreal for me to comprehend. It was too good to be true.

It was a blessing nonetheless, and I was more than happy to seize it while I could. Maybe one day I would be able to prove my father wrong, that I wasn't worthless, pathetic, or a coward. That I could be more than his expectations.

I sighed. Only time would tell.