Claire Pov & Embry in media.
My green eyes lock with someone's hazel eyes. It's a she-wolf, judging by her now highlighted yellow eyes, or more like bright gold. She's also the source of the damp earth and wildflower scent, which is way more potent inside the room.
I lock the door just in time to stop King Cyrus from opening it, even though I know that won't stop him as he's already slamming his body into the door.
Why is he acting like that? Who is she?
"Who are you?" she asks me the same thing I was thinking. "You smell like their king."
I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult, but judging by the frown plastered on her face, I'm guessing the latter one.
I raise my eyebrow in response. "You smell like a flower tossed in the dirt. But hey, I'm not judging."
She smiles. "I have never met a sarcastic human before, but then again, I haven't met that many humans."
"I get that a lot."
King Cyrus finally bursts into the room, knocking the hinges off the door in the process. Typical vampire. Xander and Mr. Meany walk right in beside him. The cute little she-wolf's eyes are fixed on King Cyrus. I know that look. That's the same look that Jadis gives King Cornelius.
Interesting.
"It's not safe for you in here, Claire," says Xander. "You shouldn't be roaming where the wild things are."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" snarls King Cyrus, making this situation even more interesting.
"You know exactly what the fuck I mean. Claire is too valuable to be placed in a room with the untamed and untrained."
"Fuck you," spits King Cyrus, his eyes now bleeding red. "You would know all about the untamed and untrained, wouldn't you? All hail the Cold-hearted King that fell in love with the lycans human who—"
Xander is in front of King Cyrus before he could finish his sentence. He smashes him into the wall with a loud bang, his eyes are scarlet.
This is déjà vu. I'm starting to realize that none of the kings can be together in one place for more than five minutes without trying to kill one another.
Cyrus's hand wraps around Xander's neck, and he flips him into the wall. The two start to wrestle, fangs bared and muscles flexing.
Honestly, watching them wrestle like two human boys is kind of entertaining, but I can tell you one thing: It is way less frightening than Xander and Nicklaus's fight earlier today.
Now that I'm thinking about it, what the hell happened with that whole situation anyway? I remember them fighting, then it went blank. I remember the feel of Nicklaus feeding off me before it went blank again. I think I'll remember the feeling of Nicklaus taking my blood even if I was in a coma. It's that good.
Noise from the left side of me forces my attention back to the two kings behaving like peasants. Mr. Meany places a protective hand on my shoulder while staring at the little she-wolf.
I don't understand why they are acting like this. First of all, I'm a slave, nothing more and nothing less. Well, I'm Nicklaus's slave beloved, but I highly doubt Mr. Meany knows about that. Secondly, the she-wolf looks as if she is damn near about to piss in her pants instead of attacking me.
The only thing wild about her is her beauty. She has a tiny frame, and she's gorgeous and tall, maybe around 5'10 or 5'11. I'm starting to believe it is the average height of most she-wolves. They all look like supermodels, or how I imagine a supermodel should look. Put it like this: If they were humans, they would have no problem being selected as a chosen, especially her. She has waist-length dark-brown hair and a face of a porcelain doll. Her hazel eyes are brilliant and familiar. She looks wild and exotic but also soft and delicate.
Most of the other wolves would be jumping for joy or releasing wolf howls seeing two vampires trying to kill each other. Their eyes would be highlighted yellow and filled with amusement. In the short period of time that I have been around werewolves, even I figured out that they live for action and blood, specifically vampire blood. They are all lunatics. But not this she-wolf. She looks like she'd rather run and hide instead of engaging in a fight. She's not acting like the typical crazy ole she-wolves that I have met, but she does look oddly familiar.
I'm pretty sure she wasn't back at the packhouse. You wouldn't forget a face like hers; that's for sure. That brings me back to my original question, Who is she? I feel like I'm missing something big.
Her brilliant hazel eyes flash golden seconds after Xander's knees hit King Cyrus in his gut.
Now, this is really, really interesting.
She takes a step forward, and I'm certain she is going to pounce on top of Xander, but she doesn't. No. This she-wolf is just full of surprises.
She takes another step, dangerously close to the fighting vampires. She throws herself at their feet, bowing to show submission.
My jaw drops, literally hitting the floor. No creature with wolf blood would ever show so much respect to vampires. No one.
Her action doesn't go unnoticed at all. Xander and King Cyrus stop fighting at once. Xander's face resembles my own—stunned.
Mr. Meany's usual unemotional mask drops for only a second, while King Cyrus looks ten times more pissed and dangerous than he was ten seconds ago, his eyes on her. His body moves towards her with the elegance of a predator.
"You!" he growls, as he brings her to her feet. "Don't bow for anyone."
She challenges his statement with one word: "Why?"
King Cyrus's eyes flash bright red, brighter than I can ever imagine and then he's gone, just like that.
Now, that was quite a show.
Her shoulders slump in defeat, and her eyes start to water.
Xander and Mr. Meany look extremely uncomfortable.
Oh, I think I'm starting to see what's going on.
"Can we have some time alone?"
Xander's head snaps in my direction. His eyes are back to their usual icy gray shade. "That's absolutely out of the question." His words are cold and full of venom. I don't like this side of him one bit. "You will not be left alone with the likes of her."
She flinches and drops her head like it will make her invisible.
"And I will not be told by the likes of you who I can or cannot be around!" I spit.
Xander is dead wrong. What has gotten into him?
He makes his way in front of me. His eyes are blazing.
I stand my ground, burning him with my stare.
