The Cruel Prince of Wolves

1

Ramona can very much remember how in love she was with prince Valerian. Betrothed to him at birth, she was raised and molded to love, cherish him and to be his perfect wife. He was everything to her, Ramona loved prince Valerian the way she's supposed to, expected to, and trained to.
He's the love of her life.

Prince Valerian adored her just the same, he married Ramona when he's eighteen and her at sixteen. As soon as they're both at marrying age.

The two were a picture perfect couple, the pride of the palace and the envy of other royals that no one as much suspected the couple of nothing but a happy marriage.

Until, something dark and unexpected happened.

It was overnight, the change in the Prince. It is as though he'd been bewitched by a spell or a curse that turned him into someone else. Prince Valerian began to act restless, afraid and anxious. When the sun goes down and the darkness reigns over at night, prince Valerian turns into someone he is not. He became violent, hot tempered, and vile. Gone is the calm and doting prince everyone adored and in his place is a monstrous strange man. No one would have suspected he is the same person that even Ramona did not recognize her own husband. The palace condemned the change as a form of ill omen that corrupted the prince, and called forth the land's best healers and physicians. They summoned magicians, warlocks, shamans, and yet, none was able to provide a cure for a curse no one could understand.

Ramona worried endlessly for no normal man should suffer from crippling nightmares every night. .

She begged him to let her help, to let her in the troubles that kept him prisoner. But no matter how much she begged and asked he evaded her and dismissed her concerns as though he is ignorant to all the changes happening to him.

"What are you talking about, Ramona?" He snapped at her, tone borderline impatient.

"Tell what's wrong Val. I am your wife, you are supposed to share your darkest with me."

She's met with a cringe as if the sound of wife were poison to his ears. "Nonsense! It's all in your head. I have always been the same."

Some nights he woke up coated in sweats, hands trembling and petrified. He'd throw his arms around her sobbing, and rambling words that don't make sense to her. Some nights he did not sleep at all. Valerian patrolled their rooms pacing around like a wild animal in a cage, his hand clenched tightly on his sword watching for the dark spaces tucked in the corners as though something monstrous would leap at them in the middle of the night.

"Please go to bed, my love." She begged helplessly one evening. The constant pacing kept her nerves on the edge.

He turned to her, his eyes tired and dark. "I can't. I have to keep watch."

She made a notion of bringing her eyes around. She doesn't see anything but stone walls. "What? Watch the shadows?"

She hasn't noticed anything unusual about them. Just the regular shadows dancing from behind the candle light. The only thing scary inside the room was Valerian.

He hissed, his hand tightened on the hilt of his blade. "How dare you! How dare you mock me when all I'm trying to do is protect you!"

She recoiled, afraid of him.

Valerian saw her reaction and cursed at himself. He immediately took his hand away from the hilt of his sword and wiped his sweaty hand on his pants. He had not realized how tightly he held his sword until now. He forced himself to calm down, he knew damn well she did not deserve his coldness, his ire, or his temper but there's nothing he could do if the way to protect her is to be cruel. Valerian's voice softened, pacing calmly to her side on the bed, grasping her face gently into his palms. He noted the film of tears in her eyes hating himself for making her cry. Valerian kissed her wet eyes, rubbing his plush lips on her dark lush lashes. "Forgive me, Ramona. It was not my intention to snap at you."