Page 33 of The Wolf King

“My dirtiness is clearly offending you, Princess.”

“The only thing that is offending me, Callum, is your complete lack of decorum.” Something unreadable passes over his eyes, though he continues to smirk. “Now, why don’t you make yourself useful and sort us some breakfast?”

He laughs at that—loudly and unabashedly. “Very well, Your Highness. Don’t take too long. The water’s cold and it’ll be noon before we arrive at the castle. That’s a long time to be shivering. Although, I’ll happily warm you up again after.”

His teasing tone provokes something that sounds almost like a growl from me. It seems to delight Callum.

“Go away,” I say.

“If you’re not out in five minutes, I’ll be coming in after you.”

Despite how much he is antagonizing me, I find the corner of my lip twitching once he has disappeared.

He is clearly in good spirits this morning, and for some reason, that fills me with warmth.

Until I realize why he is so happy.

By noon, he’ll have done his job and delivered me to the castle, and I’ll be at the mercy of the Wolf King.

Chapter Eleven

Itake my time washing myself.

For the first time in my life, I relieve myself behind a tree.

I spend a few minutes drinking in the view, too—standing on the shore and watching my breath plume in front of my face as the sun slowly rises above the loch.

Back in the castle at the King’s City, I only ever saw the sunrise through my murky bolted window. The servants would already be bustling through the courtyard below, and the ladies-in-waiting would be fussing around me.

I can’t remember a time when I have been in the presence of such vast, unending silence.

I breathe in. Then out.

Small waves lap the pebbles by my feet.

By the time I make my way back up the rocks, at least fifteen minutes must have passed, and I’m shivering.

The bottom of my nightdress is sodden, and strands of my hair stick to my wet face. I feel better though. Fresher. The cold seems to have shocked some of the dread right out of me.

Callum, to my surprise, has relit the fire even though he was in a hurry for us to set off. He sits in front of it with his thick forearms resting on his raised knees. He seems totally at ease, eating a piece of bread.

He’d said he was going to come into the water after me. I’m about to ask him what kind of alpha makes false threats, when he lazily turns his head.

He looks me up and down, seemingly taking in the gooseflesh on my exposed ankles, and the chattering of my teeth. He smirks.

The point he is making couldn’t be clearer.

I didn’t listen to him, and now I’m suffering for it.

“Cold, Princess?”

“If you were a gentleman—”

“Not a gentleman.” He grins. “Wolf.”

I shiver, and I’m not sure if it’s the temperature, or the look in his eyes. “You’re a sadist, that’s what you are.”

My stomach growls, and he pats the ground beside him. I hesitate for a moment before sitting. He breaks off half of his piece of bread, and passes it to me.