Promised to Wolves

déka

I just wanted to quickly mention that to thank all you amazing readers who have voted for and supported my story, I have started dedicating chapters to you. I hope this shows the appreciation I have for you guys. 

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As we walked, I listened in to the words exchanged by the Princess and the Duke and soon learnt the meeting was being held in the Council Chambers which was, apparently, where all important discussions took place. It was located not far from the nightmarish doors of the ballroom and as we approached, I could still pick up the faint scent of Marcella lingering in the air. It sent shockwaves rocketing through my body and I increased my pace until the musty smell of wood was all I could pick up.

It seemed everyone was already inside as we approached and I made sure to lift a hand to warn the two Lieutenants that they were to wait outside, as they were not cleared to hear the confidential discussions which were about to take place. Though Lucia bared her fangs slightly at me, she did not protest and moved to stand beside the doors.

Stepping closer to the Princess, who had removed her arm from the Duke's, I eyed the footmen attentively. they reached for the door handles and pulled the double doors open, revealing a room full of powerful men.

It was not the branches of a sacred tree carved into the huge mahogany table in the centre of the room or the bright sunlight that streamed down from the almost magical glass roof or the mouth-watering scent of freshly killed deer that caught my senses as I followed the Princess into the Council Chamber. Instead, I was blinded by the fragrance of rich oak, salty sea air and wild garlic that seemed to originate from the head of the table.

Lifting my eyes upwards as silence fell over the room, I heard the sound of a chair scraping against the hard, wooden floor and footsteps moving towards me. I seemed to be frozen, my eyes refusing to budge from their transfixed position on the corner of the table as every nerve in my body tingled with anticipation. And every sense was on fire with the acute awareness of everything around me, including the growing warmth of a body.

"Hello," a soft, whisper travelled through the air, breaking me out of my trance. Slowly, my chin lifted upwards and I found myself staring into a pair of warm, golden eyes that blinked with disbelief as they met my moon-white irises.

Shivering as I felt his gaze sweep across my face, taking in every little detail, I suddenly felt completely self-conscious of my every flaw and turned my head to the side to hide, only to catch the almost shocked expression on Octavia's face that she had failed to hide.

"No," he spoke again, his worn fingers gently gripping onto my chin and tilting my head towards him. "You must never hide your beauty from me."

Nerves fluttered in my stomach and my hand moved unnoticed to grasp the hilt of my sword as though a blade could chase away the vulnerability I felt in his presence.

"What is your name?"

"Artemis," I whispered, my voice almost lost to the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions inside of me.

"Artemis," he repeated, testing it out on his tongue and smiling as it fit perfectly. "My name is Andreas. I have been waiting a long time to meet you,"

A sudden voice echoed in my mind and I winced as a sharp pain shot through my head. Andreas, the voice tapped excitedly. He is so, it faded quickly, disappearing with a soft mewl and I froze in shock. For a moment, my wolf had been there. Although she had gone as quickly as she had appeared. 

"Artemis, my promised?" Andreas spoke softly, confusion creasing his brows as my attention had been drawn away from him.

But it did not have the effect he wanted it to. The word 'promised' drove an ice-cold blade of fear deep into my heart and I took a subtle step back, ignoring the wrongness of the space I had just put between us.