Wolf Pack - 10. Lovers' End

The elf and the human walked into the inn, trusting the stable boy to see to their wagon. Masia made her way to the innkeeper, spotting a young elf waiting tables in the adjoining tavern.

“I see you got another worker,” the human said, nodding at the elf.

“I had to. Your friend stole my other slave.”

Masia tensed at the term.

“Unless my memory fails me, Danuva paid for Elias. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know he has been treated with the utmost respect. Regardless, I am in need of two rooms,” she said, slapping a silver on the counter.

“Then you are out of luck. There is only a single room available for the night,” the man leered.

“Fine. I’ll take the one.”

Masia replaced the silver with five copper, ignoring the man’s scowl. Taking the key slammed down before her, she crossed the room to where Paelius sat, deep in thought.

“Silver for your thoughts.”

Paelius smirked, looking at the proffered coin.

“I’m not sure silver would be the correct coin for me,” he chuckled.

“I figured a copper would be too low for a prince,” Masia teased.

“Some prince I am, a beastly exile,” the elf scoffed.

“You will always be my prince,” Masia said firmly.

“You still wish to be my wife after I admitted to sleeping with Sandolin?”

Masia shook her head.

“No. I can not be your wife. But Sandolin would make you a good husband.”

She heard Paelius suck in a breath and quickly continued.

“You and I both know neither of us wanted this marriage. My father pushed it on me, on us. After hearing what happened to you, Riardin convinced my father you would not be a suitable match for me, though until I read him, I didn’t realize he was after you himself. At the time, I had no idea why he would ask my father to call off a match that would better himself.”

“Wait… After me himself?” Paelius demanded.

Masia shuddered as the images she’d yanked from Riardin’s mind flashed back through hers.

“He’s a strong werewolf, the leader of his so-called pack. There’s only three of them, but he’s looking to get more. Who better to pull to his side than the crown prince of the elves?”

“He went about it a strange way,” Paelius muttered.

The inn door was thrown open in that moment, and Masia glanced over as an elven woman came through the door.

The elf made a beeline for them, kneeling in front of Paelius.

“My Prince I need your help,” she begged.

Paelius took the woman’s hand and helped her to her feet.

“I am no prince of the elves,” he said quietly. “But tell me what you need help with, and I will do everything in my power to do it.”

Danuva sat in a chair, Elias in front of him. The human was gently combing his fingers through the neko’s hair, both of them enjoying the sensation. Elias lowered his head slightly to the side, his eyes drooping.

“You don’t like talking,” Danuva said quietly, twirling a strand of ebony hair around a finger.

Elias shrugged, his quiet purr faltering.

“I won’t force you to talk; I would never do anything to hurt you. But I hope you know you can tell me anything. You are a free man Elias, beholden only to yourself.”

The neko remained silent, Danuva continuing to run his hand through his hair. His eyes continued drooping, and soon he curled up between the human’s feet and began snoring.

Danuva smiled as he stood. Bending, he scooped the sleeping neko into his arms and carried him into the bedroom. Setting Elias onto the bed, he drew the covers over the neko, before climbing into bed beside him.

Crawling under the covers, Danuva relaxed as he listened to Elias’ breathing. A wolf howled outside, and the man tensed for a moment. He had no protection here; Paelius had taken the silver sword with him.

After a few minutes of silence, Danuva slowly relaxed again.

Elias suddenly sat up and threw the covers back.

“Elias? What’s wrong?”

The neko retained his usual silence, padding quietly out of the room. Danuva followed the neko, hearing a light scratching at the front door.

The man paused, listening closely. A scratch, followed by a quiet thump, and then two more scratches. He knew that pattern…

Elias opened the door before Danuva could move, kneeling in front of a large black wolf. He put his arms around the wolf and held on tightly as the wolf huffed.

Danuva crossed the room and his arms, staring at the wolf.

The animal looked at Elias inquisitively, and the neko whispered something Danuva couldn’t hear. The wolf shook the neko’s grip and stalked toward Danuva, growling. He neared the human, and his tongue darted out, licking Danuva’s crotch.

“What the fuck Quarian?” Danuva sighed, trying to wipe the excess slobber off his pants.

He blinked as a gold coin fell out of the wolf’s mouth. The animal rippled and Quarian took its place, bare naked.

“I thought I’d scare you a bit,” the werewolf grinned.

Danuva scoffed.

“Yes, because I don’t recognise my brother.”

Stooping, Quarian picked up the coin.

“I believe you lost this somewhere,” he smirked.

“At your bidding.”

Quarian shrugged, turning back to Elias.

“Hey kitty,” he smiled, ruffling the neko’s hair.

Elias purred loudly, trying to push his head further into the werewolf’s hands.

“How do you two know each other?” Danuva asked.

“I met him at the Astar river, getting a drink. He’s the first one to not run when he saw my wolf. That was, what, a week ago?”

Elias nodded.

“We met again the next day, before the moon, and I let him see me shift. I think I scared the crap out of you,” Quarian chuckled.

The neko shook his head no vigorously.

“We exchanged names, and that was that. The next morning I was captured by the slave traders, and you know the rest. But enough about me. Where’s your werewolf friend?”

Paelius held a shirt in his hands, taking sniffs of it. He was on the hunt, the prey a missing girl. This was not the best form to track with, and he knew it. But he didn’t want to run through Astara in his wolf form.

Masia trailed him silently, there to offer her support, but far enough back to keep from interrupting his tracking.

A breeze whipped the air around the elf, ruining his already tenuous grasp on the smell of the girl. Paelius paused, taking a deep breath while he waited for the scent to return.

And return it did, stronger than before, and laced with the sharp scent of fear.

Paelius’ head spun, and he turned after the scent. Picking up his pace until he was running, the elf followed the scent, ignoring the people in his path. Wherever the girl was, she was in danger.

Sprinting through the gates out of Astara, Paelius turned off the road, running toward the river he could smell a mile away. Masia ran behind him, a hand on the sword at her waist. They reached the river, and Paelius paused again, the scent of fear almost overpowering at this distance.

“Head south along the river for a mile, and I’ll head north. Meet me at the city gates if you don’t find anything,” he said to Masia.

Nodding curtly, the human turned south, leaving Paelius to his tracking.

The elf sniffed the air as he walked, growling as the wind picked up again.

A quiet sob broke the air, and the werewolf dropped into a crouch. He stalked toward the noise, spying a human form through the tall grass by the river.

Drawing his sword silently, Paelius approached the man. He spotted a young elf under the half-naked man and growled again.

The human spun around, tripping over his pants. He paled at the sight of the elf’s sword and tried to run. Paelius slashed at the man’s legs, cutting them open. He made sure the man couldn’t move and knelt next to the elf.

“Hey. Your mother is looking for you,” he said quietly, helping the elf up.

The young elf cried out at his touch and Paelius backed away. Kicking the fallen human, he rolled the man into the river, watching with satisfaction as the man thrashed around, drowning in the water.

“Come on. Let’s take you back to your mother,” he said, turning back to the girl.