Charming: Once Upon a Time - 2. Chapter Two

I couldn’t believe where I was right then. A prince, sitting in a small, cold holding cell at a police station, while he waited for the same police officer who arrested him to announce how much his bail would be. I was still completely soaked from my misadventure at the flooded stadium and was shivering so uncontrollably that a person passing by could’ve assumed that I was having some kind of seizure. My teeth were hurting as well from chattering so much, and I wanted out of this cold hell soon.

“Hey.”

I turned my head to see the police officer standing at the other side of the bars with both a phone and a thick blanket.

“You get one free call to whoever can bail you out… And here’s a blanket to warm yourself up,” the police officer said, extending both items through the bars.

I quickly stood up and first grabbed the blanket, wrapping the fabric warmth around me before accepting the phone with my shaky hand. I knew exactly who I should call, but after dialing their number, the only person who answered was an automated voice that asked me to leave a message after the beep. I sighed and told the person that I was stuck in a holding cell at the city’s police station and needed that person to bail me out.

I ended the call and reluctantly handed the phone back to the police officer. “Hopefully, she comes.”

“I hope so too. I’d hate to stay in that holding cell all night, while shivering my balls off,” the police officer said.

I narrowed my eyes at him, but instead of quipping back, I just sat back down on the hard, metal bench and tightened the fabric’s embrace around my body. I hope she would get my message soon since every second in this holding cell was like an eternity in a freezing hell. I could’ve called my father who had his phone with him at all times because of his multimillion-dollar company that involved constant talking with business partners. However, I’d rather not have to deal with his judgment and shame afterwards.

As my shivers began to dissipate, and I no longer feared that I was going to die of hypothermia, I noticed that the police officer was still standing there. He was watching me with furrowed eyebrows and a deep frown.

“What…What are you looking at?” I asked.

“Nothing. It’s just…don’t I recognize you from somewhere?” the police officer said. He then raised his eyebrows and said, “Oh, wait a minute! You’re not just any prince, are you? You’re that prince who’s all over the news because he’s engaged to some princess with long hair, right? The most eligible bachelor finally gets hitched as the headlines said.”

I grunted and said, “Yeah…that’s me.”

The police officer then started laughing, laughing to the point that I thought he would pull something.

“What’s so funny?”

The man collected himself and wiped his eyes before saying, “Oh, man. I just can’t believe that a guy like you would end up in a holding cell because he was dealing with a witch. Godmother, what will the headlines say next.”

“Hey, screw you, man! I told you already. I wasn’t dealing any drugs with that witch. It was a mirror.”

The man’s face then turned serious again, and he said, “Well, I highly doubt that it was simply a mirror you wanted from that witch. So, explain yourself. What exactly were you doing at that flooded stadium that doesn’t implicate you as a criminal?”

I pitched the bridge of my nose and said, “It’s complicated. But I can guarantee that it was just like any ordinary transaction.”

Scoffing, he said, “Well, considering that witch had his tentacles wrapped around you, don’t hate me for not believing your bullshit lies.”

I just looked away from the man, not wanting to talk about this matter anymore, before saying, “How the hell were you that flooded stadium as well?” I looked at the man from head to toe and said, “You don’t look like a mermaid to me.”

“Excellent observation there,” the man before sneering. “I was just doing my patrolling, making sure no illegal activity was happening at the mermaid refuge which includes dealing with witches. And let’s just say that I can hold my breath for a very long time.”

“Well, I doubt that any human can hold their breath that long. I had a bubble around my head which allowed me to breathe while underwater,” I stated.

“Oh, really? And how did you obtain that bubble helmet? Another ‘transaction’ with a witch?” the man asked, aiming his judgmental eyes at me.

I ignored his question and just looked down at my feet where a small puddle of water formed.

“I’m a wolf if you’re so curious.”

