eagerly
awaited surprising his prey. Slip in the castle on his watch? No way
in hell. He'd be the laughing stock of the town and banished from the Royal
Elite with a black mark to follow him until the day he died.
The intruder was near, lurking through the numerous corridors,
the great stony maze. He began to remove his shirt so he'd be ready for a
sudden shift. With the material coiled in one hand, he kept his back flat
against the wall as he heard one of the secret passage doors being unlocked.
If the intruder infiltrated the castle, he could go for the queen. Ulric had
to ensure this problem didn't pass the outer walls.
He lunged forward, swinging around the hidden entrance before
slamming the intruder against the wall. Ulric hadn't expected a female. She
was tiny compared to him. He loosened the grip he had on the back of her neck
and took a cautious step back. "Turn around," he commanded. She eased
her small frame around until she faced him. He couldn't see her features with
the black scarf that covered her head, but he could have sworn he recognized
her scent. "Show yourself."
Those yellowish-green eyes stared up at him through the
darkness, transfixed. " Ulric," she murmured. At that moment
the main alarm sounded, the blazing sirens deafening, capturing his attention,
distracting him for one second too long. He caught movement in his peripheral
vision. A second dark figure raced through a distant passage. Were these
trespassers working together? If not, who was the greater threat? All the
recent complacency of the Royal Elite was backfiring as he'd predicted.
When he turned back to the woman, she was gone. He twisted
his head to each side, and then spun around. How could she move so fast? He
raced back down the stone passage. The voices of the other Elite echoed
through the tunnels, spotlights scanning the grounds beyond the entrance. He
burst out of the passage, breathless, his bare chest slick.
Blake ran up to him from the left. "What the fuck is
happening?" he shouted to be heard. Blake was the rookie, only entering
the Elite in the spring. They'd all had their laughs breaking him in, but the
determined set of his eyes made Ulric proud. The wolf would no doubt rip apart
any threat, as he was taught in his training, rather than bow out with his tail
between his legs in the face of real danger.
"At least two have infiltrated the outer wall. They were
in the tunnels only moments ago." There was a vast tunnel system between
the moat and the interior of the castle. The staff and residents were well
acquainted with its secrets, but an intruder would be easily lost, confused
long enough to be caught. "We need to shift and flush them out. One is a
female," he added.
Blake didn't stall or ask questions. "I'll scent them.
Female or not, the intruder will pay." He dropped to all fours, not
bothering to save his clothing. Another rookie mistake. He'd learn soon enough
when all his money went to the purchase of new clothing. The wolf shifter bound
off, disappearing into the darkened treeline. Where had Alexander run off to?
That soon-to-be royal wolf had probably retreated to the safety of the castle.
Preserving his life was of utmost importance, but Ulric would never hide and
allow others to protect him. He needed to be in the heart of the action, deal
with the threat personally. His role as royal guard was well suited to him,
but it still wasn't enough.
He could see countless shifters prowling the area now. He'd
head back into the tunnels to hunt. That female could still be trying to gain
access to the castle interior. He dashed through the tunnels, testing the air
as he moved. When he turned another corner, he could smell the acrid scent of
fear and body odor. He smiled to himself. His bear roared, craving a chance to
get his paws on the bastard who slipped by their perimeter.
A low crevice normally used for storing gardening
awaited surprising his prey. Slip in the castle on his watch? No way
in hell. He'd be the laughing stock of the town and banished from the Royal
Elite with a black mark to follow him until the day he died.
The intruder was near, lurking through the numerous corridors,
the great stony maze. He began to remove his shirt so he'd be ready for a
sudden shift. With the material coiled in one hand, he kept his back flat
against the wall as he heard one of the secret passage doors being unlocked.
If the intruder infiltrated the castle, he could go for the queen. Ulric had
to ensure this problem didn't pass the outer walls.
He lunged forward, swinging around the hidden entrance before
slamming the intruder against the wall. Ulric hadn't expected a female. She
was tiny compared to him. He loosened the grip he had on the back of her neck
and took a cautious step back. "Turn around," he commanded. She eased
her small frame around until she faced him. He couldn't see her features with
the black scarf that covered her head, but he could have sworn he recognized
her scent. "Show yourself."
Those yellowish-green eyes stared up at him through the
darkness, transfixed. " Ulric," she murmured. At that moment
the main alarm sounded, the blazing sirens deafening, capturing his attention,
distracting him for one second too long. He caught movement in his peripheral
vision. A second dark figure raced through a distant passage. Were these
trespassers working together? If not, who was the greater threat? All the
recent complacency of the Royal Elite was backfiring as he'd predicted.
When he turned back to the woman, she was gone. He twisted
his head to each side, and then spun around. How could she move so fast? He
raced back down the stone passage. The voices of the other Elite echoed
through the tunnels, spotlights scanning the grounds beyond the entrance. He
burst out of the passage, breathless, his bare chest slick.
Blake ran up to him from the left. "What the fuck is
happening?" he shouted to be heard. Blake was the rookie, only entering
the Elite in the spring. They'd all had their laughs breaking him in, but the
determined set of his eyes made Ulric proud. The wolf would no doubt rip apart
any threat, as he was taught in his training, rather than bow out with his tail
between his legs in the face of real danger.
"At least two have infiltrated the outer wall. They were
in the tunnels only moments ago." There was a vast tunnel system between
the moat and the interior of the castle. The staff and residents were well
acquainted with its secrets, but an intruder would be easily lost, confused
long enough to be caught. "We need to shift and flush them out. One is a
female," he added.
Blake didn't stall or ask questions. "I'll scent them.
Female or not, the intruder will pay." He dropped to all fours, not
bothering to save his clothing. Another rookie mistake. He'd learn soon enough
when all his money went to the purchase of new clothing. The wolf shifter bound
off, disappearing into the darkened treeline. Where had Alexander run off to?
That soon-to-be royal wolf had probably retreated to the safety of the castle.
Preserving his life was of utmost importance, but Ulric would never hide and
allow others to protect him. He needed to be in the heart of the action, deal
with the threat personally. His role as royal guard was well suited to him,
but it still wasn't enough.
He could see countless shifters prowling the area now. He'd
head back into the tunnels to hunt. That female could still be trying to gain
access to the castle interior. He dashed through the tunnels, testing the air
as he moved. When he turned another corner, he could smell the acrid scent of
fear and body odor. He smiled to himself. His bear roared, craving a chance to
get his paws on the bastard who slipped by their perimeter.
A low crevice normally used for storing gardening
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