Strange Love

A loud shriek of terror echoed through the quiet halls of the second floor of the palace. Russ shot up out of bed nearly falling onto the floor as he did. "What in the?!" His eyes searched frantically around the room as, yet another agonized cry sounded.

The bathroom door opened, and Ry hurried out of it, a toothbrush still hanging from his mouth. "The girls..." He muttered around the brush as he hurried to the door.

Realization dawned causing Russ to leap from the bed and rush after Ry. Their eyes both landed on an open door down the hall. Looking from one to the other they quickly ran toward it. "Is everyone alright in here?" Ry asked as he pushed the door the rest of the way open..

Jaden glanced over her shoulder toward the door from where she sat on the floor. Her arms were wrapped soothingly around the girl now hunkered in the corner. One brow lifted in curiosity as her eyes roamed over the two large men blocking the door. The smaller, the prince, only had a pair of loose boxers on; and the other much larger man had a towel wrapped around his waist... and it appeared nothing more... She noted the toothbrush in his dangling hand and the bed-ruffled hair of the prince. A sob brought her attention back to the girl. "Sh... it's alright. It's only the prince and his... friend..." Her attention moved back the Ry and Russ. "She had a night terror is all... If you truly mean to keep us here, you might as well get accustomed to them. Many of the girls have them..."

Russ nodded as he stepped into the room and moved over toward the girls. As he came closer the girl in the corner tried to back away farther. He held out his hands. "It's alright. I only want to make sure you're alright." He tried using the calmest, most soothing tone he could, but the girl's fear was still palpable.

Jaden made an obvious show of looking him over. "It's your manner of dress, Sire... You must understand that all the girls were forced to perform-"

Russ lifted a hand to stop her. "I know what you were all forced to do... you don't need to tell me... or relive any of the emotions that go along with talking about such hells." He lowered into a squat and held his hand out to Jaden. "Will you take my hand?"

She tilted her head and studied him for several long seconds before finally nodding and reluctantly taking his hand. Her attention moved from where her hand rested gently in his to back up to his face as he spoke.

"See? I mean you all no harm. I only want to help. Your alpha trusts me... I can't ask you to, but will you trust in her judgment and give me a chance to prove myself to you?" He held his other hand out toward the girl and watched patiently as her fearful eyes moved back and forth between him and Jaden.

Jaden let out a heavy sigh as she moved closer to Russ. She settled onto her knees in front of him and bent her head to one side exposing her neck. She stayed like that for several long seconds before finally lifting. "See, he's not here to harm us. You are safe now." When the girl moved closer to them, Jaden scooted to the side. She watched as the timid girl held her hand out to Russ, but he didn't budge. She moved her gaze up to him. Her brows raised as she took in the disorientation written on his face. His mouth hung agape as he stared blankly down at her. "Um... Sire? Are you alright?" She asked still searching his strange expression.

The girl shot back against the wall as Ry bent down beside Russ. He placed his hand on Russ's shoulder and gave him a slight shake. "Kid, you good?"

Russ shook the strange sensation away as he forced his attention back to the current situation. "Yeah... I'm good." He forced his eyes away from Jaden as his focus moved back to the girl in the corner. "It's fine. You don't have to trust us yet. What do you say, we all get dressed and head down to the dining room for some breakfast?" He smiled down at the girl as she hesitantly nodded in agreement. He pushed up to his feet and held his hand down to Jaden. "Do you need anything to get ready? I'm not sure what's available right now, but I can try finding anything you might need."

She took his hand and allowed him to ȧssist her up from the floor, her attention moving back and forth between the two men. "The girls will need suitable clothes eventually, but for now, what they have will be fine." Her attention moved down to the hand he was still holding. "Um..."

"Oh... um sorry..." Russ said as he quickly released her. "Oh... and by the way. Just call me Russ."

She tilted her head. "You know, you will be king soon... you'll have to get used to being addressed as so..."

He shrugged. "I'll simply decree that everyone call me Russ..."

She arched a brow. "I don't think it works that way."

He gave an awkward chuckle as he shot Ry a glance. "Trust me, the name thing will be the least of anyone's concerns."

Ry gave his back a playful smack. "Facts!" When Russ continued staring awkwardly at Jaden, he gripped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Alright, now that the commotion is over, it's just weird for two nearly nȧkėd men to be in a couple of young ladies' bedroom. What do you say we get dressed as well?" He squeezed Russ's shoulder more forcefully.

"Ouhhhh, yeah. You're right. I'll see you guys downstairs, alright." He waited for her to nod before turning and following Ry from the room.

Jaden watched as he left, and the door was closed. The other girl who had been watching from the bed slid off and stepped beside Jaden. "What do you think that was all about?"

