6

A R Y A

➳

It took me a while to remember where I was. The guest room Xenos had given me for the night was beautiful. Although it wasn't quite as pretty as my tree house, which fitted snugly to the tree and wrapped around its dense trunk, it was pretty. It wasn't the big bed or the beautiful walk-in closet that won me over. It was the huge window that opened up a direct view of the lush green trees that lurked in front of the house.

I stepped closer to the window and held out my hand. As if the trees had heard me, they stretched out their branches to me and their leaves touched the glass fogged with the night's frost. The individual rays of the sun warmed my cold skin and slowly I became warmer. I wasn't used to the northern climate and my skimpy leather clothing didn't help either.

My fingers moved and the branches mimicked my movements, dancing in the air. Smiling, I took a deep breath and my troubled pulse slowly settled. The encounter with Xenos yesterday once again ripped the rug from under my feet. Sea blue eyes had followed me all night and never let go. I still saw her in front of me. A silent storm that raged with tremendous violence and made my heart beat faster. I had forgotten what it was like to be in his presence. One look at him was enough and my body tingled. Those broad shoulders and that short blond hair that I'd love to run through and toss in all directions.

My breathing became shallow and fogged the windowpane as memories caught up with me. Firm, hard lips on mine - hot and demanding. I touched my lips, trembling, still reminiscing. It was just a kiss, one kiss. But as plain and simple as it was, it left such an emptiness in my chest that wasn't there before. I wanted his big hands to touch me, wanted that gorgeous mouth on mine.

I turned abruptly away from the window front. I went insane - completely insane. Xenos was no different than any other man, maybe even worse, after all he was the king. His tremendous dominance was palpable even when he wasn't flaunting it. And dominant men always got what they wanted - but not with me.

Being here distracted me. Xenos distracted me. And that couldn't be. My tribe was still being threatened and meanwhile I was standing here thinking about a grumpy wolf that had nothing to do in my head. I groaned in irritation. What did he do to me? How come?

I shook my head like I could just shake it off. I was here on a mission. Xenos was none of my business. He meant nothing to me. I resolutely grabbed the door and walked out into the hallway.

The Packhaus - or rather Packvilla - was huge. It had over a hundred guest rooms, a ballroom, exercise rooms, a large kitchen on the ground floor, and several small kitchens on each floor - so all members of the pack could feel at home. It was beautiful, not quite as close to nature as my home, but nice.

I padded my bare feet across the cold marble floor and gazed at the stunning scenery through the large windows to my left. The packhouse was in the harsh wilderness, far to the north, where the vast territory of the Moonwater Wolves lay - the strongest pack in all of Semeera and Anifeira included. The Moonwater pack was one of the oldest packs ever and I wondered how old Xenos was. A thousand years? Or older?

As soon as I got to the end of the corridor, a wonderful smell wafted towards me and made my mouth water. I pushed into the kitchen and froze. Luckily, I was just able to keep my mouth from falling open. What in Gaia's will was he doing?

“Good, you're awake.” Xenos said without turning to me. He stood with his legs apart in front of the stove and fiddled around with something, his back muscles protruding through his shirt and bulging.

Realizing what I was doing here, I tore my eyes away from him and instead stared at his brown hair. “What are you doing?”

He only growled as he continued to work on the hissing stove. I was still staring at him in amazement. he cooked? Xenos, the king of the werewolves cooked ? – he turned away from the stove and turned to me.

“Pancakes.” He placed the plate on the bar that was between him and me.

I shook my head blankly. “You cook?” I stupidly asked the obvious.

He ignored my stunned expression and pointed to the bar stool. “Sit down.”

It took me a while to recover from the little shock and brought myself back to the here and now. I looked at the clock on the wall and my blood froze in my veins. Holy Gaia, how long had I been asleep?! “The clock has already made ten! We don't have time to do tea parties. We must follow the tracks before we lose them.”

He said calmly, “We won't leave without you having breakfast first.”

If I had fur, it would have resisted all directions now. I hissed, “I'm not a dog you can just give orders to.” I crossed my arms defiantly across my chest. “Besides, I'm not hungry.”

Violent waves raged in his deep dark blue eyes, beneath which shadows of a sleepless night made themselves known, but he remained calm. Dangerously calm. “When was the last time you ate something, huh? I'm sure you haven't taken anything since you left the Retanis.”

As if on command, my stomach growled. Traitor! Xenos was right, I had been so focused on finding the pack that I hadn't even thought for a second about getting something to eat. I didn't have to tell him that, though, his ego was always big enough. “I'm a good hunter. And I can take care of myself very well.”

“I know that.”

“I am first arrow, best warrior of Retanis! I've mastered the bow and arrow-' It wasn't until he raised an eyebrow that I realized what he'd just told me. I stopped and blinked several times. “What?”

I thought I saw a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “I know you can take care of yourself. And I also know how good your art of war is .” he emphasized the last sentence and looked deep into my eyes, making my heart race and my body tense. I still hadn't forgiven him for not putting me on the front line from the start - but the next few words made me change my mind about him and maybe forgive him after all. Perhaps. “If I went to war now, you'd be in the front row.”

Unable to tear myself away from his burning blue eyes, I drew in a hissing breath. Am I wrong about him being the same as all other men?

Then he put both his hands on the Baar table and leaned closer to me. “Now eat, kitten .”

“Stop calling me that.” I hissed, but couldn't help but redden my cheeks. Oh, you moons, please let me die at once! I never blushed. Never! To retain at least a little pride, I sat on the stool with my chin up and eyed the funny-looking flat cakes. I hesitantly took a bite and to my amazement, they were an absolute delight! My eyes widened and jerked up at Xenos. “What is that?”

“Pancakes.” His eyes sparkled and he tilted his head to one side. “Do you like it?”

I nodded. “ Aee, yes . And how!”

He crossed his arms arrogantly. “My Specialty.”

He not only cooked, but also absolutely fantastic. He was a wolf full of surprises and my curiosity was piqued. What else was hiding behind its icy wall?

To stop staring at him, I took another bite of this Divine Food while he followed my every move. My songs closed on their own and I groaned as I enjoyed the delicious explosion of flavors in my mouth. It wasn't until I heard the low, dangerous growl that I opened my eyes and gasped.

In a flash, Xenos was leaning over the bar and staring at me. The blue in his eyes glowed so fiercely that I feared his gaze might burn me. Even then, I wouldn't have been able to take my eyes off him. He captivated me, did things to my heart I couldn't explain.

“Here. Eat.” rough and hoarse. Without taking his eyes off me, he held another bite in front of my mouth.

Blood pounded in my ears and my body tingled with anticipation. I slowly parted my lips and closed them around the fork. His hand spasmed and his dark growl echoed around the room. I could already feel his wolf near the surface when his eyes transformed and his whole body trembled.

Hot desire heated my blood and coursed through my veins as I gulped down the bite and moistened my lips with frantic breathing. Immediately his eyes twitched to my mouth and his nostrils flared. I wanted to feel his hand on the back of my neck, those wet, hard lips on mine and forget everything around me, just like before a solar orbit.

Slowly - so that I almost whimpered with longing - he leaned even closer to me. I could already feel his breath on my face and desperately clenched my thighs when...