Filed to story: My Kidnapper Is the Wolf King
He pushes himself up onto his forearms.
“Morning, Princess,” he says.
He shifts so that his face hovers above mine. He keeps one arm over my body, cocooning me within his large frame. I keep my gaze on his, aware that if I look down, I will see a lot more than his back and shoulders.
“Had yourself a wee adventure last night, did you?”
Tension I didn’t even realize was building loosens. I thought he might be angry with me for not staying in my chambers. Especially as he’s been so stand-offish with me over the past week. Yet he seems relaxed. Amused, even.
“Why aren’t you annoyed?” I narrow my eyes.
He looks at me curiously. “Why would I be?”
“I didn’t do what you told me to do.”
“If you always did as you were told, we would never have met. Plus, I’m presuming you had your reasons for leaving your room, and you weren’t just out for a nighttime stroll?”
“Someone sounded like they were in pain. I thought it was Ryan.”
He smiles, brimming with warmth. “There you go, then. I would have done the same.”
“It was Blake.”
He exhales. “Aye. I thought as much.”
He sits up. The muscles in his back ripple as he stretches. He cracks his neck, then stands and rolls his shoulders. I’m not sure he even notices he’s not wearing anything.
When he turns back around, my gaze drops. I cannot help it.
My eyes widen and I jerk my head back again to stare at the trees.
The only naked men I have ever seen are the statues in the palace gardens.
Callum chuckles. “What are you doing? Come on, we need to get back.”
Face flaming, I roll onto my side so I’m not looking at him, and push myself to my feet. I wince. Every muscle in my body is stiff and aching.
When I turn to face Callum, my gaze accidentally drops once more before I resolutely look away.
“Come on,” he says, amused.
His warmth washes over me as he steps closer and scoops me into his arms. I hook my wrists around his neck as if it’s a reflex, but irritation sparks inside me. It’s annoying enough that he thinks he can manhandle me whenever he pleases. It’s even worse he thinks it’s appropriate even when he’s completely naked. “I’m perfectly capable of walking by myself!”
“Aye, I know.” The corner of his lip twitches as he heads back through the trees. “I reckoned if I carried you, you’d have to stop staring at my cock.”
I make a strangled sound, then punch him in the arm. I may as well be hitting a rock. “You’re horrible!”
He laughs. “You’re the one who can’t stop looking.”
I glare at him, and his expression softens.
“You’ve had a rough night, Princess. Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I swallow. “Can you remember what happens when you’re in wolf form?”
“Aye. I remember.”
“Blake tried to kill me.”
All the humor drains from Callum’s eyes. “No. No, he didn’t.”
Fire blazes in my chest. I thought Callum might be different from the Southlands lords who never listened to, nor believed, the ladies in the palace. I was clearly wrong about him. I grit my teeth. “Yes, he did. You obviously don’t remember if you think that, but the least you could do is believe me when I tell you.”
Callum sighs heavily. “No, Princess. You’ve got me wrong. I’m not trying to dispute that he came after you. What I’m saying is he didn’t try to kill you.”
He chews his cheek, his expression troubled.
“He chased you to that clearing, far away from the other Wolves that were out last night. He got his scent on you so they wouldn’t smell you. He took part of your cloak with him, so if they caught your scent, they’d chase after him instead.”
He stares at the forest ahead, his jaw tightening.
“He wasn’t trying to kill you. He was protecting you.” He swallows, hard. “And Blake doesn’t do anything unless it’s within his own interests. So I want to know why.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Callum is quiet as he carries me through the forest.
While he was relaxed and easygoing when he awoke, his expression becomes increasingly strained as we get closer to the castle.
With every step, his jaw tightens, and his arms harden around me. His hold on my thighs gets firmer, his fingers digging into my skin through the material of my dress. A couple of times, I catch his nose wrinkling as if he smells something bad.
I sniff the air and all I can smell is the wet leaves from the forest.
I flush, wondering if the problem is me. I got hot last night as I ran from Blake, and I can’t imagine I smell particularly pleasant.
“What’s the matter?” I ask.
His eyebrows raise and I wonder if he’s surprised I noticed. “I. . . it’s just. . .” He shakes his head and gives me a small smile. “It’s just a wolf thing. Don’t worry about it.”
When we reach the grassy expanse that leads back to the castle gate, the morning is quiet. A thin layer of mist coats the loch, and the heather and fern are dull in the grey light.
Ahead, there are a few Wolves making their way back through the castle walls, laughing and joking with one another.
They’re all as naked as Callum.
“Goddess!” I turn my head, only to be confronted with Callum’s hard chest. My pulse beats a little faster, warmth blooming in my lower stomach. His grip on me almost imperceptibly tightens. “You Wolves really have no modesty, do you?”
Callum chuckles. “It’s only natural.”
“Natural, perhaps. But it’s far more acceptable to wear clothes when in other people’s company.”
“Only because that’s what your society has taught you.”
“So if I started prancing around without my clothes on, you’d be perfectly okay with that?”
A slow grin spreads across his face. “If you started prancing around with no clothes on, I think I’d like that very much, Princess.”
“Brute,” I mutter.
I expect Callum to take me back to my room, but instead, he carries me into his chambers.
There’s a fire crackling in the hearth, and in front of it stands the copper tub, filled with steaming water. I glance at it longingly as Callum places me down on his bed, then turns and walks over to his wardrobe. I stare at the ceiling, determined not to look at him.
Then I glance at Callum, even though I know I shouldn’t.
I’m not sure if I’m relieved or disappointed that he’s pulled on a pair of loose-fitting cotton breeches. He’s still topless though, his muscular back on display as he closes the wardrobe doors.