He stands tall and proud, towering over me with his muscular frame.
Mr. Meany's body goes stiff beside me, indicating that he will protect me against anyone. But there is no need. I'm a big girl, and I damn sure can handle myself.
Xander tilts his chin. He's also a king in his own right, but even with me already knowing this, I still don't give two shits.
Suddenly his lips curve into a smirk. "Checkmate!" says Xander, leaving the room.
I should have known.
My neck snaps in Mr. Meany's direction, then he nods and leaves as well.
Relief floods the she-wolf's face as she slumps down onto the floor.
"Xander is not really that bad," begin, regaining her attention.
She looks at me curiously. Her hazel eyes study me carefully.
"I don't think any of them are," she responds.
Again, this girl surprises me. Xander's insults were extremely harsh, and they seemed to offend me more than they did to her.
"I'm a wolf. They are vampires. Our kinds have always been on edge around each other, so I understand why he reacted that way with me. What I don't get is why they are so overprotective of you, or why they would even take orders from you. You're just a human." She pauses. "No offense."
"None taken." I shrug. "They know I have ball-kicking superpowers, and that I will kick their asses," I tell her, in an attempt to make her laugh.
It works. She giggles slightly. Her soft nature reminds me of Jadis. She would love her. She will have a fun-filled day, braiding her hair and playing dress-up with this girl—or more like dressing this girl up.
"So I guess that would explain why they are afraid of you. No male, human, wolf, or vampire wants to get their balls kicked."
"Yup, ball kicking at its finest," I say, taking a seat beside her.
She seems surprised but doesn't react. Her wildflower scent is more potent. It's refreshing and peaceful. She looks out the window, clearly lost in thought.
My mind wanders to Nicklaus. I miss him. I can feel his presence lingering inside my mind. I don't want to seem cliche, but his arrival is highly anticipated.
"Embry," the she-wolf says, knocking away my train of thought. She turns and holds out her hand for me to take. "I'm Embry Wilde."
"My name is Claire," I tell her, shaking her hand briefly.
She smiles softly.
Yes, her name suits her. Embry Wilde. Wait, what? Embry Wilde is the she-wolf Mecca told me about. She's the one they've all been searching for and the reason why the werewolves officially declared war against King Cyrus.
King Cyrus . . . OMG! Now, it all adds up.
"You're his beloved, aren't you?"
Her hazel eyes enlarge. They look so familiar. They are the exact same shade as her sister's. Now that I'm looking at her, I don't understand how I didn't put everything together sooner. They look just a-like, like twins.
"Yes, he is my mate," she whispers. Her shock turns to defeat.
I frown. I don't get it. Wolves are supposed to kiss the ground their mates walk on. Even her uncle was willing to wait until death to return to Mecca. But this girl doesn't seem too happy about finding King Cyrus. Maybe that's it. It's King Cyrus the Ruthless King, but she is a Wilde. They are just as ruthless. Trust me. I have seen her father in a battle. He's a true beast.
"But I'm a Wilde. My people will never allow it. Plus, he won't even acknowledge it," says Embry, talking more to herself than me.
Xander walks back into the room, earning the stink eye from me. Then . . . the smell of butter and maple hits me fast.
Pan-fuck-ing-cakes!
My mouth starts to water, and my stomach growls on cue. With all this new information, I must have worked up quite the appetite.
Okay, that's a lie, and maybe I'm being a little overdramatic because I'm always hungry for pancakes, with or without new information.
Embry's stomach growls as well.
Great! She likes pancakes too. Hopefully, this will make her feel a little better.
Out of nowhere, I start to feel light-headed. The sound of Xander placing the plate in front of me makes me jump. And it doesn't go unnoticed.
"Claire! What's wrong? What did you do?" Xander snaps, turning to face Embry.
"Don't talk to her like that," I sneer, looking directly into his eyes.
Mr. Meany and King Cyrus rush inside the room the moment my body catches on fire. My chest is ablaze, my blood boiling and the entire room bleeding crimson. Unexpected anger, hatred, and rage flood through my veins like my own blood. My eyes flutter shut. I try to open them, but I can't. It's just like how it was before. My mind is fully awake and alert, but my body is in a dream‑like state. I can hear and feel everything happening around me, but I can't see or speak.
"Something is wrong," Mr. Meany speaks.
"It's the claim. She's feeling his emotions," King Cyrus says in awe. I feel him move beside me, most likely closer to Embry.
"But how?" asks Mr. Meany. "It's too soon."
"She communicated with him before in a dream-like state," Xander adds.
I have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, and the pounding in my head only makes it hard for me to try and understand what they are saying. The pounding only grows harder. My head starts to spin, and the taste of displeasure and disgust is on the tip of my tongue. A dreadful feeling smacks me in the gut, and no matter how hard I try to shake it, I just can't.
Mr. Meany is right; something is wrong—really, really wrong.
"Claire," Xander calls. He places his hand on my shoulder. "I know you can hear me. I promise it will be okay, but I need you to follow my directions." His voice is gentle, and his touch calms my nerves a little. "Open your mind completely and search for the person that makes you feel the safest."
Nicklaus. I'm the safest with him.
I follow Xander's instructions, verbatim.
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Awake Friday Please don't forget to hit that golden star ⭐️ comment and follow. I'm sorry about the late update. I'm feeling a little under the weather. So, I may or may not update Monday but if I don't. That means... Double Update when I do. I want to try something new with my stories. Basically, I want to know more about my readers. So here's a question for you.
Who is your favorite Character in this book and why?