Page 26

I smena noticed that his breathing was still uneven and his eyes were still closed. Physically, he does not look like there's anything wrong, but something felt wrong to her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.

He did not say anything for a few seconds, which intensified what she felt. She rose from the cushions of his arm and looked at him carefully.

"Is it the poisoned wounds?" Her eyes went to his pant-covered leg.

"Yes," he admitted, "The two bullet wounds are trying to heal themselves, but they are deep, infected wounds which makes it hard." A pause, "With every attempt at skin rejuvenation, it hurts. Badly."

"Oh, my God. Does it mean it's not gonna heal?" The realization that he was in pain filled her with sadness.

For the first time since he stepped into the woods, he smelled the river several miles away from them. His enhanced senses are returning, and his eyes have become clearer too.

"It will. Just slower and more painful than usual." He replied at last in a calm voice, and rose from the ground. None of the excruciating pain shooting all over his body through his leg, which was heard in his voice.

"Oh?" She rose with him, picking up her torn panties from the ground and putting it into the pocket of her dress. Facing him, she bit her lips, "Then, we will...uhh we will...again?"

"Yes," he replied, sparing her the difficulty. "But first, I have to go over to the Meeting Hall because the council has gathered and I have to stop by to see Nalaila," pain flashed in his eyes, "It's been two weeks, she must have... felt my absence."

Ismena wanted so hard to reassure him that his sister never went on a screaming spew or self-destructive tantrum rampage when he was gone, but she bit her lips hard to swallow those words. No, she can't tell him. He can't know that she has been visiting and spending time with Nalaila.

"But afterward," he continued, blinking the pain away, "You are mine for the entire night."

A shiver went down her spine at the promise those words carried. Just the thought of it has her body humming for him. God, she has it so bad for him.

"I can smell you now, you know. For the love of all creatures, how you mess with my head." He cussed, inhaling sharply.

Her cheeks colored. She cleared her throat and stepped back from him. "That damned nose..."

A smile feathered his lips again. He covered the distance between them, lowered his mouth to her ears, and whispered, "Did you remember the promise I made to you before I left, two weeks ago? "

Impossibly, her cheeks turned redder. Of course, she remembered. She never thought he would too.

"I told you that after I come back from the human world, you will lose three things before I've had my full of you enough to let you go."He whispered to her ear seductively, making a play of removing the grasses that stuck to her hair.

"Your voice, consciousness, and your ability to walk." He continued, "That was right after I told you that I will eat your pussy so damn hard you will scream for me until you lose your voice. And I won't stop until I've drunk all your essence and wrung you dry."

A moan slid from her lips. She went more liquid inside her, her heart thudded in her chest, and her belly did a somersault. Oh, God, the image he just planted in her head!

"You want it too. Apart from your scent, I can see it in your eyes." He mumbled, his eyes searching hers.

Ismena buried her face in his chest embarrassingly and nodded her head.

"Words, Ismena." He drawled, reveling in her shyness and embarrassment. He found out that he loves embarrassing her with dirty words and obscenities, and he has plans to do more in the future. "I need words, baby."

"Y-Yes, I r-remember. And yes, I want i-it too." She murmured, her head reeling.

He called her 'baby' for the first time. That was not helping her situation at all. Her insides are a mess for this man.

His hand went under her chin and he raised it, so he can look into her shy brown eyes. "Good. I plan to see those words through. Each and every last one of them. Tonight. All night. "

She shivered, "But, you're injured."

"Exactly. I have a lot of recovery to do." His lips twitched.

"I hope you'll allow me a little bit of sleep in between." She mumbled.

"No, no sleep." His head went closer to her ear, "So, you try to get some before I come back to that bedroom."

An hour later, Wolfaraine could hear the murmurs and noises coming from the Meeting Hall. As he entered the court, that all seized.

Silence filled the air, so thick it can almost be smelled. As he walked to take his position at the head of the table, he glanced around and noted the faces of his council. They were filled with worry, tension, and concern for him.

All of them rose from their chairs and paid their respect to their Alpha King with a bow of their heads.

He acknowledged with a bow of his before he lowered himself on his throne-like chair. As usual, they waited for him to settle down before they all took their own seats.

Alpha Alphose and Alpha Degar shared a look of relief between them. Noting the visible difference between the male that returned to Naturiah almost three hours ago and the male who's here with them now.

His color has improved, he has a lesser limp when he walked into court and he looked stronger too.

Meanwhile, Wolfariane’s attention was on the rest of the council.

He knows fully well that the only way to reduce the tension in the air was to tell them everything that happened.

So, he went into details, giving them an account of everything that happened in the human world; everything about the attack by Wolfhunters and the new deal they signed with Yatch's Farmland.

The council of twelve was less concerned about the new deal they signed.

"How dare them! Those flee-brained, useless humans! How dare them to attack you like that!?" Head Sentinel Rodarh raged, banging his hand on the desk. The blue-gray eyes of the elephant took over his usually brown eyes.

"Monsters! All of them!!" Alpha Zane, the Alpha of the jaguar clan, was furious too.

"They call us the animals, but they are much worse than the devil himself! How dare them attack the Alpha King in his own home!" Ratinus, the rat Alpha, added, baring his teeth in rage.

