Page 97 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“But, he is so cute with him,” I say. “I’m so proud of Tynan for being so nice and patient.”
“Yes, he is really proving himself.” Ita agrees. “What about the beautiful desert princess?”
“Aza,” I chuckle. “I first thought that she would be Caelan’s cup of tea.”
“Not Flinn’s?”
“No, Flinn really prefers men,” I remind her.
“Right…” she smiles. “He is always so flirty with everyone, I forget.”
“So, I thought Caelan, he has these huge protective instincts, but then…” I pause and smile.
“The beautiful Prince Endellion struck,” Ita finished my sentence.
“He is smitten with her,” I say, hoping to the bottom of my heart that Azadeh reciprocates his feelings. I’ve never seen Endellion like this… so in love.
“He is a great person,” Ita says. “Patient, kind, strong, smart while being able to be calculating.”
“It almost sounds like you have a crush on him,” I tease.
Ita smiles at me. “You know that’s not true.” Her gaze turns more earnest. “You know it.”
“I hope I do,” I say quietly. I can hear the voice of my wolf in the distance. She feels torn, but she isn’t stopping me. I lean forward, my heart skipping a beat when Ita claims my lips. Her hand rests on the back of my head, gently guiding me into this kiss. I don’t have much experience as very soon into my teen years I realized that I couldn’t do one-night stands; something kept blocking me from it. I needed to feel deeply for a person to allow my body to be close to theirs. However, there was one boy who I went to school with and, later, a fellow warrior trainee I experimented with.
Ita deepens our kiss, pushing me on my back and gently unbuttoning my top. She normally wears her long brown hair in a tie, but now it’s open, tickling me slightly in the best way possible. Ita pushes my shirt to the side, revealing my chest to the cold air. My nipples harden instantly, but I don’t even feel the cold. I should feel embarrassed by being bare like that, but I am not. “You are so beautiful, Alana,” Ita whispers, bending down to move her tongue over my breast, circling one of my hard nipples.
Her touch makes my head spin and my core tighten. “Ita…” I whisper, brushing my fingers through her hair.
Ita smiles at me, about to bend down again, when we hear a roar ripping through the area. Both of us jump at the sound, pulled out of our haze instantly.
“Alana,” Ita draws back and wraps my shirt around my body again. “You heard it too!”
“Loud and clear!” I exclaim. We both hurry back to my room. I grab the first sweater I can find and put it on, not bothering to switch into different pants. I will probably shift anyway. Ita has already hurried out the door. I slip into my shoes and follow her swiftly. Outside, I almost bump into Tynan and Alpha Blaine.
“Not again,” Blaine says, sounding drained and horrified.
“This time we are here,” Ita tells him. “And some of the royal guards! Follow my lead everyone!” She doesn’t wait for anyone’s approval, slipping right into her warrior mode, which I admire her so much for. She heads outside and shifts into her beautiful wolf. The rest of us follow swiftly, then she leads us towards the border of the pack.
Alpha Blaine is right behind her, apparently her determination sparked his own again, and made him push through his own desperation and grief.
Another earth-shaking growl can be heard.Is this really a werebear?I ask Ros.It doesn’t sound like a hoard of them.
She frowns.Something feels off; you’re right.
We follow the growl, all of us coming to a halt when we see a whirlwind of snow in front of us, circling around a creature in the middle. It oddly reminds me of what was chasing my brothers when they saved that pack a few weeks ago.
Another growl can be heard and then, as fast as it happened, the storm suddenly stops, the snow falling back down, revealing nothing.
Ita shifts back to her human form and carefully steps closer, a frown gracing her face. She looks around, but there is no sign of anything having been there.
“What just happened?” Tynan mutters after he has shifted back.
“I don’t know.” Ita sounds worried. “Alana, lead the warriors back to the pack, make sure it’s protected. Tynan, stay here with our best trackers and help me search the area.”
We all nod, following her orders. I wish I could stay with her, but this isn’t the time for selfish wishes. I lead the warriors back to the pack, making sure that the borders are protected. Luna Caitlin is already awaiting us, worry written all over her beautiful face. These people have already lost so much, I don’t want to imagine how horrifying this has to be for them. Like a never-ending nightmare.
Caitlin hurries into Blaine's arms, who hugs her back in a gentle, protective manner. Blaine has everything covered, so I make myself useful and begin some investigating. Ita and I had planned it for the next day, but the whole pack is on alert and up, it’s much more useful to act now.
