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Then, a low, long howl cut through the silence of the forest. It seemed to be coming from nowhere and everywhere at once, surrounding me. I skidded to a stop, hackles rising and tail low as I looked for the source of the howl. I slunk into the brush, carefully concealing myself in a low bush, pressing my body low to the ground.
Then, from amid the trees, the king emerged.
He had frightened me in his wolf form when I’d been in my human form. He was immense, his coat dark and thick, his golden eyes glowing, his breath exhaling in clouds of steam around his snout. My hackles rose, lips curling back as I exposed my teeth.
In this form, I wasn’t afraid. In this form, I wanted him to know I was just as strong as he was.
Before I could think about what I was doing, I leaped forward and careened into the king, teeth bared, slamming into the side of his body hard enough to knock him off balance. He whirled on me, his own teeth bared as a deep, intense growl rose from his throat. I lowered down and sneered right back, matching his growl. He moved to lunge at me, but in this shape, I was even quicker than I was in the arena. I dodged him easily, then turned and barreled off into the woods, running as fast as my feet would take me. My wolf had so much pent-up energy, I felt like I could leap forward and start to fly.
The king was pursuing me. I could feel his paws striking the earth behind me, and hear each rough exhale of his breath, smell his scent carried on the cold wind.
But I wasn’t scared. I was almost euphoric.
Even if the king caught me, even if he fastened his teeth on my throat and bit down, crazily, I thought it’d be worth it to experience a cold run like this. I still had the presence of mind to feel a small bit of guilt about the sensation. I’d kept my wolf buried for so long—maybe she just didn’t fit in Daybreak. Maybe she fit somewhere like here.
Not with the king, of course, but in a colder climate. Somewhere like Efra.
I crashed out of the tree line and into a small clearing. A few paths led to different parts of the woods, and I inhaled deeply, trying to catch a scent that wasn’t the king’s. I had no idea how far I’d run. I didn’t want to leave the king’s territory and trespass into another pack’s land.
I was about to head down one of the paths, to keep the chase going, but I’d underestimated the king’s speed.
He crashed into me hard, knocking me onto my side; I yelped as I hit the dirt and all the breath was knocked from my lungs. He pinned me with his weight, and before I could snap my jaws at him, his sharp teeth set at my throat and bit down. Not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough that I could feel their presence like a promise. His breath rushed hot over my pelt. I was tense beneath him, desperate to thrash and fight, but not with those teeth so close to my jugular.
Then he withdrew his jaws, but kept me pinned beneath him. He bared his teeth and a deep growl rumbled from his chest.
Do you submit?
His voice rang in my head as clear as if he’d spoken in my ear.
How was that possible?
I exhaled hard, my ears twitched.
Speak, he said.
In my head? To you?
Just like that. Do you submit?
How is this possible?
I’m the king. His voice in my head sounded almost amused as his golden eyes gleamed down at me. I can speak to all my wolves.
His wolves. His voice sent a shiver racing through me; the fur at my hackles stood on end. Part of me balked at the language—I didn’t belong to anyone, despite what everyone around me seemed to think. But my wolf preened at the suggestion. To be a part of the king’s pack—the strongest pack in Frasia. Under the strongest king. To my wolf, that was the ultimate success. Her pleasure raced through me despite my own misgivings. Without thinking, I tipped my head back against the dirt, exposing the vulnerable expanse of my throat. The submission was wordless.
The king rumbled his approval low in his chest.
You can get off me now, I muttered.
The king snorted, like a laugh, and then dragged his tongue over my snout.
He licked me. Licked me! Like I was some sort of disobedient but beloved pup. I couldn’t believe it! It was degrading, disgusting—and yet my tail thumped against the dirt. He looked like he was grinning down at me, tongue lolling out of his mouth like he was a pup himself.
Ridiculous. This man was ridiculous! I thrust my hind legs into his belly, pushing him off me. With his bulk, he easily could’ve resisted and forced me back down, but he didn’t. A faint scent of iron stung in my nostrils. Maybe my hind claws were sharper than I’d thought.
I scrambled to my feet and shook out my pelt, blowing some of the dirt out of my white fur. The king stood in front of me, front legs slightly bent and tail moving in a low, slow arc. His tongue still lolled out of his mouth. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he wanted to play.
It couldn’t be that simple, though. This had to be some kind of test. I paused in the clearing, lifting my nose to sniff the cold wind, the trees, the king’s scent, and the distant smell of the rest of the pack in Efra. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do here. What the king expected from me. But my wolf wanted to run—so run we would. I guess we’d see if the king could keep up.
