Patience of a Gordon

Chapter Thirty Five

An important thing I didn't realize wasn't made obvious is that the injured snow leopard at the end of the last chapter WAS Kai! I apologize for that error if some of you missed that part. TWO CHAPTERS LEFT OMG

Chapter Thirty Five

The wolves were not werewolves. That much I was able to tell based on just their appearance. Two flanked the middle wolf, following his or her lead. They were smaller than an average werewolf, but all equal in size. I could tell that they had all been in several fights, each wearing battle scars as their prize.

I growled lowly at them, stepping over the hurt lumeleopard, ignoring his protests. I watched at the two wolves on the outside lowered their heads, their ears flattening against their skull. I could see them baring their teeth causing me to snarl, my tail swinging back and forth anxiously.

The leader of the trio raised his head, a howl escaping his throat. The other two joined in, setting the dark atmosphere that would only grow in-depth by the end of the day. I waited for them to move forwards and attack but they remained as they were, ears flickering at the sound of footsteps.

Behind the wolves, coming into view, was none other than Martin. I could feel confusion distracting my actions but I did not feel an ounce of surprise. I knew he was not here to scare off the wolves but was most likely the reason they were here. Martin was a man of bad intentions, not good ones.

He smirked at me before throwing the jacket in his hand towards me, everyone watching as it fell to the ground. I did not move but kept near Kai.

Martin sighed in irritation before gesturing towards the jacket. "Take it and shift right now or I'll tell my friends here to kill Kai. You may have claws and fangs but I don't take you as a fighter. So do as I say or he dies." He said the words without emotion, without consideration towards the dying lumeleopard behind me.

But he was right. I had been trained to take care of vegetables, cubs, and a mate. I had been taught the workings of a leap and the history of our kind. But because Kai had chosen me, it had been decided that I would not learn to fight. In the leap's eyes, the leader's mate was too valuable. They were the most protected during battles while also being the least equipped for one.

I grabbed the jacket with my teeth, running off nearby. I did not go too far, but far enough that Martin could not watch. I took a deep breath, considering my options. Were there any other ones besides going back out?

I walked back towards them, caution in my every step. Kai and I were outnumbered. It was not possible for Kai to run away so I could not do so either. He wasn't able to fight but even if he would, I did not think he would be able to defeat three wolves. So for now, I could only do what Martin says while stalling for Kai and time.

Martin was standing in the same position, a sick glint lighting up his eyes when he saw me approaching. He starting slowly clapping, throwing his head back and laughing. I did nothing in return, kneeling down towards Kai, running my hand through his fur.

"Did you honestly expect to turn the public on your side, much less a prince? Did you truly see this working in your favor?" he asked and I bit my lips, keeping my eyes on Kai. Yes, I had expected it to go well.

"Why are you doing this, Martin? Did Prince Gordon send you?" I asked, knowing the last question was not likely. However, we had already entered the realm of unlikeliness and I did not think it would stop just yet.

Martin scoffed at the question, rolling his eyes. "As if the prince would send me here to kill you. He's too blinded by your differences to ever do such a thing," he replied, annoyance in his words. "If you were human, he would've never given you a second glance. But he's never met someone of your kind so I suspect you were intriguing to him. It no longer matters but I'm sure you would've dulled in his eyes over time."