Do You Like Werewolves?

Daniel was surprised to see Israel because Frank had told him that Lord Israel would be attending a conference with Lord Henry, if he was here, it only meant one thing, Lord Henry would be going with them!

There was also Lord Xander, the cunning Lord, who liked to joke with everything. Daniel was sure that someone like Lord Xander would happily joke about his death. Xander was coming with them, and he didn't like it at all. He couldn't explain it, but he had a strange feeling as if his wolf was trying to tell him a secret, but he wasn't attentive enough. He hissed, hoping that Xander wouldn't get in the way of his mission, and his eyes landed on Lord Astro.

‘Oh, moon goddess!’ Daniel moaned. He knew that Lord Astro was coming with them, but he hadn't prepared himself. Astro was a shady Lord in his dictionary. He knew that he had an ulterior motive. I mean why else would he be interested in men when the King had banned it? It wasn't like Daniel was concerned about the king or anything, but he made up his mind to keep an eye on Astro just in case.

“I see you're admiring your trophy," Frank giggled excitedly, thinking Daniel was ogling over Astro.

Daniel decided to think of something else, and he remembered what happened back in Lazarus’s room. He didn't know why the king was teasing him. He didn't even understand what he wanted from him, but he made up his mind to not be intimidated.

Daniel counted ten more guards and a few men he guessed to be courtiers. Once they were all ready, the head guard instructed them on how to position themselves around the king and the Lords during the journey.

“Go to the locker room and get your armor, weapons, and clothes. Your horses are waiting for you outside!” The head guard instructed, and the fourteen guards quickly bowed and went to get what they needed.

The guards hurried to the locker room, and what annoyed Daniel the most was the threatening look on Justin's face the whole time. He decided to ignore him and focus his attention on the weapons, but Justin wouldn't let him be, he kept monitoring him, trying to make sure that he didn't tell anyone his secret.

As they slid into their armor, Frank wouldn't let him be either, he kept telling him to look good for Lord Astro, and all this made Daniel frustrated and annoyed.

After dressing and packing their belongings, they went to the stable. The stable men were waiting for them, and one by one, they asked for their names, before assigning a horse to them.

The person in charge of assigning a horse to Daniel was a young boy, probably in his late teens.

“You must be Daniel?" The stable boy asked him with a gentle smile.

“Yes," Daniel responded.

To his surprise, he told him a little about the horse. “His Majesty loves horses, so never treat them badly. Some say he loves them more than he loves his subjects,” the boy laughed.

He loved horses. What a sweet man.

“I understand,” Daniel said, and offered the boy a smile, thanking him for the info.

He took the horse to the gate where he knew everyone was waiting.

Daniel and Justin were to ride behind the king, while the rest positioned themselves at the front and the sides. And then, they left the castle, galloping on their mighty horses.

As they rode out of the castle gates, Daniel couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. Excitement for the journey ahead, anxiety about being surrounded by so many powerful Lords, and a hint of fear about what lay ahead. He was also scared of being alone with King Lazarus, because he was falling in love with him. He glanced around, taking in the sights and sounds of the procession. Lord Israel and Lord Xander were chatting animatedly, while Lord Astro seemed lost in thought. Frank was grinning from ear to ear, clearly thrilled to be part of the group. Daniel's gaze met Justin's, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. What was Justin's greatest fear apart from being gay, and why was he so determined to keep it hidden?

As they rode, the landscape shifted from rolling hills to dense forests. Daniel's horse, whose name was Thunder, was a majestic creature with a coat as black as coal. He felt a sense of pride riding such a powerful animal.

After a few hours of riding, they stopped at a clearing to rest and refresh themselves. Daniel dismounted Thunder and stretched his legs, taking in the sights and sounds of the forest. He noticed Lord Astro watching him, a curious expression on his face.

"Lord Astro," Daniel said, approaching him. "You look confused?"

Astro smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I was about to say the same thing, Daniel. You seem...out of place among us."

Daniel shrugged, feeling a sense of unease. "I'm just here to protect and serve the king."

Astro's gaze lingered on him, and Daniel felt like he was seeing right through him. "I think there's more to you than meets the eye, Daniel," Astro said, his voice low and mysterious.

“What do you mean, My Lord?” Daniel asked, his voice filled with urgency.

“Nothing much. I just have this feeling that you're hiding a secret from the rest of us,” Astro replied with a cunning smirk. “Do you like werewolves?” He asked after a momentary silence.

Daniel was shocked by Astro sudden question: ‘do he like wolves?’. No sane human would just ask a person such a question out of the blue. Something must have driven him to ask. Then he remembered Lazarus's words, about the moon goddess, and he knew something was up.

“My Lord, do you have an interest in me?” Daniel asked, trying to change the topic. He could see Frank from the corner of his eye, trying to cheer him up. On the other side was Justin. He guessed Justin had gotten the clue about the Lord that was interested in him.

Daniel knew that to be able to survive in the kingdom, he needed the backing of a powerful person.

Astro's eyes flicked for a moment, but the cunning smile was back on his face. “Why would you ask such a question? If I say yes, what would be your reaction?” He asked.

Daniel felt like he was caught red-handed, he hadn't planned for Lord Astro to direct the question at him.

“My reaction would be that of……”