Strange Love

CHAPTER 37: The beast vs the monster

Ales stood temporarily frozen in the doorway of his bedroom as the pale wolf crept low to the ground, angrily snarling, toward the other wolf. He wanted to call out her name but was terrified his distraction would prove fatal for her. His heart leapt into his c.h.e.s.t as the other wolf snarled back, its gaze darting wildly around the hallway for a means of escape. His breathing seized in his lungs as she used Fern's distraction as an opportunity to attack. He gripped the front of his robe in a tight, clawed fist and ripped it free of his body. He was mid-shift when Cam's sharp teeth caught Fern's neck directly under his jaw. The gray wolf howled and thrashed around wildly to escape, kicking out at her as he did so.

Ales let out a loud, bloodcurdling howl, ordering all the wolves in the surrounding area to shift and be on guard. By the time all five guards had completely shifted beside him, Cam and Fern's battle had moved farther down the hall nearly to the stairs. It was hard to tell which was currently winning as their bodies twisted and rolled over one another as Fern not only struggled to break free of her powerful grip on his throat but cause as much damage to her as he could in the process.

When Fern caught sight of Ales and the other wolves charging toward him, he forced his and Cam's bodies over the railing of the open balcony. Their bodies tangled and flailed as they fell the three floors to the hard granite of the main foyer.

Ales quickly leaped over the broken railing following them down when he heard the sounds of the crash accompanied by Cam's loud yelp. His feet had barely landed on the granite floor beside Cam, when he caught a secret passage closing between the wall and a trail of his brother's blood. He forced his body to rapidly shift to human form as he gave the others orders as they descended the stairs and came through other areas of the palace. "Your queen has been hurt by my brother! Prince Fernando is no longer a friend of the crown nor a member of this pack! See that he is either hunted down or chased off these lands!" He said as he pointed toward the passage.

As wolves darted past him through the passage that had been reopened by one of the pack warriors, he lowered to the ground and examined Cam. She was still in wolf form and panting heavily. His eyes darted wildly around the room. "You there, find the palace medic!" He called out to one of the servants who'd come in to see what was going on. The girl bowed and nodded quickly before heading back in the direction she'd emerged. He scooped the wolf's head up into his arms as he knelt beside her. Her icy blue eyes held his as he carefully stroked his hand over her to find the source of her pain. When his hand came into contact with the jagged edge of a fur-covered broken rib, she yelped, and he winced. "You must shift back, my love, it is the quickest way to heal it."

"That wouldn't be advised, Your Majesty." The palace doctor said as he walked quickly through the room. "The ribs must be reset, or the shift could cause more damage instead of healing it. She doesn't have the same healing abilities as you, Sire." The doctor quickly lowered to the ground and examined the wolf, pressing a stethoscope to her side as he did. His features fell into a deep frown. "The rib as punctured her lung, Sire. It will not be an easy reset. We must move her to the infirmary." He nodded to two others who had followed him in. He waited as they quickly retrieved the gurney, they'd brought with them and made their way over quickly. "Please step back, Sire. We do not wish to injure Her Majesty further."

Ales watched in desperate frustration, as he was forced aside, and his one true love was left in the skilled hands of the palace medical team. He followed after them as they began carrying her toward the infirmary. "What can I do to help?" He asked, worry laced around every word.

The doctor shook his head. "You may stay with her and hold her paw until the anesthetics take effect, then I must ask you to leave until we are finished." He scanned the young king. "You may want to consider having her some clothes sent down... and perhaps yourself as well, while you wait."

Ales frowned but didn't say anything as he stroked Cam's paw with the pad of his thumb as he clung to it tightly. He whispered soothing words to her and bent to shower her muzzle with kisses after each. His eyes burned with tears as he was forced to gaze down into the pale, pained depths of hers. What he would give to hear some kind of reassurance to her state from her own lips. He stroked his free hand over the soft fur of her head and rubbed her ears soothingly. "You were so brave tonight, my love. I'm such a fool... this would have never happened had I believed you from the start..." He bent and gave her muzzle another lingering kiss as his tears trailed down his face onto her fur. He shook his head as he buried his face into the thick fur at her throat. "I'll never doubt you again, my love... Never!"

***

Several hours had passed and Ales had actually drifted off to sleep in one of the comfortable leather sofas sitting outside the main doors of the infirmary. The sounds of several footsteps coming down the hallway woke him. He shot to his feet when he realized it was the leaders of the pack warriors. "What news do you have? Has my brother been arrested?"