"I wish some of them were captured so I can tie them up in my dungeon and feed on their flesh for days!" Another alpha lashed out.

And another. And another.

Noise took over the council. All the other members of the council used all kinds of words to show their fury, including Alphose. Except for Alpha Degar who was there with him on the trip, and Adanel.

Always the less talker, the council representative of the werewolf clan did not say a word, but his face reflected his rage.

"Calm down, everyone." Wolfaraine interrupted, at last attempting to calm his people. More than their verbal rages, he could feel the furiousness of their animals and that, more than anything else, soothed him .

It soothed him to know that even though all clans have their difference—and might even be in disagreement with each other once in a while—that there was still a good level of oneness, peace, and togetherness amongst them whenever they come together for a meeting.

He proceeded to reassure every one of them that he was fine and there was no damage done by the Wolfhunters, so they should let go of all their anger. Of course, they argued that there's indeed damage; referring to the rhodium wounds on his left leg.

"Not only that, the wounds got infected from a lack of treatment, which makes it all worse," Adanel spoke for the first time.

Series of shocked gasps filled the air, this time, including Alpha Degar's. He did not know about the infection. None of them did.

Noises rose in the air again and they all began raging all over again.

Wolfaraine looked at the Adanel wordlessly and without surprise, but warily too.

Of course, the male would pick up on the infection because Adanel was also a werewolf like him.

He had fought those Wolfhunters in his wolf form instead of his mountain lion form, so Adanel was able to pick up the scent of infection from his wolf.

If he'd fought them in his mountain lion form, Adanel might not have picked up the infection but Alphose would.

He began reassuring the council again, trying to get them to calm down. But this time it was harder, as they were barely listening to him.

"What are you even doing in court, Alpha King!? You should not be here. You should be with your mate, trying to get healed and healthy again." The python Alpha and Alpha of all snakes, said in a firm voice.

"I agree with Alpha Morose, Alpha King. You should be with your mate, not here." Head Sentinel Rodarh seconded, "It was all our fault, we shouldn't have been in a hurry to hear from you after you got back from your trip."

All of them nodded.

"We made you choose between duty and health, and that was bad. Unacceptable. We want you in your best health, Alpha King." Alpha Zane added.

They all nodded again.

Wolfaraine wanted to say a word, but every attempt he made to do so was futile. Before he could open his mouth each time, another Alpha was already speaking about their wickedness to him by making him come to court.

"You should be in the healing arms of your mate, taking as many intimates as she can give." Alpha Morose enunciated again.

"This is all Rodarh's fault." Ratinus, the rat Alpha began.

Head Sentinel Rodarh gasped, "How is this my fault!?"

"You were the one who suggested we hold a meeting when the Alpha King comes back from his trip to the human world." Alpha Asisy, the leader of the tiger changelings, contributed.

Head Sentinel Rodarh's jaws dropped in disbelief. "But, that was a decision we all made together!"

"You and who?" Almost all of the council asked at the same time.

The council representative of the elephant clan gasped at their denials.

"Shame on you, Head Sentinel Rodarh. Shame on you." Ratinus said, shaking his head in absolute disappointment .

"So, that's how it's gonna be in this court?

We all do things together and you all blame it on me!

?" The poor elephant Alpha was already turning red behind the ears, "This was exactly what happened when we all made plans on how to kill the culprit who stole the Alpha King's special ring, not knowing it's his mate! "

"Oh, don't even remind us, Rodarh. You made a very bad and shameless decision that almost got us all killed." Alpha Zane shook his own head.

Head Sentinel Rodarh turned and glared at him.

"And, now he's doing it again. Bringing the Alpha King to court when he should be healing. Shame on you, Rodarh." Ratinus added.

"You rat bastard—" Rodarh began, glaring at the rat Alpha.

"Ladies," Alpha Morose interrupted, "Calm down, all of you."

All of them glared at him for his reference to them.

In turn, the python Alpha hissed at them.

"That is enough," Wolfaraine spoke up finally.

They all took a deep breath before they turned and focused on him again.

"Listen, it does not matter how we came to this court or whose fault it is. What matters is that we are already here, so we might as well continue the meeting. I want to know the full update of what happened here while I was gone—"

"I am deeply sorry for interrupting you, Alpha King." Alpha Alphose cut in then, "I would never do so on any other circumstances but this is a dire situation. This meeting cannot hold anymore. Your health is much more important to us. "

"Yes, Alpha King," Degar added, "I should be blamed because I was on this trip with you. Rhodium might be dangerous and poisonous, but it would have been absolutely nothing on a male like you if it was treated as soon as it happened. But a whole week had to pass with poison in your veins."

"Another male would not survive that." Adanel stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes," Degar responded solemnly, "So, now that you're back, we should focus on your treatment instead of the meeting. This meeting will have to happen on a later date."

That said, they all got up and bowed their head to him in a well-known sign of adjourning a meeting.

Before he could say a word, all the council members have disappeared from the Meeting Hall except for Alpha Degar and Alpha Alphose.

Outside the hall, Head Sentinel Rodarh was shouting at Ratinus as they walked farther and farther away from the Meeting Hall until their voices faded.

Wolfaraine glanced around, took a deep breath, and wondered. What just happened now?