Chapter 27

"Wolfariane...!" Ismena cried out in sheer fear and panic, as she looked up at her rescuer.




Then, she moved quickly behind him, climbed onto his back, squeezed her eyes closed, and wrapped her arms and legs around his neck and his waist. She held on tightly.




"You are safe." Wolfariane heard the deep growl, it took him a moment to realize that it was coming from him. 




She whimpered, her arms tightening around him.




It was a struggle to control his wolf at the smell of terror pouring out from her. Her small form perched on his back was trembling in soft vibrations. 




Then, he stared ahead of him at the cougar who ran towards them but came to a sudden halt as it got in front of him. 




"What do you think you are doing now, Tim?" He meant to question, but his tone came out harsh. A harsh growl.




The cougar whimpered, clear confusion in its green eyes as it stared at the Alpha King. 




"Shift. Now." He ordered, barely reining in his temper.




The cougar shifted, taking mortal form. A young boy stood on two legs where the animal stood, a few seconds ago. The boy was thirteen years old, with shoulder-length jet-black curly hair and a guilt-stricken face. 




"A-Alpha King," he stammered out, his head lowered in a bow.




"What do you think you are doing, scaring this human? How many times have I made it clear not to hurt innocent people?" He chided his voice a wealth of reprimand.




"B-But, she's human, Alpha King. I know not to hurt innocent people of our species. I know not to hurt us, but she is not us! She is human! She has no business being in our land!" The boy raged, glaring at the woman in question, who was still plastered behind the Alpha King's back, her eyes squeezed shut and her hands holding onto him like a lifeline.




That had surprised the hell out of Tim when he was in his animal form. The woman had run from him in panic and terror but sought refuge in the arms of the most feared, most dangerous predator of Naturiah. Does she even know who he is? 




Humans have no sense at all, Tim concluded, still glaring at her.




"I brought her into this land. She is our guest. You will not harm her when she is here or I will peel off your fur, use it for the border camouflage, and have you resting in the dungeon for two weeks. Did you hear me?" 




Tim froze. The hard tone scared the devil out of him, but what made him almost pee his pants, is the punishment. And his eyes have gone amber-gold, meaning the wolf is also angry at him.




 The Alpha King is a hard male, but Tim never expected such a hard reprimand.




 Tears of hurt filled his eyes, and his lower lips trembled, "Y-Yes, Alpha King."




The Alpha King did not back down an inch. "Make sure you let the other kids know. I will not have any of you harming this human or any other innocent person in our land, am I making myself clear?"




"Y-Yes, A-Alpha King."




"You can go now."




The boy practically ran out of his presence. 




Wolfariane closed his eyes, fisted his fingers, and took two deep breaths to calm himself...to calm his other half. Now that the smell of fear has gradually faded from her, her scent was beginning to mess with his sanity.




His díck jerked, springing to life. Shit. Keeping his distance from her has not dulled the ache. It annoyed him greatly.




"Get down. Now." His tone was calmer, in contrast to the inner battle he was fighting, but just as hard.




The wolf whined, needing her closer. 

The mountain lion snarled, needing to get closer to her too...but for a different reason.




His cougar wants to kill his human mate.




Ismena allowed her eyes to open, feeling better. She straightened one leg, before the other one, gently finding her footing. "Thank you so much for c-coming to my rescue— WOAH...!" she gasped.




Her eyes took him in for the first time since they arrived in Naturiah three days ago. "Woah...your hair..." Not even a hair, this is a mane.




He has long silver-gold hair that went down his shoulders in straight strands. She has never seen such beautiful hair before. "Oh my God..." She raised her hand impulsively to touch it, but a glare from him paused her hand in the air.




She snatched her hand back and cleared her throat. "Your hair is so beautiful... It wasn't this color before."




"That was a wig. I do not wear my hair to the human world, for it will draw unnecessary attention to me."




And it will. The hair was too unusual. Too beautiful. The same color as his pelt in the half-shifted form he took when he carried her on his back as he fought danger, three nights ago. The memory made her shiver.




There's another thing. "Who clawed on your cheek?" There are three gashes there as if an animal took a swipe at him. And it wasn't there when they arrived at Naturiah.




"What are you doing inside this forest, do you have a death wish?" He didn't shout, but his voice was whiplash nonetheless.




"I w-was going crazy staying indoors all day, I needed to go out!" She answered bravely. Damn, the man is scary when he's angry, but she wouldn't let him rage at her like she was a child. "Eline was supposed to take me, but she hasn't been back in three days, I was bored out of my mind!"




"Better bored than dead. What were you thinking, female?" The scowl on his face blackened the more.




Ismena winced and caved. She cleared her throat, "Look, you don't have to be so angry. Even I have realized what a mistake it is, coming out here alone. I know what it looks like, but I don't have a death wish...even if I'm dying."




He said nothing. Only frowned harder. Then, he turned and started walking away.




"I do not care if you have a death, Female. I will only appreciate it if you wait till you are out of my land before you exercise that wish, and I will also appreciate it if you stop getting into trouble."




She fell into steps with him, "Hyah! It's not as if I intentionally walk into trouble, alright? That boy could have killed me! I can see the hate in his eyes when he pursued me."




"Changelings do not like humans very much."




"Why?" She was almost running to keep up with him, even though he maintained a steady elegant stride.




"It is what it is."




"That is not an answer." She protested.




"Who taught you to run like that?"




"Oh, that? I'd say my instructor, but he only thought me how to fight, not how to run. I guess it was my survival instincts," she palmed her chest, rubbing it slowly, "My chest is beginning to burn, though."




"Do not faint on me, female. I have no intentions of saving your life again." He has no intention of creating bodily contact with her to sustain her draining life force. That will be treading a dangerous path.




"Don't worry your head. I don't need rescuing, I only need my meds." Her face turned sad, "Too bad, I do not have them now."




He made a mental note to clear Alphose's schedule so he can be able to go back to the non-changeling world to buy her meds. "Do not walk down this part ever again. You are lucky that it's Tim who found you first. If it was the Wild Ones, you would have been meat by now." 




"Wild Ones? Who are they?"