The leader bowed his head slightly before taking a step closer to Ales and began speaking. "Sire, I am disappointed to inform you, we were unable to capture him. Many of the guards and warriors were unfamiliar with the passages Prince Fernando used to escape. Several became lost and disoriented in the labyrinth of tunnels leading to the coast, Sire... others fled with him, most likely working as a team to cover their tracks."

Ales's head ached. {Passages, tunnels, a labyrinth?!} This was the first that he'd heard of any of it, but he refused to let his loyal followers know as much. He would wait for Cam to wake and seek her knowledge and advice on the matter before continuing forward. He nodded to the head warrior. "Very good, Vigo. Have Lookout keep eyes out for him and any of the traitors who fled with him. Have anyone caught locked in the dungeon until proper measures can be taken."

The older, larger man nodded as he bowed his head again. "Yes, Sire." His eyes moved to the heavy doors of the infirmary. "Will Her Majesty be alright, Sire? Those who saw it said she fought bravely with a fierceness of Fenrir himself." The man's battle-scarred face shown with admiration for the young queen as he spoke.

Ales nodded his head as he followed Vigo's gaze toward the door. A smile curved his lips. "She did, indeed... and had I not been absolutely terrified for her safety at the time, I would admit it was quite the display." His gaze moved back to Vigo's as his smile widened. "I have no doubt our queen is strong and will pull through in little time." He cupped his hand over the man's thick shoulder. "I will pass your concerns to her once she wakes..." His smile faded as his worried eyes moved back to the door... "As soon as that old bastard opens the bloody doors, that is..."

Just then the doors opened, and the doctor immerged. He was wiping his hands on a blood-stained towel. His eyes moved over the group as he gave them all a nod. "I see that you are busy, Sire. I will not take up much of your time-"

"Oh no! We are all here waiting for word on Her Majesty! Please, how is my queen?" Ales interrupted impatiently.

The doctor arched a skeptical brow but continued on anyway. "The broken rib has been reset, and she has awoken from the sedative. Once she shifts back to human form all will be well, Sire." The doctor's lips quirked up in a half-smile. "Her Majesty has always been a tough one, Sire, there is little need to worry about her. I'm sure it will not be her last visit to my clinic regardless of her current title." He chuckled as he turned away from the small group of men and headed back toward the doors. He'd barely gotten them pulled open when Cam came running out and shot straight into Ales's arms.

She squeezed him tight burying her face in the clean linen of his dressing shirt, letting the familiar scent of him ease her worried mind. "I was so worried you'd went after him, and something had happened." She pushed away from him slightly but didn't release her grip around his waist. "When I woke, and you were not by my side... but the maid said that the doctor had asked you to wait out here... so I came as soon as I was able."

Ales searched her large, pale blue eyes for any lingering signs of pain but there were no traces. "Do you feel better now, my love?" He brushed tiny strands of her hair away from her face as he continued to study her.

Cam nodded. "Right as rain... nothing a quick shift couldn't handle..." She gave him a tender smile as she pressed up onto her tip-toes and tugged him down into a kiss.

Vigo cleared his throat, a faint blush peeking out from behind the scarred fist resting against his lips. He gave a deep bow and the other two men followed suit. "We are all glad to hear you are well." With that, they lifted. "If there's nothing else, we'll get back to work, Your Majesties."

"Thank you again, Vigo... Ran... Hild. I will find the three of you in a while, once I've properly seen Her Majesty to our bed chambers." The men all nodded and gave another deep bow before turning and heading back down the hall.

Cam leaned into Ales, wrapping her arms around him tighter. "You know... I don't think I'll ever get used to all the 'Your Majesty' and 'Your highness'... It all seems so odd to me..." She moved her gaze from the empty hall the men had vanished down up to meet Ales's. "I can only ever think of your mother when I hear those titles..." The pain of loss colored her words, and a light mist of tears filled her eyes.

Ales lightly brushed at her eyes with the back of his index finger. "I know, it is strange for me as well. I miss them a great deal." He let out a heavy breath as his eyes trailed away from hers and out the window behind the leather chair, he'd been sitting in. "Maybe with all that has come to light, we will finally be able to give the kingdom and ourselves the closure it needs... give mother and father the justice they deserve." He hugged her tighter against him as a shudder crept up his spine. {Could Fern really have killed their own parents...}