The Cruel Prince of Wolves

8

She never needed a bath so bad in her life. Ramona was covered from head to toe with ash. Her dress is ruined, layers of ash clung to her like second skin. Her sleek long black hair covered in ashes is gray that made her look like she aged about fifty years. She would have to scrub herself for hours just to get rid of them.

For once she was glad at the maidservants who had prepared her bath water and helped her out of her clothes. She would have been ripping the fabrics off her skin. Ramona dipped her toes into the oil sleek hot water that smelled of lilac, exhaling as she submerged into it. She allowed her head to lean on the tub, almost falling asleep when moments later, the sound of her door opening alarmed her, snapping her eyes open. The familiar sound of Val's strides made their way to her ears until he stood by the tub rigid as a steel pipe and storm in his beautiful light brown eyes.

Ramona met his stormy glare and raised a brow. Maybe he had forgotten about her anger earlier when she caught him with his mistress on his lap. She decided to pretend he's invisible and ignored him, leaning her head back down on the tub and hooding her eyes closed.

"You left the palace grounds." Val said sharply.

"Lucian was with me." She responded irately.

"I thought I told you, you aren't allowed out."

"You said I could go anywhere as long as Lucian is with me."

"You couldn't have gotten hurt."

"But I wasn't. Lucian protected me. He easily killed all the twilights and they weren't even trying to hurt me."

"Weren't trying to hurt you?" Val cocked his head confused. "Are you sure?"

She cursed at herself for saying too much. She wasn't exactly sure whether Lucian noticed it or not, if he had she was certain he would have reported it to Val as soon as they got back. "I mean, they were mostly interested in Lucian."

"And decided not to come after you?"

"That seems to be the case."

He paused for a second, thinking. "Why do you think that is?"

"Piss off, Val! I'm taking a bath." She snarled annoyed with him. "You and your endless questioning."

He emptied his lungs. Upset as he was, he was also distracted with the sight of Ramona in complete undress in the tub. He found his breathing deepened and heat rose to his neck. He blamed it on the hot water as an excuse, it made the room humid and him anxious but he knows damn well that's not the reason why.

Ramona opened one eye to look at him, his descent to silence. She had expected him to barrate her more but he'd grown awfully silent as if he'd forgotten he's mad at her. "Why are you still here?"

Val made no response as he pulled his breeches freeing some space between his legs. He crouched until they were eye to eye. "Care to tell me how you suddenly have inhuman strength and speed? And don't tell me you got bitten by a wolf or a vampire. I would know if you were."

"I was bitten by a faery prince." She said impatiently.

He sighed. Graceful as a prince, Val rose to his feet and strode behind the tub, he bent over to gather the long wet strands of her raven hair to his hand, pouring hot water into it and gently massaging her scalp. There's something so soothing about the way his fingers moved on her head that she couldn't help but flutter her eyes closed. "Faeries don't bite, Mona. Tell me the truth."

"Depends what kind of bite you're looking for." She touched her neck and was reminded of a bite he never made. Ramona was well aware of the mark mated wolves gave to each other. The significance of a bite mark. To claim what's yours and to let the whole world know about it. It's remarkably romantic. Val had explained to her that everyone knew she belonged to him for as long as she'd been in the palace and no one would dare touch what belonged to the prince, so there's no need for him to mark her. She begged to differ, they both know he has other reasons for not marking her but those were the arguments they had long ago and she no longer cared about the meaning of it. In fact, she's glad he never marked her. She would have regretted having carried his bite mark all this time.