His Forsaken Luna-Chapter 48: Deadly Hunt (3)

That temper. That fight. A natural huntress.

If I do not bite back at this fiery temptress, I will fall to my knees and worship her.

I cannot allow that.

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Although we bickered a lot, we managed to catch a lot of game. This date had been the perfect disguise to question me about everything and put on a show when other courtiers were nearby. Like the first time the Alpha Prince taught me how to aim and shoot, he did the same again and would whisper nonsense in my ears.

Sometimes, he spoke in Solfyran, and every time, it distracted me. Many times, I stopped and stared at him. The words were like velvet against my skin, making my cheeks flush.

The sound of his voice, low and rich, sent shivers down my spine, and I found myself almost mesmerised. It was utterly intoxicating, much better than any wine in my study. He could be cursing at me, calling me names, but it would make me almost swoon.

It was exactly what he wanted. We stared at each other like future mates, in close proximity to almost be scandalous if not for Eryx’s guard. Any courtiers that passed by left knowing we had been together.

I had to keep reminding myself that this date wasn’t real because every soft touch and murmur in my ear—nonsense or not—triggered me to lean closer and gaze at his striking features. He really was beautiful, but in the way all dangerous creatures were.

When I started to grow tired and lose concentration, Eryx caught on quickly and called it a day. With a yawn, I strolled forward to collect the last rabbit, wondering if there were enough to make a coat or not. Eryx had also caught a lot, though I was sure he could do it with his eyes closed and found more entertainment hunting in his wolf form.

"You did well today," Eryx complimented me as he put his crossbow on his back.

I smiled over my shoulder, holding the rabbit by its ears. "Until the end..." I wrinkled my nose and looked at the cute animal and how I’d slowly stopped aiming for the eyes. I hope it did not suffer much.

"Because you have grown tired. But you didn’t lose any bolts," Eryx encouraged.

"Are you complimenting me, Southern Prince?" I jested.

Eryx smirked. "Don’t get used to it."

My smile slowly dropped, and I lowered the rabbit to my side. "Oh, believe me, I won’t." I might enjoy our banter, but I knew better than to let myself get too comfortable around him. At least I learned how to shoot and track animals. It wasn’t a total waste of time for me.

Oh, and Eryx wouldn’t tell anyone about my heat or how I’d mated with him in the forest, yet I bore no mark or became his mate. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Eryx’s head snapped to the right, his back suddenly straight, eyes glowing, alert. "Where’s Kharis?"

Was something wrong? I searched the forest, my back straightening. Cohnal sprinted in the direction Eryx had been looking. The giant brown-furred wolf kicked up the snow as he did, dusting me in it as he passed at an incredible speed, barking.

Eryx glanced at me, reaching his hand out and urging me towards him even while he appeared suspicious of me. "What is it?" I took a step in his direction, but something whizzed past my face in a blur, halting my tracks.

"Duck!"

I dropped to the ground immediately at Eryx’s order, and three more knives thudded into the tree behind me. Breathing heavily, heart racing, I kept my head covered and searched the woods in the direction from which the blades were tossed.

A scuffling sound from the side, followed by growls and yelps, forced my attention back to Eryx. He’d shifted into his black wolf and was fighting two others. But the two grey wolves didn’t look like they wanted to fight him. Their jaws were snapping at me, each one trying to lunge for me.

I scrambled to my feet, clutching the crossbow, and put the bolt in place, trying to aim at the wolves. My hands shook from the adrenaline and trying to aim properly. They moved around too much.

The bolt wasn’t made out of silver, so it wouldn’t kill them, but it would still hurt. We don’t need to kill them. We need to know who they are and who sent them. I squinted and kept following the lethal movements of the wolves, but Eryx was so large and quick that I almost let the bolt free on him a few times.

I released my breath and lowered the crossbow. It was no use. I will end up shooting Eryx! I might have jokingly threatened the Alpha Prince about shooting him, but I didn’t mean it!

Okay, don’t panic... Calm down and focus. These wolves are trying to attack me. They aren’t bothered about the Alpha Prince, mostly dodging and never leaving more than a light bite on his leg or paw. He wasn’t their target.

A cawing sound followed by a swooping of black feathers made me jump. So much for being calm. I glanced at the animal that had dived towards me.

A crow. It flapped its wings and cawed again, then flew in the direction the knives came from.

On instincts I knew nothing about, I followed the crow without truly understanding why. My steps turned into a run as I tried to keep up with it. Whenever I doubted myself, the crow would swoop low, making a strange rattling noise, but I knew it was telling me to keep going.

Can I understand animals now? Is that why I am wolfless?

The crow flew high, and I had to tilt my head back to see where he was heading. That’s when I saw something in the distance. A man in armour running—it wasn’t any armour but the same as the Northern guards in the palace.

This cannot be my assailant, right?

I urged my legs forward, but they burned and grew heavy. I haven’t run this quick since I was young, and I feel so unhealthy and unfit. Still, I managed to close the distance between us. The man wears a helmet with a blue tassel atop his head, swishing back and forth in the wind.

Our Weres didn’t usually wear the helmets because the iron wasn’t warm enough for this weather. Even with their higher body temperatures, the Northern Weres wouldn’t wear the helmets unless they had to-- which was usually in battle if they weren’t in their other form.

The man is wearing it to conceal his identity, and although he wears heavy armour, he is still quicker than I am.

My legs start to slow, and I curse myself for my lack of endurance, then curse myself again for acting exactly how Eryx told me I did. He was right, and I absolutely loathed him and myself for it. I’ll prove him wrong.

I’m not a quitter. This man tried to kill me. If it wasn’t for Eryx, my head would be pinned to that tree right now.

In the last few stumbling strides, I cock back the bolt in the crossbow and aim. It was either I try to catch up to him—highly unlikely—or I try to shoot the guy who failed at killing me.

I slowed my breaths as best I could and released the bolt. It flew towards his head. I held my breath and then released it, sagging when the bolt scraped the back of his neck.

The man had looked over his shoulder at the last second, his keener senses hearing the weapon and barely dodging it. Even from here, with my normal eyesight, I could see the wound left.

The helmet was askew, revealing dark blonde hair. I rushed forward, hoping the injury slowed him down, but the man transformed mid-stride into a large grey wolf. I cocked back another bolt and released it; I repeated the action multiple times and screamed in frustration as my aim grew worse.

Within seconds, the wolf cleared the area, and I was left alone with my legs shaking from the adrenaline and use of them.

My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground, staring at the spot the assassin escaped from. My breaths were ragged, coming out in puffs as adrenaline raced through me. Everything around me felt distant, blurred by the rush of fear and anger that hadn’t fully faded. I couldn’t move, nor could I feel the cold seeping through my breeches, but I was aware of it.

Was I going into shock? How pathetic. Nothing happened, and I couldn’t even catch the guy. I’d learned how to shoot, but that wasn’t the problem. My stamina was appalling.

The crow above cawed, startling me from my self-loathing. I looked up and gasped. "What..." Were my eyes deceiving me? The crow was gone, replaced by a man.