Shifters - The king of wolves - Book 1

CHAPTER 26 - A GIFT FROM THE MOON

As Egon's lips pressed against mine a sudden sharp pain shot through my body, causing me to flinch.

Instantly, Egon released me, his eyes clouded with worry. "Are you all right?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

I nodded, trying to mask the discomfort with a forced smile. "Just a bit sore," I assured him, though the throbbing ache persisted with every movement. It seemed that all my sensations had returned to my body.

Egon guided me to the nearby couch beside the crackling fireplace. "Where's that damn doctor?" Egon muttered under his breath.

I glanced up at him, furrowing my brows. "Doctor?"

Egon nodded, his gaze drifting back to me. "Yes, I want to make sure you don't have any serious injuries. I've asked Leif to fetch him, but the man is human and stays on the other side of town. I figure it might be a while before he gets here."

His gaze drifted from my eyes to my neck, his expression immediately darkened with anger. I could feel the soreness of my throat and I was sure that the brutal assault of the skinners left their mark.

I reached out to him, silently urging him to meet my gaze. "I'm okay," I reassured him, trying to ease the fury burning in his eyes.

"I will wait for the doctor's verdict if you don't mind," he remarked, casting a sceptical glance in my direction as if he seemed unconvinced by my assurance.

Suddenly, he let out a sigh, his head hanging in shame. "I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have lashed out at you without knowing the full story."

I shook my head. "You had every right to be angry. I understand how serious the situation was, even if I didn't expect it to escalate like that."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Egon asked, his tone softening with concern. "I can't imagine someone would send you into that grim part of Blackbridge."

Taking a deep breath, I recounted Runelda's distress upon returning from her dinner with her father. How she confided in me about her father's plans to marry her off to an older man, and when she asked for my help, I couldn't refuse. It seemed like a harmless task, deliver a letter to a local pub and return safely to the inn.

"I suspected the letter was meant for someone Runelda cared about," I explained. "I reasoned that if I were in her position, I'd want someone to assist me in reaching you."

Egon's gaze softened with understanding. "I know. Please go on."

I described my arrival at the pub, where the bustling crowd made it difficult to spot anyone matching Runelda's description.

"But there was someone else I recognized," I explained, my heart beating faster as I recalled that moment. "It was a guard from the castle gates whom I had encountered on my first day here. His name is Thorren."

As his name left my lips, Egon's demeanour shifted, his eyes darkening once more. "What did he do?" he demanded, his voice tight with anger.

Bewildered, I looked up at Egon. Why did he react like he already knew what happened? "Do you know him?" I asked, puzzled by his anger.

Egon ran a hand through his hair before he confessed with a frustrated sigh. "Yes, I do. Rolf informed me about his disgusting behaviour towards you. I had him checked out and found out he has a history of mistreating women, touching them without consent."

I felt the blood drain from my face as a chill washed over me. He had done this before?

"He's scum," Egon continued. "And I wasn't going to let someone like him close to you again. I couldn't take matters into my own hands, as that would be against the law. But I managed to persuade Lord Blackbridge to dismiss him from his service. I suspected Lord Blackbridge was aware of his guard's actions, but he didn't have much choice as he harassed a member of my staff. The relationship he had built with me was more important to him than just some guard. So he did what I requested without complaint."