“Your wolf will make you proud,” she assures me.
She can’t know the pride that already fills me. Him, fighting in a foreign battlefield, against my father, without reservation, just so I can stand by his side as his wife is more than I can ask of any man. Yet, I asked him, and he complied with a ferocity unmatched to any male in my realm.
Noble lowers, his muzzle curling back as he turns his attention to where my father prowls. He takes a few decisive steps back and when my father lunges, he darts through the grass, making my father crash into the hard, unforgiving ground. My father rises quickly, shaking his coat.
Their attention slams into the other, tension rising throughout the auditorium as the two opponents square off. They circle one another, and Noble seems to take in everything. My father’s stride, the angles of his body, and I know from the brief studies of wolves that Noble is assessing my father, looking for weaknesses.
Noble snaps his jaws and lunges forward before changing directions and running past my father. Confused, my father turns in Noble’s direction. I clasp my hands together, my fingers digging into my flesh as realization dawns on me.
Noble doesn’t fight with the brute force of my father. He is, after all, wolf, not lion. I almost giggle at the thought. My future husband is far cleverer than I anticipated and is testing my father. In doing so, he now holds the upper hand and sets the pace for the fight.
Irritated, my father growls as Noble circles him. He darts through the grass, far enough my father can’t pounce on him, but close enough my father can’t regroup and take control. When Noble stops, my father moves to him. Slowly, so slowly he might as well not be moving.
As if not troubled by his large enemy, Noble yawns. My father pounces. I close my eyes. My mother gasps, and I reopen my eyes.
Swiftly, Noble sprints away from my father and when he’s behind him, he jumps on my father’s backside. My father roars, thrashing his body as he inclines his head toward Noble. Noble digs deeper into my father’s flesh. Finally, my father grips Noble with his sharp teeth and shakes him off. Noble falls to the ground with a loud thud that rings in my ears. With calculating eyes, my father stalks to my wounded husband and I stand, wanting Noble to see me so that he knows I’m still on his side.
Even from a distance, I see his eyes. The black shade that’s overtaken his gaze and I know he’s fully changed. Fully wolf, and he no longer knows what he’s fighting for.
Fisting my hand, I press it to my chest and whimper, not knowing if I’m worried for Noble or for my father.
Again, my father lunges, and when he reaches Noble, Noble’s body twists and he jumps so that he again is in on top of my father, his sharp teeth drilling into my father’s neck. My father’s strong jaw closes around Noble’s flesh as they wrestle for position, neither showing any sign of retreating.
I turn, unable to watch any further and face my mother. “Stop this,” I urge her.
She shakes her head, her eyes shining with the same worry that possesses me. “I cannot,” she says, her voice strong. “It is up to them to stop.”
“They won’t,” I whisper. “The king’s pride won’t let him. And Noble…” I drift off, turning my attention to his parents and they understand my unspoken plea.
Their son is rogue. There is nothing human left in the wolf.
My father roars again and I spin on my heels to face them. Resolute, I square my shoulders and prepare myself to witness death.
Death of my father or death of the man I thought I could love.
Lion and wolf tumble across the battlefield, the sounds of war thundering through the auditorium. Although smaller than my father, Noble’s strategy has tired the great king who’s barely able to stand. Poised for the final strike, Noble rushes to my father, who closes his eyes in defeat.
“Noble,” I whisper, my voice breaking as my eyes fill with tears.
He stops, and after a few beats the wolf glances up at me. Trembling fingers cover my mouth as we look at one another. Still staring at me, he shudders once, his beautiful black fur trembling with the gesture, before he changes into human form. Cuts and bites mar his body as blood spills, painting his skin a crimson red. I take in a desperate breath and bow my head to him, my gaze never falling from his.
“We’re done,” he announces and looks down at my father. “I’ve won your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Chapter 17
Liana
“Liana,” my mother’s voice echoing through the long hallway stops me.
I pivot in her direction and curtsy. Noble’s mom follows suit as his father bows his head. My mother is the only one to remain upright. A small, but satisfied smile spreads, across her regal face. I turn my head in the direction I was going, my eyes darting to the room only a few steps away where my wolf awaits me.
“It is not your duty to tend to your husband’s wounds,” my mother says, arching a single eyebrow, daring me to counter her assumption.
“It may not be my duty, but it is an honor.” I tilt my face to address the king and queen wolf, who I find smiling kindly at me. “He fought well,” I say to them. “When the day comes, I will be proud to call him my husband. As his wife, I will care for him and remain loyally by his side. It is my hope to also make him proud.”
His father reaches for me and I extend my hand to him in return. He cups my hand, rubbing his calloused fingers over the soft surface of my skin. It’s neither displeasing or welcome, but a sign of our union.
A house servant approaches us and curtsies before she speaks with her head bowed and her eyes downcast. “My lady,” she says to my mother. “His grace would like a word with you.”
My mother nods and the servant rushes away. Placing a hand on my arm, my mother leans into me to kiss my cheek. “A queen waits to be summoned after battle,” she whispers.
I tip my head down, hiding the exasperated expression that must be evident on my face. Because, my mother knows my destiny as queen no longer exists. I am to remain a princess. My children will be king or queen. Not me and as much as it shocks me, I’m also quite elated to find I no longer care.
Noble’s father coughs, drawing my attention. “Already, you have made him proud. And us, Liana, you have made us proud. We welcome you to our pack, and trust you will find happiness there.”
“I will.”
His mother palms my cheek with two hands and I incline my head, so she may press a kiss to my temple. “We thank you, Liana. I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.”
I retreat a step. “I don’t understand what you’re thanking me for, my lady.”
Her hands find mine and she squeezes. “You do,” she insists. “You know Noble’s true nature and not only were you able to call him back into human form, you are also willing to marry him despite it.”