Looking back at the man, I was surprised to hear that the police officer interrogating me was a wolf. Wolves in this world didn’t have the best reputation, mostly because they were viewed as criminals, miscreants who didn’t obey the law and were involved in packs, the wolf’s version of inner-city gangs. This stereotype was caused by the cautionary tales told to children by their parents about the wolf that would deceive young girls in hoods before eating them and their grandmothers as well. This Big Bad Wolf character would be the lens that many people would view most wolves in society today. So, to have a wolf be a police officer was very surprising to me. But if I’m correct…

“You’re that one person who became the first wolf to be accepted into this city’s police force,” I stated.

The man smirked. “Yeah, that’s me. And how ironic is it for the Big Bad Wolf to be catching the Prince Charming committing a criminal act with an evil witch rather than rescuing a princess.”

Rolling my eyes, “Well, don’t be so proud of yourself. I doubt one wolf becoming a police officer is going to clean the deep stain that your kind left on this world.”

The police officer eyes widened from my statement. They then narrowed as a low growl began emanating from his body, and I wondered if he was going to enter my cell and bite my neck off. However, the wolf then loosened his grip on the bars and just sighed.

“We’ll see who has the last laugh after I put down what you did on your record.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat, fearful of the significant repercussions of what these actions would bring. A prince of my status didn’t commit a small offense like jaywalking without it being overblown and spreading like wildfire in the media. And the insinuation that committed a crime like dealing drugs with a witch would certainly give a public-relations team a run for their money. And the reaction from my father…I didn’t even want to think of what he would say, let alone do to me.

The wolf seemed to have sensed my turmoil and chuckled before starting to walk away. I then felt the pressure of my bladder and knew that I had to ask a favor.

“Hey!”

The police officer looked back at me with annoyance. “What?”

“I…I have to pee.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not, and there’s no toilet in this cell. So, unless you want me to piss right here on the floor, you’ll take me to the nearest restroom,” I demanded.

The man swore before pulling out a ring of keys and unlocking my cell. Dropping the blanket and exiting the containment area, I was quickly pushed forward, and the scruffy police officer guided me with a big hand gripping tightly on my shoulder.

“Don’t do anything stupid, or you’ll wish you’d pissed your pants instead,” the wolf warned.

I didn’t respond, just continued to walk with the pressure of his hand showing me the way to the restroom.

We soon entered the men’s restroom where there was the same number of urinals and toilet stalls on one side and a row of sinks on the other. The area looked pristine with the white-tiled flooring showing my reflection, and the sterile smell confirmed that this place was always cleaned and maintained.

I entered one of the stalls and was about to close the door when the wolf placed his hand in the way. “What the hell?”

“I can’t just take my eyes off you,” the wolf asserted.

“So, you’re just going to watch me as I take a piss?”

“Yes, and if you don’t want to make this even more awkward, you’ll hurry… Well, go!”

I sighed heavily and turned to face the toilet before unzipping my fly and dropping my pants and boxers right down to my ankles. If the police officer insisted that he was going to watch me like a creep, he was going to get a show of my ass, while he did so.

Hearing the wolf swear and say something under his breath, I knew I was able to get under his skin as I relieved myself into the toilet bowl. After wagging my member a couple of times, I pulled my boxers and pants back up, shivering slightly from feeling the wet fabric against my skin again.

The police officer then pulled me by the collar of my suit coat and dragged me out of the stall.

“Wait. I need to wash my hands,” I declared.

“Seriously?” the police officer said.

I nodded, and the wolf shoved me to one of the sinks where I squirted some soap from the dispenser and began lathering my hands. Looking at the mirror, I could see the man looking back at me with his arms crossed over his big chest that displayed his name tag.

“Your name’s Zev?” I asked. “Interesting name. Most people just call me Lucky if you’re wondering.”

“Lucky? You’re kidding me,” the police officer, Zev, said before snickering. “You’re far from lucky if you ask me… Are you about done?”

I rolled my eyes and turned off the faucet before shaking my wet hands. I didn’t get a chance to dry my hands completely before Zev, the wolf, pushed me forward and out of the restroom. I knew that I was getting on his nerves when he told me to walk faster back to my holding cell.

