Page 124 of Simon

With a thunderous surge of power, the ogre’s muscles rippled and veins bulged, his towering figure a fearsome sight. He bellowed a deafening roar, and the birds scattered from their perches in the trees. The stench of his rage filled the surroundings with a mixture of sweat and primal fury.

As his body moved jaggedly, the ground trembled beneath his immense weight. With a single twist of his hips, the ogre flung the approaching creatures away like rag dolls, their desperate cries echoing in the distance.

The ogre stomped, running through the branches. We all watched in confusion as the ogre fled at an alarming rate.

Shifters that had not been thrown off took after the ogre. The elder who looked similar to Sugha pulled himself up from the ground. “I’m not letting him get away. Let’s go, orcling.”

Sugha threw his head back and laughed, slapped the male on the shoulder, and they sprinted off. “Ah, to feel young again. Do you think we can cut his shaft off, do something fun with it?” Sugha shook his head with a smile.

Kane jumped from the cabin roof top and landed on his feet. He was about to sprint off when Clara called after him. “Leave it, Kane! The orcs and the shifters will take care of it!” Clara crossed her arms.

Kane whined, stared off into the forest and then back to Clara. She raised an eyebrow. He huffed and walked back toward us.

“Wow, she has magical powers.” Lucy nudged. “Do I have that effect on you?”

I cleared my throat. Of course, she did. “With practice, I’m sure you will.”

Chapter Forty-Two

Lucy

Afterouruninvitedguesthad successfully ruined the after-party, Clara nudged me with her elbow, her touch sending a warm tingle down my side. Our uninvited guest had knocked over the tables filled with flowers, ruining them; they also smeared the burnt food in the dirt and spilled the orc mead from the barrels.

“What a waste,” Kane muttered as he walked by the growing puddle.

Stringed violins screeched while two lone wolves tried to regain some sort of ambiance for the once-romantic ceremony, but the screams of laughter and howls in the distance of chasing after the ogre stomping through the Wood killed it. It was too hard to bring any of the party back.

Not that I minded. Simon and I were the introverts of the group, and we were happy to bring the party to a close.

“I should hunt after the ogre; he is after you. It is my duty as your mate to—”

Clara tutted and put her arm out to stop Simon from leaving the platform. Her mischievous wink added a spark of unease.

“Don’t worry. There are enough wolves and orcs after that blasted thing. Sugha and Eman have been searching for that ogre for days. You would deny him such a prize?”

Simon and I looked at each other. I could tell he wasn't happy. He wanted to run, do some sort of alpha crap and prove himself. I hugged his arm closer to my chest, letting him feel the softness there.

That’s it. Use your curves to seduce him to stay right here with you.

Simon’s face softened.

Hell yeah, I’m just that good.

Clara bit her lip and held in a laugh. “You both will still get your sweet honeymoon. Your father and I had aback-upplan because he was going to destroy your consummation tent, anyway.” She snickered. “I don’t think he was ready for you to experience the Monktona Wood culture yet.”

A sigh of relief for me, but a disgruntled grunt from Simon had me choking out a laugh.

Did he really want to show the orcs how well he pleased me?

Those who stayed behind from the ogre chase were cleaning up Valpar’s territory. Calliope was trying to urge Valpar to follow where we were going, but he had his arms wrapped aroundher, whispering something in her ear that made her stop in her tracks. Her face blushed and she wiggled in his arms, but she didn’t dare say anything after that.

Dutton and Elmira gave us a giant wave as we got closer to the forest line. “Go get some!” Dutton screamed at the top of his lungs.

“She already did, you perverted asshole!” Elmira replied and gave him a firm slap on his butt.

Simon and I walked hand in hand while Clara, Kane, and my fathers led the way through the Wood as the light sources were setting. Once we arrived, we came to an area with a large waterfall, bioluminescent birds skimmed the water and dazzling lights from the flowers that hung from the trees.

Just like everything else about the Wood, it was magical.

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