As my body sagged in relief, the other knights tensed. Sir Rian’s grip on my arm was so tight I was certain it would bruise, though I doubted he even realized what he was doing. His eyes were fixed on the two beastmen who had emerged from the forest, his body rigid.

I almost laughed out loud at the sight. How had he been chosen for this mission if he was so fearful of the beastmen? Or perhaps it wasn’t the beastmen he feared. Maybe he knew they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t, like a naughty child caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

“Gentlemen,” Sir Nolan said stiffly, “My apologies if we disturbed you. We have no intention of causing any trouble or disrupting the peace of your camp. Please, pay us no mind. I can assure you, this is an internal matter that won’t affect our mission.”

“Internal matter, eh?” Vargas drawled, as if he were seriously considering Sir Nolan’s explanation. Then, with a vicious grin, he added, “See, the problem with that is the knight you’re trying to kidnap kinda belongs to my friend. So it’s not so internal, if you ask me.”

“We shall provide replacement guards for the former Marquis,” Sir Francis quickly interjected, “We have every intent of ensuring his obligation is fulfilled. However, unforeseen circumstances have forced us to alter the terms of that obligation, similar to how the terms of the treaty were changed. As it stands, Sir Evan must return with us to the inner city without delay. It is a matter of utmost importance.”

“It is a matter of utmost importance,” Vargas mocked in a shrill falsetto, before snapping, “I don’t think Evan wants to go with you, so how ‘bout you call off your boys and let him come with us. Or are we gonna have a problem?”

“We do not desire any trouble, but we cannot simply return him to you,” Sir Francis answered, holding his hands up as a show of peace, “Where I doubt you could understand our reasons, I can assure you they are sound.”

“What? Am I too stupid to understand?” Vargas growled, making Sir Francis flinch, “I’m just a dumb animal who couldn't possibly comprehend the marvels of human intellect, right?”

Based on what I knew of Vargas, I was fairly certain he was misunderstanding on purpose, just to toy with them. I didn’t miss the glint of laughter in his eyes as he took a menacing step forward.

“That is not what he said, nor is it what he meant. We would not expect you to understand because you are an outsider!” Sir Nolan shouted, his resolve unwavering in the face of the angry beastman, “Now cease your intimidation tactics and stand aside. We are taking the apostate into custody, and you are not permitted to interfere. This is a Royal matter!”

“You see, Evan,” Nico suddenly cut in, his voice eerily calm, “This is why I can’t fucking stand humans. Pompous, entitled, and full of yourselves, the lot of you. So damn convinced that you’re righteous and mighty, while trampling all over the rights of anyone who gets in your way. It’s disgusting.”

“This is exactly why we said you wouldn’t understand,” Sir Nolan interrupted, “This is a Royal matter that has nothing to do with you beastmen or anyone else for that matter. Your outsider opinion is meaningless.”

“Hey, human,” Nico said in a cold voice, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent, “How ‘bout you shut up before I rip your throat out?”

Sir Nolan paled at Nico’s threat. Unlike Vargas, there was no laughter in Nico’s gaze.

I was starting to get nervous. Vargas would mess with them, sure, but he wouldn’t actually hurt them. Nico, though... I had no idea what would set him off, nor what would happen if it did.

Nico looked only slightly less menacing as he turned back to me, “What about you, Evan? Doesn’t this make you angry? These fuckers want to take away your freedom, force you to go back to very place you just escaped from. Your feelings don’t matter to them. You don’t matter to them. All that matters is that they think they’re right. Don’t you want to teach 'em a lesson? We could just kill them now and be done with it. Pretty sure we can take all six of ‘em if you and Vargas help.”

"I'd prefer you didn't kill them," I replied carefully, not sure what I should say to avoid escalating things, "Nothing you said is wrong. They're doing this because they believe it's the right thing to do, which only proves that what you said about humans is accurate. All that matters is they think they are right. But the fact remains that I don't want to see any of them killed for being self-righteous prigs. We can resolve this peacefully."

Nico's scowl softened, "You might be the least shitty human I've ever come across. That's not saying much, but it's something. Since you asked so nicely, I promise not to kill anyone."

As soon as he was done speaking, the man before me turned into a huge chestnut colored wolf. He snarled at the knights, baring his teeth. He was there to help me, but even I was a little startled.

Sir Rian was so shaken up by the sight that he forgot to keep restraining me. I seized the opportunity and wrenched myself free. Sir Gordon didn’t even try to hold on, letting me go without a fight as he stared slack-jawed at the enormous wolf.

I raced toward Vargas and the snarling wolf. As I passed, Sir Nolan lunged to grab me, but Nico pounced on him, knocking him down. He pinned Sir Nolan’s shoulders with his massive paws and growled.

The Palace knights, ready to defend their commander, drew their swords just as I reached Vargas’s side. Vargas, still in human form, drew his own blade and positioned himself between me and the knights.

Based on the one time I’d sparred with him, my first thought was that we’d both be safer if he gave me the sword instead. However, discretion is the better part of valor, so I kept my mouth shut.

For a tense moment, nobody moved. Nico had promised not to kill anyone, but the knights had made no such promises. If I didn’t figure out a way to stop this, someone was going to get seriously hurt.

Then, from the edge of the trees, another massive wolf emerged. Even from a distance, its size dwarfed Nico, and it radiated an aura of raw menace. Its fur was a deep, glossy mahogany, streaked with red and yellow markings across its face. The wolf paused, eyes surveying the chaos, before a deep, rumbling growl rolled from its throat.

The knights, suddenly looking far less certain, lowered their swords and stepped back a few paces. Nico, catching sight of the other wolf, released Sir Nolan and also retreated. The wolf’s eyes met mine, and I recognized them instantly. It was the blue-eyed beastman I’d met in the slums.

Sure enough, the majestic wolf transformed into the man I’d seen before. He looked livid as his eyes passed over all of us.

“What. The. Fuck. Did. I. Just. See?” he fumed, looking furiously between our groups, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that we’re barely a turn of the sun out of that damn city, and you dumb fucks are already picking fights.”

“It’s not what it looks like, sir,” Nico defended, while looking suitably cowed by the blue-eyed beastman’s fury.

“Oh really?” the blue-eyed beastman sneered, “‘Cause it looks like you picked a fight with the humans as soon as I turned my back.”

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I spoke up, “He wasn’t picking a fight!”

Those tantalizing blue eyes turned in my direction. Gods, why was he still so shiny when he was glaring at me like I was dirt caught in his shoe?

"This is all a misunderstanding, really," I explained, trying to look as innocent as possible, "My fellow knights here mistakenly thought that they needed to return me to the inner city. Nico was graciously assisting me in showing them they're wrong."

"Liar! Blasphemer!" shouted Sir Nolan, his face red with indignation, "There is no misunderstanding! You will return to the city and that is final! Stop hiding behind the outsiders and come peacefully!"

"What a load of bullshit!" Vargas interjected, unshaken by the blue-eyed beastman's arrival, "They're the ones trying to kidnap someone. Were we supposed to just let 'em?"

The blue-eyed beastman narrowed his eyes, staring at me intensely. My stomach twisted under his scrutiny. Suddenly, he wasn't all that pleasant to look at anymore.

"So you're the cause of all this?" he asked through gritted teeth, before glaring at the others, "The rest of you leave. Now. The two of us need to have a little chat."

He smiled at me as he said that, but it was definitely not a happy expression. It was a smile that promised I was going to suffer before he was done. I had a sinking feeling I might have been better off with the knights.