After a couple of more shoves on my shoulder, Zev and I were in front of my cell again, which he opened for me. I looked inside and wondered if I was really going to spend the entire night in there.

“Well? Get back in. Or do you want me to tuck you in and read you a bedtime story?” Zev said.

“Do you mind?” I joked.

Zev growled again and bared his teeth before shoving me back into the cell. Thankfully, I didn’t fall, but this kind of treatment wasn’t warranted even if I was being purposely annoying.

“Spoiled princes think they can treat other people like shit just because they weren’t born into a state of privilege, being so pampered your whole life with a pure-silver spoon in your mouth that you can’t see outside your fucking bubble. Hopefully, news gets out about your arrest since you’ll most likely just get a slap on the wrist by the judge… Sleep tight.”

Zev slammed my bars closed before stomping away, leaving me to shiver once again in my private suite. With my bladder emptied, I had no other reason to venture outside my imprisonment. So, I sat back down and wrapped the now wet blanket around me for some semblance of comfort.

I actually managed to take a nap when a loud blaring sound jolted me awake. Looking around, I saw that the hallway outside my cell was flashing with red lights, and I wondered what happened to cause this type of scene. A couple of police officers ran past my cell, and I managed to hear that a fight broke out.

Another police officer stopped by my cell and quickly unlocked it. The woman motioned her hand for me to get out, which I gratefully obliged. Before I could ask what was happening, she grabbed my wrist and quickly escorted me through the flashing hallways and past more police officers who ran towards the scene of conflict.

I had no idea what was happening and where this woman was taking me until we were outside the police station, and I saw my car parked on the street. I turned to the woman who took off her hat, and I was stunned to see the person was Cindi. She noticed me with my mouth agape and just chuckled before tugging me towards the vehicle.

We both got into the cab with Cindi on the driver’s side and me on the other end. I didn’t object to her driving as she turned the engine on and pressed her foot hard on the gas pedal before skidding away from the police station.

Driving through the dark city street, I sighed in relief and looked at Cindi who had a smirk on her face before saying, “Cindi. I’m glad to see you.”

“Same here. Good to see that you weren’t too roughened up by the police,” Cindi replied as she made a quick turn to another street. “Sorry it took so long. After entering the station with this fake uniform, I had to scrub any record of your arrest along with any security footage. Then I had to create some conflict with a few guys in another holding cell, so they would start fighting and distract everyone in the station.”

I smiled widely. “Paying the bail would’ve been enough. I can’t thank you enough.”

“No problem. It’s nothing for an undercover agent.”

I chuckled, knowing that Cindi was an expert on this field; her first undercover mission was posing as a princess to enter a ball and seduce the prince who happened to be one of my two older brothers. She soon discovered she had a knack for assuming other roles like a member of royalty and eventually started a small but very successful agency after she fell in love with and married my brother despite the objections from our father the king.

“You look soaked. I’m assuming you went to the stadium to get a mirror from that witch,” Cindi said, stopping the car at a red light. “That was where I found your car.”

“You assumed right. It was going just as planned, then the witch had to wrap his tentacles around me and almost kill me in the process.”

“Godmother.”

“Yeah, and the next thing that I remember was being at the parking lot with a police officer who apparently rescued me from that witch before arresting me. And that police officer had to be a wolf as well,” I said.

“Interesting…”

“And right now I just need a drink,” I said and slouched against my seat.

“The closest bar is only five minutes away,” Cindi offered.

“Can we?”

Cindi just smiled before performing a complete and flawless one eighty with my car on the empty street. I might’ve been an expert when it came to the mechanics of cars, but when it came to actually driving a car like mine, Cindi was the professional there. And I didn’t mind that Cindi, the princess, was the one to rescue me from my captivity since this world was far from fairy tales told to me when I was a child. This world was much darker, grittier, and for some reason I knew that my encounter with the Big Bad Wolf known as Zev the police officer wouldn’t be the last one.