Ileus: The Dark Prince

"How do you know of this place?" asked Olivia as her skin pebbled with goosebumps. 

The hooded man had two swords in both his hands. He slid them inside the sheath on his back in the shape of a V. "And why can't I?" he asked, tilting his head a little as if to get a better view of her. 

His voice sounded decadent, like sin wrapped in sweet dessert, like fire mixed with all her fantasies. 

"Because this is my place," Olivia said, trying not to shake out of fear or whatever emotion it was that cruised through her body. 

"That sounds interesting," he said and took a step forward. Olivia froze in her place when the man hauled himself up the fallen log, swung his leg around and sat astride it. "And who are you?" 

Feeling offended that he didn't know the daughter of the beta of the pack, she said, "You do know who I am!" On the inside she was preparing to run at the slightest red flag she noticed, or maybe fight him. 

The man slipped his hood down and then looked intensely into her eyes with his hazel ones. "How would I know who you are? Do you think that every man who comes in these jungles belongs to your pack? Or are you that famous?" 

Olivia's heart pounded against the ribcage. This man was dangerous. He didn't know her, which meant that he was from a rival pack. She started looking for avenues to run away from there even as his eyes continued to gaze at her. "Calm down your heart. I am not here to hurt you." 

She fluttered her eyelashes as an icy burst of surprise blasted through her. His hood slipped to the sides and her eyes went to his tunic and pants, both as black as the night. "You are from a different pack. I can scent you." 

"Were you crying?" he asked, looking at the moist skin of her face. "Your eyes are so glossy." His hands moved forward but he arrested the movement by drawing his claws in his palm. Olivia started moving away from him towards the exit, feeling extremely wary of the werewolf. But why was it that her feet felt locked and her body repelled at the thought of leaving him. Comprehension and correction. Leaving this place and not him. "I wouldn't leave this place if I were you," he said. 

"Why?" she asked, surprised that he knew that she was about to leave. 

All of a sudden, she heard yips and howls and growls. It was as if a large number of werewolves had shifted and were prowling the area outside. "I have come with a large number of wolves in this part of the northern lands." 

"Gods!" she rasped. She had to go and inform her father about this night's attack. 

He laughed softly and then became absolutely quiet when more hooves sounded near them. Once the sounds faded, which seemed like eternity, he said, "We have not come to attack." 

"So, you are a soldier in King Dmitri's army?" she said, her eyes darting between the two swords that made a V behind him. Her heart sank. Was he here to kill her so that the peace treaty never came to fruition? "And if you are his soldier, why aren't you telling your people to kill me, or why aren't you killing me?" Though she would give him a tough fight before dying. 

His lips kicked up and a dimple came into full view on his left cheek. Olivia's breath was caught in her throat. He was handsome beyond words. And he was a foe. And his lips were perfectly bow-shaped. She wanted to thread her fingers in those locks of deep brown hair and— She controlled her wayward thoughts. 

After her father Vaarin's peace offer, the fights between the Whiteclaw pack and the king had paused for several moons, but Olivia wasn't innocent to believe that the fight could erupt anytime. 

Even though it was too cold on the outside, her breath had become hot. She was feeling strange sensations in between her thighs. She heard his chest rumble deliciously. "Should you not be with your men?" she asked, absolutely not meaning it, but definitely sounding like she wanted him to leave. 

"I should be," he shrugged. "But it's not that they are missing me." His luscious lips tugged up. "You didn't answer my question. Why were you crying?" 

Olivia felt like shifting and running away as far as possible from him but she found herself replying, "My father is forcing me to marry." 

The stranger seemed to freeze in his place. His features turned sharper as his muscles bulged. His chest seemed to vibrate with yet another rumble. After what seemed like a long time, he took in a deep breath and said, "Are you royalty? Because I have heard that only royals are usually forced to marry to get into alliances." His voice was colder than the snow that had begun falling. "And if that is the case, then you should concede to your father's commands." 

Olivia couldn't believe what he just said and released a shaky, rough laughter. She swung her leg up to one side of the fallen log and jumped on the ground. "This conversation is over." She brushed her dress and started to leave. She was a fool to have sat and talked to him over here. If he wanted, he could have killed her right now. He was simply too dangerous. 

"Wait!" his voice boomed from behind. But she didn't stop. Instead, her pace increased. Suddenly, he jumped right in front of her, and she squealed. "Don't go now." Before she could protest or ask him why, he had pushed her into the wall of the hollow, pressed her with his body tightly and cupped her mouth with his calloused hands to stifle her scream. She couldn't even move an inch. "There's another group coming along.." Olivia stilled as her emerald eyes grew wide with fear, her hot breath falling over his neck.