Royal Wolf Box Set by Haley Weir

Chapter Ten

Theo was blinded with fury as he raced into the city streets. He fought against the urge to shift and instead just called on his wolfish senses to track Marquette. He picked up her scent and followed it until he arrived at a small cottage near the edge of the square. He burst through the door and was immediately outraged by what he saw inside.

Marquette, in her nightgown, looking as if she had been stolen from right out of her bed, was tied to a bed that sat in the corner. She saw him, and her eyes widened, but she couldn’t say anything to him because of the rag tied around her mouth. Theo immediately raced to her and began to untie her, but had not yet finished when he felt the crash of something heavy and sharp against his back. He turned around to find the man behind him, wielding an iron kettle at Theo with the intent to knock him unconscious.

Fortunately for Theo, and not so fortunately for the man, shifter strength and stamina remained no matter what form the shifter was in. Theo was barely touched by the man’s strike. However, he was so furious by the man’s attempt to kidnap and harm Marquette that he couldn’t control his rage. Within the blink of an eye, Theo shifted and lunged at the terrified man, his teeth bared and his jaw opened wide. He sunk his canines into the man’s neck and stood over him in massive wolf form as he shook the man’s body like a rag doll, feeling the life run out of him and splattering blood all over the cottage walls.

By the time Theo realized what he had done, it was too late. The man was dead, the cottage looked like a blood-soaked crime scene, and Marquette was silent but horrified.

“Shift back!” a voice called from the doorway as Rubius walked inside and quickly shut the door closed behind him. “Theo, shift back!”

At his direction, Theo turned back into a man, standing nakedly in front of both Rubius and Marquette.

“Damn it, Theo,” Rubius said in a hushed voice that somehow sounded like he was yelling at him. “I told you this would get you both into trouble.”

“What are you doing here?” Theo asked. He was too disoriented by all that had just happened to think of any other question to ask.

“I’ve been watching over you,” Rubius answered. “Like always. Except a bit more lately since I knew something like this would happen.”

Theo went to Marquette and untied her. He tried not to look into her terrified eyes. As soon as she was freed, he held her close, and she buried her head against his bare chest.

“Take Marquette into the woods. It’s dark, and there isn’t anyone out on the streets now,” Rubius said.

“Why the woods?” Theo asked.

“Because she is obviously shaken by this whole incident and the two of you need to have a few moments in peace to recover. I will take care of this body and clean up this mess so that no one finds out. I’ll meet you in the forest later.”

“Thank you,” Theo said.

He knew that he owed Rubius more than just a simple thanks, but for now, it was all that he had to give him.

“Stay to your own pack’s territory,” Rubius warned. “I mean it. This time, listen to me. The packs will be out in the forest tonight, and the two of you cannot afford any more trouble. Go straight to your father’s territory and stay until I get there.”

Theo nodded and took Marquette’s hand as they left the cottage.

When they got to the forest, Theo found them a quiet and secluded place in the thicket to sit together. He didn’t have a stash of clothing this time, so he just sat unclothed and ashamed by his rash actions. He was worried yet again that Marquette would be afraid of him. How could she not be after what she had just seen? He wanted to hold her, but he also didn’t want to push her.

“I am not afraid of you if that is what you’re thinking,” Marquette said as she scooted her body closer until she was sitting on his lap.

“How is that possible that you are not afraid?” he asked her. “You saw what I just did. I lost control, and I literally tore a man to shreds in front of you.”

He looked up at her under the moonlight and saw that even she had a splattering of blood on her face from the incident. He wiped it from her cheekbone and looked into her eyes nervously.

“What I saw in that cottage was the man that I love coming to my rescue yet again and saving me from a lowlife who intended to harm me.”

“That may be true,” Theo said. “But what I did to that man was violent and vicious. You can’t deny that.”

“Sometimes love is violent and vicious,” Marquette said. “If I was a shifter and someone had tried to hurt you, I would have torn them apart with my bare teeth too. In fact, if I had the ability to do what you did, I would have torn that man apart even before you had gotten there.”

Theo was in awe of her. He had never known a woman so brave and fearless. He thought back to the night that her mother had been killed. He remembered how he had gone with his family when he was only a child, to tell Marquette that her mother was dead. He remembered how she didn’t even cry, but that she made sure to take what few items from her home reminded her of her precious mother before coming with the royal family and leaving her old life behind forever. There was a certain type of strength and courage that one developed after having gone through trauma like that. Marquette had that courage, and she would not scare easily. She also had an impermeable devotion to those she loved, and she loved Theo.

When Rubius arrived back in the forest after taking care of the mess in the city, he brought a pair of pants with him that he tossed to Theo. Marquette was exhausted and had fallen asleep in Theo’s lap.

“I know that you love her,” Rubius said quietly as he sat beside Theo and watched Marquette sleep. “And I know that you feel as if you can’t live without her. I felt the same way about your mother. I would not let anything come between us. But there was a difference in what I went through and what faces you now.”

“What is the difference?” Theo asked as he gently stroked Marquette’s head while she slept.

“The difference is that your mother was never in danger of dying for being with me. We were both shifters, and your father was an understanding man who knew of the way fated love in the packs worked. It is not the same for you and Marquette. She is a human and a servant. You are a shifter and royalty. The two of you are from completely different worlds. This man tonight tried to hurt her, and he didn’t even know that you were a shifter. He did it simply because you were fraternizing with the help. Imagine what could happen if someone found out, human or shifter, that the two of you had mated across species.”

Rubius sighed, and he put his hand on Theo’s shoulder.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, and quite honestly, my heart bleeds for what you are going through. But all that I can tell you is this; if it were me, and I knew that being with your mother would have endangered her life, I would have given her up to keep her alive.”

Rubius’ words dug into Theo’s chest like a blade embedding itself in his flesh.