The Girl Who Cried Wolf: A Novella

Eight

08 | e i g h t

Red laughed.

It was a serious situation but she couldn't help but laugh. It was a coping mechanism for her.

"I don't see what's funny in all this, Red. Cause it sure won't be funny when Linton's all—‘I hereby crown you King Lycus le Roux’, and then he puts the crown on my head, and just like that, poof! I'm Lycus the wolf for the rest of my life." He raised his voice a little.

She calmed down a bit. "I know, it's just that this sounds like a story from a fairytale. This is bad, I know." She tied his slashed arm with a piece of her cloak. "How do you break the curse? Also, I need you to take off your shirt," she informed him.

He smirked. "Why? You want to ogle?" He raised his brows, teasingly.

Red had to stop herself from smiling. Truth was she did want to see the rippling muscles under his tee. She could feel them already but she would never admit that to him.

"Please," she rolled her eyes. "I've seen better." She flicked her wrist dismissively.

"Really? Whose?" he asked. His blue eyes danced in amusement.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she asked, "are you taking your shirt off or not?"

"One second." He raised his finger and sat up straight with a grunt. He was really in pain. Then, he took off his shirt slowly, careful not to hurt himself and—oh good heavens! He really had rippling muscles. Chest, abs and everything. She almost reached out to feel it. Luckily she stopped herself in time.

"Are you going to clean me up or..." he trailed off.

She snapped out of her daze to shoot at him. "You sound like you can't wait to feel my hands on you," she commented.

He shrugged a little. "Maybe, you're right."

She was not expecting that. Her mouth hung open for a while before she tore off another piece of her cloak to clean him up. "You owe me a new cloak," she noted.

His laugh echoed throughout the woods. "There's a way to break the curse, but I've already tried so many times, and it didn't work." He hesitated. "I don't know if I should tell you. You might take it the wrong way. Red? Red, are you listening?"

No, she wasn't. She was too busy ogling and touching his chest. "Huh? Yeah what you said," she replied absentmindedly.

"I said you smell like bird fart," he told her with a smug smile.

This time she heard him. "You said what?" She stood up from beside him. "Why don't you clean your wounds up yourself," she snarked. She started to walk away but he took hold of her arm, halting her in her tracks.

"I didn't say that, Red. I only said it because you weren't listening," he confessed.

"Oh," was all she could voice out. She shyly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. I got-"

"Distracted?" he suggested. "Also happens to me when I'm around you," he professed.

There was no helping it. She blushed furiously. Her face could have been the same colour as her cloak. "You're not allowed to say those kind of things to me." She tried to hide her blush and sat down again. "Tell me about the curse. I promise I'll listen this time."

"To break the curse I have to kiss my soulmate," he finally said.

"Soulmate?" she asked, confused.

"You know, true love, other half whatever you want to call it," he explained.