Crowns And Swords

Chapter Ten

"Giada?"
I pull my face from the wall and look at the man they called "Alpha Male".
"...Levi?"

We stare at each other for a good minute. Almost three weeks have gone by since we were apart, and already so much has changed. Levi has grown a bit of a stubble, his attire has changed from one of a commoner to one of nobility, and most of all...
Most of all...
He's not even human.
I stare at the pale buttercup colored ears and tail that sprouted from Levi's silhouette. Either he's been a werewolf this whole time, or the mutts in this den turned him. Either way, I'm shocked.
"What happened to you?" He asks, scooting closer and getting down on his knees. I can tell he wants to reach out and see if the ears are real, but he holds back and sits still.
"Why aren't you asking yourself that question?" I hiss. "'Alpha Male?' What's that about? When did that happen?"
He leans back and averts his attention to the dirty clothing I set aside when I changed. His cheeks, dusted with the slightest rosy tint, glow in the light of the nearest torch. Levi pulls at his cloak and hugs himself tight in it. "I, um..."
He takes a deep breath.
"Remember three weeks ago, when I got kidnapped by those giant wolves..? Someone told you about that, right?"
I nod.
"Well, uh, turns out they were werewolves... And, uh, well, their leader at the time was Katrina. Shocking, isn't it?"
"Well, no doubt about it," I mutter.
He looks back up at me and sighs. "Katrina performed a ritual on me, I believe. I don't remember much of it, but before I knew it, she'd cursed me... I think it was in effort to bring me closer to her, but that backfired. While I was worshipped by these... uh, 'people', they took Katrina from her place as Alpha Female. They believed I deserved a better partner to lead with. Long story short, I'm cursed, I'm now being praised as a leader, and Katrina hates your guts because of it."
I lock my eyes with Levi's. Weird, they're so familiar to me, and yet not...
"Why does she hate my guts, exactly?"
"Ever since the incident back in the winter, when we first really began to bond as people, as friends, and not just trainer and student, she became furious. She was really jealous of you, thinking she had every right to me, and, well..."
He tries to continue what he was saying, but it appears he can't find the words he was looking for. We sit in more awkward silence, looking at everything in the room but each other.
"Say, Levi..." I pipe up.
"Hm?"
I look at him, he's completely focused, with all attention on me and my mouth. Kind of like a... dog.
"Why did they bring me here?"
His rose tinted cheeks suddenly turn a deep magenta hue. He's completely nervous, like he's about to break down and spill everything, like a dam.
"I, um, think I told Katrina and her hunters to go hunt for something, as they usually do... I told them to go find something to distract them for a bit, to leave me be in peace."
That's odd.. and suspicious. He doesn't seem to be wanting to tell the truth. He's never this nervous, not with me.
"Levi, I-"
A set of feet rush down the stairwell. Around the corner pops out the head of another werewolf, probably the guard from earlier. "Sir, a fight has broken out. We need you to intervene."
Levi turns his head and sighs. Standing, he brushes the dust from his pants and exits my cell. "I'll be back an a bit, sw- I mean, Giada." He hands his keys to the guard, who proceeds to lock the gate. They both hurry back up the stairs, leaving me to sit in the cave-like room alone.

Hours pass. Nothing has happened, except for a few bugs crawling around the floor, here and there. I lay on the floor, waiting for nothing. I expected nothing from my captors, and still I'm disappointed. They could've at least had a guard left here to watch me so could talk to someone.
However, this time alone was not in vain. I had time to think over what Levi said and how he acted. I knew for a fact that the Levi sitting beside me earlier wasn't the Levi I knew and loved. Whatever curse Katrina put on him must've effected him badly, because I couldn't recognize anything familiar about him.
"He... I think he was... Levi lied to me, straight to my face," I mumble, dragging my finger across the floor. "He sent those hunters out for a reason. He sent them out to find me. But, why? I mean, what were his intentions behind that? Would I have met his same fate if I were kidnapped the same way he was if I had only stayed at the Academy..?"
I curl myself up into a ball and squeeze myself tighter into the corner. "I can't trust him. Not for now. He's changed for the worse, and putting my faith in him might cause him to go bad..."
"Giada?"
It's him again. He's standing at the bars.
I hear him mumble under his breath, "I can't believe it... she's the hostage they were talking about..."
"Go away, Levi. I'm not in the mood to talk."
"Wh- what do you mean?" He asks, loud and clear.
I look up at him and frown. He's taken off his cloak from earlier. Levi's stance is more relaxed, compared to the tense, anxious one he had earlier.
"You.. You look different..." I mutter.
"Different how? What are you talking about?" He asks, innocently enough.
He's lost his mind... Of course he was down here earlier, we talked a few hours ago.
I shake my head and look away. "I said, go away."
"Look, if something is wrong, you know you can tell me. We're partners, remember?"
I sigh. "Partners wouldn't lie to each other's faces."
Levi takes a step back, as if he took offense to what I said. "Excuse me?" He asks quietly.
"I could tell that what you said earlier wasn't the truth. Would you really want to send out a bunch of dumb wolves out to go hunt? And, oh, just by chance, they found me?" I lash out.
"Giada, listen, I-"
"You what?" I say angrily, giving him a cold, hard stare.
Again, he's blushing of embarrassment. His shoulders droop, his eyebrows furrow. His new ears swivel back.
"Well?"
"I... I, uhm... I have spies..." he mutters. "One of them was out a while ago and spotted you in the forest and reported back to me, saying that they spotted a woman with wavy blonde hair that smelled of fresh oranges... and I did all in my power to get you back."
I feel a sharp pain in my chest.
He was only trying to find me...
Tears start dancing down his cheeks. "I was so worried about you the whole time we were separated. I wanted to hold you in my arms, but I was so lost and couldn't find you wherever I wanted to go..."
As if my heart were being drawn to move to him, I stood up and walked to the bars. In response, Levi smiled, walked closer, and opened the door. He came in and stood close, wiping away some of the tears.
"But, now, I've found you," he whispers. His little smile grows as more tears flow down.
"Oh, come here you big baby..." I whisper back. I pull Levi into a hug. As I press my head against his shoulder, I realize I'm crying too.
"Promise me you'll never let me go."
I nod. "I promise."