Jaden tilted her head still staring at the closed door. "I'm not entirely sure... but I think the prince is... gay..."

The other girl blushed. "I mean, he is very attractive... but... do you think they are a couple?"

Jaden nodded. "The big one's father suggested as much, and they share a room... and come out of it looking like THAT..." She said lifting her hand to the now-closed door.

"Hum... what a shame..." The other girl said with a shrug of her shoulders as she turned her attention to the girl still sitting on the floor. "Come on, Mei. Let's go have a proper meal for once." She held her hand out as the smaller girl struggled to get up.

***

"What was that about earlier?" Ry asked as he tugged his shirt over his head.

"What do you mean?" Russ asked, still trying to pick something to wear. His brows knitted as he picked through the selection. "Do I have to wear this shit?"

Ry rolled his eyes. "Yeah, ya do. Members of the council will be here in a little bit, and most of your people will be gathered as they introduce you as the new leader... informally of course..." He looked away as he ran his hand over his still-damp hair. "So... I was going to wait to tell you but... I'm not going to be here for your coronation... and maybe not for a while after that..."

Russ scrunched his brows. "You still set on getting Jos released from her curse?"

Ry shrugged. "Among a few other reasons..."

"Like?" Russ pushed for more information.

"Like you really don't pay attention to shit do you, kid?" Ry growled with an irritated huff as he made his way toward the door.

"Pay attention to what? What have I missed?" Russ pushed on; the clothes forgotten.

"Who will precede over your coronation?" He asked, crossing his arms in irritation.

Russ furrowed his brows as he thought back to the lessons Ry had tried to teach him. "Um... the wolf gods... um... Apollo and..."

"And Artemis... my ex and her bastard of a brother who tried to have me killed... She and I can't be seen together... I can't be seen by him..." Ry huffed out as he dropped his arms and walked over to the closet. He selected an outfit and tossed it to Russ. "Wear this one. It looks comfortable and casual enough not to make the girls and others feel... awkward... but dressy enough to appease the council and whoever they drag here with them.

Russ glared at the garments. "In that case, I'll just wear my own damn clothes. My people are poor and starving, those girls have been living in worse conditions than hell itself... I'm not dressing up to impress those ȧssholes. They should have stepped in before things got this bad. You said yourself there were rumors of what was going on. Why didn't they send you guys in to investigate sooner?!" Russ's anger built as he continued thinking over what could have been.

Ry shrugged as he let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know, kid. You'll have to ask them yourself when they get here." He reached over and took the clothes back and hung them up. "Wear what you want, for now... I understand not wanting to boast, with the condition of most of your people... Any sane person would."

Thirty minutes later Russ was staring in shocked disbelief as all the wolf girls except Jaden tore into their meals like ravenous animals. Ry chuckled from beside him. "You think this is funny? They're going to get choked or something..."

Ry laughed again. "No, I don't find them funny at all, but I do find your reaction amusing." He shrugged. "Of course, I always find it amusing when your sheltered nature manages to shine through that 'I had it so hard' exterior."

Russ let out a heavy sigh as he pushed the bȧrėly touched plate away from him. "I never said I had it rough... definitely nowhere near what they have had. I've only ever said I was not raised to be a prince... a king... You grew up in a fuċkɨnġ palace, you wouldn't understand either, so stop acting as if you do."

Ry arched a brow at him as Russ raised from the table. "That's your problem, you know. You always ȧssume shit. How surprised would you be if I told you Arei, Peg, and I never stepped foot in that palace until we were nearly ȧduŀts? Believe me when I tell you, kid, you've had an easy life... until now. I hope it hasn't made you too soft to step up and be a man now."

Russ glared back at Ry not wanting to acknowledge the truth of his words. "The council will be here soon. I'm going to the office and try to prepare the best I can... and for the record, I know I had it easy overall, but I could have at least been better prepared for this shit instead of thrown in it like I am now."

Ry nodded in an agreement. "As true as that may be, we're here now so deal with it."

He didn't reply back as a deep frown spread across his face. He looked over the group of girls one last time before turning and leaving the room. When it was obvious, he wasn't turning back, Ry gritted his teeth and threw his fork and knife down with a clatter onto the plate. "Fuck..." The sudden silence in the room brought his attention to the girls. "Sorry... um... finish your meals at your own pace. Don't mind me... I... have to go give the prince a hand."

Jaden arched a brow as she watched the massive man push up from his chair. She bowed her head slightly to him when he nodded to her but didn't say anything. It didn't take a wolf's intuition to sense something off between the two men... but was it really what she suspected... what the sea god had implied?