"Yesina! They're back!"
My eyes jerked up from the book I was engrossed in as Emilia burst into the room, her blonde hair an untidy mess of curls. Even in an absolutely panicked state, my best friend was as adorable as could be. It was no wonder she'd had suitors lined up since the day she turned 18, awaiting her father's decision for her future mate.
I sighed and slid a bit of fabric into the book, marking my place. It had been a very exciting part of the book; the knight and queen had just been discovered by the jealous king, and there were sure to be some major fallout from that. But there was no stopping Emilia when she was in one of the moods.
"Calm down," I reassured her, brushing my brown hair back behind my ears. "Calm down and tell me the whole story. Who's back?"
She paused and took a deep breath, fanning her face with one delicate, pale hand. "I'm... I'm sorry! But your father... Your father's back!"
I leapt up from the softly-padded chair I had been sitting on, and my book dropped from my lap to the floor. "Is he okay?"
"Yes, yes, yes! He's fine! But they've brought..." Emily seemed to nearly choke on her words, unable to force them out. "They've brought a..." Her hands fluttered about her face before she gave up and pointed to the open window.
I gathered my skirts up in my hands and ran to the window, looking down at the courtyard below. There was my father, armoured in chainmail and boiled leather, as tall and gray-haired as ever. He is safe, I thought with a deep sigh. Twelve years ago, my mother had failed to return from a scouting mission, slain by the enemy, and I could never rest when my father was leading them. It was his duty as Chief, I knew, but I prayed every day to the goddesses old and new for his safe return.
But what is Emily so on about? I wondered, scanning the crowd of men outside. There were fewer of them than had left; they must have encountered a Pack of werewolves. There was my father's second-in-command Ranmel, there was Emily's childhood friend Tristan, there was...
My breath caught in my throat. There was a man I did not recognise. Our Clan was never large to begin with, and it had only gotten smaller as the fights between the Shifters and the werewolves continued. And I knew every single fighter, by sight if not by name.
This man had never crossed my path before, of that much I was certain. He had a shock of blonde hair to rival Emily's, and he stood the same height as my father, who was the tallest in the Clan. His shoulders were broad and muscular, clad only in a simple tunic, with no armour. And he was bound at the wrists and ankles with heavy chains. My father held the end of the chain as though it were a leash, smiling broadly and laughing with the men and women who came rushing up to welcome him home.
"They've brought a werewolf," I whispered, my chest tightening. Beasts of the night, the foul monsters who sought to take over our lands and make us slaves or worse. And they had captured one.
My father looked up in that moment and saw me standing at the window. "Yesina!" He called, waving broadly with his free hand. "Come down and see the pet I've brought you!"
I should have brushed my hair or changed my dress into something nicer, I knew, but there was no time. I envied Emilia again for a moment as flew out of the room--even at her most flustered, at her most unprepared, she looked an absolute vision, like a porcelain doll.
I flew past her, sprinting in my bare feet down the stone hallway and uneven steps out to the courtyard. I could have run faster if I had shifted, but shifting back in the courtyard would have been a bit more exposing than I was ready to do, especially when I was not quite yet eighteen.
The sunlight nearly blinded me as I exited the arched doorway of our little fortress-castle. A good omen, I thought. Sunny days foretold luck and prosperity, and we had had too much rain in the last few weeks for my liking. Winter was on its way, and we would have rain and clouds for the entirety of that season.
I threw myself into my father's arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. "You're home safe!" I exclaimed.
"I am!" He laughed again, a deep, booming sound that reassured me greatly. I was nearly eighteen, nearly grown, but I couldn't stand the thought of losing him like I had my mother. "And look," he added, lifting the hand that held the end of the chain. "I've brought you a gift."
The man on the other end of the chain bowed as deeply and elegantly as he could with the chains that bound him. "Milady." His voice was deep and even, but with an edge of mockery that was so subtle I might have missed it.
I stepped back, stumbling over the hem of my dress and nearly falling to the ground in surprise. "Is... is he a...?" My question hung in the air unsaid.
"Come on then, lad, introduce yourself." My father jangled the chain slightly, his dark brown eyes laughing in delight.
The man straightened up, and as I properly inspected him for the first time I was shocked by his sheer size. When I had looked down into the courtyard I had thought he was the same size as my father, but he was nearly a head taller. The tallest man I had ever seen. His broad shoulders looked as though he could lift a table above his head. How did they ever manage to capture him? I wondered in disbelief. And he was not much older than me, perhaps twenty two or twenty three. In the prime of his youth.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he growled, gray eyes glinting with injured pride and rebellion. "My name is Alistair, Alpha of my pack and nephew of the Alpha King Broden who rules the kingdom."
My hands flew to cover my mouth as I gaped in disbelief. An alpha. He obviously couldn't have been some low-level pack member, I realised; he stood with his chest forward and chin jutted out in defiance. Even though his face was bruised and one of his lips was badly cut, he showed no signs of submission or fear. But still. They captured an alpha. The Werewolf King's nephew.
"Where are your manners, Yesina?" my father joked, still laughing.
Alistair's mouth twisted into a grimace. He's not appreciating this in the least, I thought. The Werewolf King's nephew, captured and brought to our little Clan to be paraded about like a pet...
I cleared my throat and dropped into my most genuine attempt at a curtsy. I was not well-practiced at it, but I hoped Alistair knew the intention behind it was genuine, at least. "Yesina, Shifter and daughter of Chief Ormond. The pleasure is mine."
My eyes lifted up to Alistair's, and I found that the corners of his mouth were twitching upwards every so slightly. I didn't know if he was mocking me or happy to have a bit of kindness after his capture, but I supposed it didn't matter. He was our prisoner, one way or the other, and he would have to live with it.
"You have a very polite daughter, Ormond," Alistair quipped
My father laughed again. "Only to other people, and never to me, Alistair!" That was my father, after all; he would be the type to befriend a prisoner, a werewolf, and later brag to the others that he had tamed a wild beast. It was just in his nature, and he was in an especially good mood with his latest war trophy.
But even as I tried to laugh along, I couldn't help but staring at Alistair. His gray eyes were locked on mine even as he talked with my father. His tone was jovial and light, but his eyes trailed down my body, lingering at my chest, my hips, then drawing lazily back to my face. He smirked, perhaps pleased at the fact that I had been unable to tear my eyes away, and licked his lips.
Heat rose in my cheeks and I turned back to look at my father, trying to ignore the hulking beast that stood next to him. "How long is he going to be here?"
"Why, Yesina," my father answered, his eyes glinting with excitement. "He's our political prisoner. He'll stay and enjoy our hospitality--still chained at his feet, worry you not--for as long as it takes for his uncle to want him back in exchange for leaving our Clan in peace. And perhaps he'll have a bit of extra security when there's a full moon out."
I nodded, glancing back at Alistair. His eyes still flicked up and down my body, making me feel exposed and ashamed. My heart raced. It's true what they say, I thought. They are beasts, nothing like us Shifters.
"I hope you are able to return to your home soon, then," I said to Alistair, bobbing in a slight curtsy before turning and fleeing across the courtyard to the safety.
As I walked away, I could feel his eyes following me, sending shivers down my spine even in the warm autumn sun.
As I walked away, I could feel his eyes following me, sending shivers down my spine even in the warm autumn sun.
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