Queen of the Beasts *Sample*

Chapter 5

I spent a long time wondering if I had completely ruined my easiest chance of getting out of this prison. It filled my head entirely. I hadn't even thought about the fact that the prince might offer up a chance at freedom until after I lunged at his comrade. Now I had proven her words, I was an animal, dangerous and untrustworthy. And maybe that was enough to convince the prince that he did deserve better. He could live happily with a woman from the village and he would certainly have his pick over whoever he wanted, human or werewolf. Though there weren't many humans left in our civilization- most of them progressing back to the human society- there was still a few left over from the transition and if the prince chose the right human woman he may be able to marry her without much uproar. But he would be diluting the bloodline even further. Or he could just ignore the mate bond and marry another werewolf.

I pretended that it was the impurity of the bloodlines that made me angry. The moon goddess was the one who decided who were mated to and she was a powerful being who was not to be ignored. Still, I couldn't deny the truth. The thought of the prince being with someone else infuriated me. The mate bond between us was weak because my human side- which would appeal to him- was barely alive and his didn't have much wolf to speak of at all. But was enough for him to locate me and it was enough to make me question some of my choices. So maybe it was enough for him to overlook my brashness.

Sadly, I was quite certain that my actions had pushed him to make the decision against me. He seemed refined and gentle and I had been the complete opposite. I had no idea who Selene was to him, but clearly she was important and though I hadn't hurt her I made my intent very clear. I knew what my reaction would be if he acted aggressively towards Thorn or Hunter.

That meant that unless I came up with a brilliant plan to outsmart the guards or suddenly became stronger than any other werewolf there was absolutely no way I was getting out of this prison alive.

Like the previous night I paced around my cell relentlessly. My claws clicked against the slippery stones and my tongue slipped out of my mouth as I panted with anxiety. Each time I turned my head to survey my surroundings for the millionth time the agony from the collar would flood through my system.

I willed my mind to come up with a realistic plan of how I would get out of here, with or without the guards, but I came up with very few options and the choice I had didn't seem all the promising. I was sure that I wouldn't be the first rogue that would try to slip out of someone's clutches in hopes of making a mad dash. Sadly, it was the only plan I had that was even close to logical.

The sound of the heavy metal door filled the air again. A guard was coming.

But the steps coming down the hallway weren't as heavy or as aggressive as many of the guards who did the rounds. My ear perked upwards just like my hopes. And a wonderful scent hit my nose. Meat.

"Hello...you." Prince Griffin said with a smile, appearing behind the bars.

And in his hand was a platter with a massive slab of raw beef.

I wanted to go through a reasonable thought process of how I would handle this situation, but my stomach and my wolf were much stronger than any rational part of me. Within seconds I had taken three large strides and I had to force myself to stop from going any further, my eyes locked onto the bloody chunk.

As much as I wanted it the prince was still just that...a prince.

"I figured you were hungry." He said with a soft laugh. But then he held the meat just outside of the bars. If I moved to get it out of his hands my body would have be pressed flush against the metal and I would be extremely close to him. it was too risky. "Come on. I know you want it." He encouraged.