Daughter of War

Chapter 17 - Stubborn Anger

Thora is awakened from her sleep when Alden charges into the room, the door slams open with a rather loud bang, startling Thora.

Thora sits up in bed quickly, grabbing a knife from its hiding place and pointing it at the intruders. Who turns out to be Alden, and a heavy portion of his guards.

"Thora," Alden growls dangerously, "what did you do?"

Thora's cheeks turn red in embarrassment as she rushes to clutch the sheets to her exposed chest. Thora looks to her husband with wide-eyed shock as she looks to the guards, who are trying to look anywhere but at her.

Alden orders his men out and then he turns back to Thora, there is a wave of anger within his eyes, one that Thora doesn't want to tempt.

"What did you do?" he growls again as Thora gets out of bed.

"What are you talking about?" she asks and Alden rolls his eyes.

"The keta wolf escaped," he snarls and Thora's heart skips a beat, "It killed three people last night."

"What makes you think that I had anything to do with it?" Thora asks as she pulls on her robe.

"Don't," Alden warns as Thora ties the cord around her waist, "Don't lie to me Thora. People are dead because of that creature. There was a witness, said that they saw two women walk out of the tent with the keta wolf. When it ran, they didn't do a thing to stop it. The witness said one of the women wore a white shirt, brown pants, and a black cloak."

Alden point's to where Thora left her clothes, Thora looks away from Alden and keeps her mouth shut.

"Damn it Thora!" he shouts, he slams his fist on his desk and the sound makes Thora flinch, "That wolf killed three people, they are calling for the people who released it to be beheaded!"

"I couldn't just let it die," Thora says, looking at Alden, "It was innocent."

"It bit off a man's fingers!" Alden shouts, "That is not innocent."

"Alden, I was there," Thora says calmly, "I saw the man provoke the wolf and then get too close."

"It does not matter," Alden sighs, "It killed three people before it reached the woods, and now I have to go out and hunt the damn thing and try to cover your mess so your head doesn't get mounted on a spike."

"Alden," Thora pleads, stepping forward, "Don't kill it, he just wanted to be free."

"Enough, Thora," Alden snaps, walking out of the room, then he shouts an order to his guards, "Make sure she doesn't leave."

He slams the door as he leaves, Thora's heart sinks as she rushes over to the window; she watches as Alden mounts his horse outside the castle gates, with him is a small army of men mounted on the backs of horses as well as tracking and hunting dogs.

Thora rushes and dresses in the clothes she wore last night, she pulls on her boots and escapes through the hidden corridors, she mounts her Lucianti mare and then gallops out of the stables and into the woods, riding in the opposite direction Alden and his guards rode in.

Thora rides deep into the woods before stopping and then dismounting, tying her horse to a low hanging branch. She then takes a deep breath and cups her hands around the mouth, the tips her head back and howls.

She howls deeply, mimicking ones she has heard so many times, growing up by the Werewood.

She listens for a moment before howling again, this time she hears a howl reply. Thora waits for a moment and then she hears a twig snap underfoot, she turns to see the keta wolf step forward, his eyes stare at her with pleading fear; he knows that he is being hunted.