The Lycan King & I.

//eight//

Part I: Chapter Eight
Eliette Mercer
The Northern Kingdom
October

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The final stretch of the drive had been quiet. The Kings eyes had glazed over for all of it, silently communicating to some far off wolf with unbreakable focus. I hoped in vain that he wasn't distracting Wells from the road. The welcoming howls grew more plentiful as we neared our destination, nearly deafening by the time our car stops in front of the magnificent Pack House. Pack House doesn't do this building justice, this was a Castle.

"Welcome to the North, Queen Luna."

The wolf in the doorway is not only beautiful, but reposeful. It's the closest I've felt to comfort in a long time. Much like every other Lycan I'd met so far, she has tanned skin and impossibly long limbs. Gracious in her movements, her dark corkscrew curls were pulled back in an neat knot. 

"How was the journey?" She rises from her curtsey. 

The expensive wooding under my shoes matches the elegant ten-foot tall doors. With walls of cobblestone, everything about this castle screamed ancient wealth.  Each window in my sight seemed to be grander than the last, framed with red swiping curtains that ran from ceiling to the floor. Dozens of steaming fireplaces with tall chimneys dotted the large foyer.

"Long." The King answers back shortly, shedding his cloak and laying it in her already outstretched arms. He turns around slightly, eyeing my small frame cowering close to the doors. "Elliette, please meet Jenevieve."

"Please, call me Jen." She extends a hand out to grasp mine in welcome, her skin warm and soft. "Welcome home, my Queen."

Home? This isn't home. Nothing on this continent was home. My home was Gailye, two kingdoms south of here. A mountain range, forest, dessert and ocean separated this castle from my home. It would be over a months journey to get there. It was likely I would never hear it's crashing waves or taste the salt in it's breeze, those who go North do not return. It was known.

My hand limply falls to my side once Jen let's it go. She's tall, healthy and lithe. I'm so taken in by studying the flawless skin that covers her face, that I don't notice another wolf descend the magnificent staircase until she's bowing in front of us. 

"My King Alpha, My Queen Luna," The other Lycan woman rises from a somewhat clumsy. She's the closest to my height I've seen yet, but doesn't make her any less intimidating. 

Stocky and muscular, there's no question she is a fighter, though I'd never seen a she-wolf warrior before. The scars and scratches littering her tanned skin was not lost to me... Battle scars. Her dark hair is short, but too choppy to be done as a fashionable decision. This was for ease in combat. 

"Eliette," The King gestures to me, nodding towards the newcomer. "This is Valerie, Axle's mate."

"It's an honor," Valerie says, and not at all ironically. More like it's an honor she hasn't killed me yet. 

It makes sense that she's axles mate. Val was obviously high enough ranking to be apart of the kings inner circle, but also rough around the edges. Two intense wolves with muscles to back it up. 

"You understand why you're here, right?" Ben presses Valerie. The curious side of me wants to see his expression, but I sacrifice to stay near the exit. Exits give me a sense of control, especially with crowds. Crowds aren't good. Instead, I watch the snow and ice melt in Ben's dark curls on the back of his head.