Falling in Love with the King of Beasts

LERRIN

The morning after Suhle revealed her talent for evading notice, and ability to sneak through a busy encampment—even past guards—Lerrin had woken with an itch in his skin, something that made him want to roll his shoulders, or scratch behind his ear. He could not shake it. It put his teeth on edge. So, he was already tense before he realized he'd slept through the night without any word about their attempt to assassinate the Cat.

He sent one of the guards to find Hern and bring him for a report, then paced the floor. Was the fact that they hadn't returned a good sign, or a bad one? And was this the only reason he felt so uptight? Or was it because of Suhle?

She gotten up and left the tent silently before he woke and he hadn't seen her. Hadn't been able to see if she was okay after making herself vulnerable the night before. Hadn't been able to see if she now judged him differently for knowing he didn't really wish to rule.

He growled and rolled his head on his neck. He needed some of her lavender tea or he was going to bite someone's face off today.

Finally, half an hour later, the guard returned to announce Hern, and the older wolf strode in, offering Lerrin the salute.

"News?" Lerrin said without any courtesies.

Hern didn't appear to care. "None."

"What does that mean?"

"It means either they were caught, or they were successful, but are having to evade the enemy. They were always going to have to take a long route out. In the event of discovery, they were to travel southeast to throw them off, and only circle back if they lost their pursuers."

Lerrin nodded. "Then I guess we pray that that's what has happened."

The older man nodded, then waited, eyeing Lerrin curiously.

"What is it?" Lerrin asked sharply.

"I only wondered if—"

"Sire! Captain! A report, sirs!" The young sentry rushed into the tent without announcement, which meant his message was truly urgent. He submitted before Lerrin even as he handed a folded paper to Hern, who took it and read it, then snarled.

"What is it?" Lerrin asked.

Hern shook his head and handed the paper to Lerrin. Then he turned to the sentry. "Did you read this message?"

"No, sir."

"Who brought it?"

The Sentry looked confused. "The wolf you sent to watch for the return," he said.

A low growl rolled in Hern's throat, but he didn't comment. "Thank you. You have done well. Return to your post."

"Yes, Sir."

Lerrin watched Hern carefully, then opened the paper, dread thick in his stomach.

We killed four and have taken the other two as prisoners of war.

They will provide me what I need, or they will be killed.

This is what will befall any you send against me. Stop being a coward. Turn and face your enemy.

Signed: Gareth Orstas Hyrehyn

"Fuck." Lerrin snorted the scent of the cat from his nose, his fury rising to make his hackles stand. "Fucking cat." He crumpled the note and threw it to the ground with a snarl.

"We knew he would be difficult to reach," Hern said flatly.

"How did he get this to us?"

Hern shook his head. "He has to have kept a couple of tame wolves. I didn't set a Watcher for them. Whoever brought this, brought it from Reth and knew enough of our ways to speak with the Sentry and convince them he was one of us."

"You're telling me they just walked up to our camp and gave us a note? No alarm? No concern? Nothing?"

"They must have maintained their connection with the pack mind."

"So, we could have disloyal wolves just walking into our camp because our sentries don't know every face?"

"No. They targeted an outer sentry. I will investigate and learn exactly how it happened. But our system is for runners to bring messages quickly—especially if the messenger is tired. I'm guessing they played that card, knowing our sentry would bring it to us. The guards at the gates and boundaries would have questioned them. They're older and know most of the people. They would scent the Cat on them."

Lerrin snarled again and turned away, fury burning in his veins. At every turn his people proved inadequate!

"Call the security council here now. We will get to the bottom of this, and make a new plan. I will not have that Cat taunting me in my own home!"

Hern's jaw twitched, but he nodded and strode out of the tent just as Suhle returned. She appeared startled to come face to face with the male, but dropped her head and stepped out of his way quickly, avoiding eye-contact.

He sniffed at her, but kept walking, the tent flap snapping in his wake.

Lerrin sucked in at the sight of her. She had put her hood back on and she stood, shoulders rolled forward in the posture of submission, until several seconds after Hern had left, then she raised her head, lowered her hood, and found Lerrin with her eyes.

Neither of them spoke.

Lerrin swallowed back his anger, knowing she would have already scented it. "Good morning," he said carefully, trying hard not to communicate his tension. But apparently failing.

"What has happened?" she asked, walking over to him, brows pinched over her nose.

He snorted. "The fist we sent to assassinate Reth were all either killed or captured, and he sent us a note to tell us so. Got a messenger to our sentry somehow, who didn't even register that it wasn't a wolf from the encampment. So now I have six men dead and an entire boundary I cannot trust!" he snarled, then took a deep breath when she tensed.

"I will make you some tea," she said quietly.

She was lifting her hand, as if she would rest it on his arm, when the tent flap snapped again and one of the guards stepped in to announce the first of the council arriving. Suhle very smoothly changed the movement to lift her hood back over her hair and turned for the kitchen area, no doubt to make tea and prepare food.

Lerrin told himself he only wanted to bite the male's throat out because of his frustration over losing an entire fist of good, strong fighters.

He would have wanted to attack anyone that walked it.