The Princess Broken Wolf

21

Both of them didn’t talk at all. Rather, they stayed up late till everyone retired to their camps. In the dead of the night, Rosamund saw Ruslan just a little differently. He was more natural, as if the night was his natural habitat. His breathing was almost silent, the smooth movement he made went unnoticed even by someone like her. The turquoise blue of his iris was visible, indicating that he had let his wolf come out of his consciousness. They were basically co-piloting his mind and that excited and intrigued her at the same time.

“Can you tell me more about your wolf?” Rosamund randomly spoke, without actually thinking and broke the calmness of the night.

“What would you like to know?” he said, while looking at the moon. He looked like a mysterious creature, the lines between the animalistic part of him and the humane part were blurred under the night sky. Everything about him was highlighted and darkened with the presence of his wolf. Aleksander and Rosamund remembered his wolf’s name, which was befitting of him to the point of perfection.

“When did you know that you had a wolf?” Rosamund asked, not sure if he would reply to her.

“Since the day I was born. Mother used to tell me that when I first opened my eyes, my left eye was turquoise blue and the right eye was brown. Since that day, I have always roamed around in the forest alone at night and come back all dirty and muddy as if I was a pub who rolled around in mud. And eventually they found out that I rolled around all day and night in the mud playing with squirrels and rabbits.” he paused, smiling before his expression changed and continued, “but it wasn’t always such an innocent picture. Aleksander is an Alpha Wolf. That means he was more ferocious compared to every other wolf and too powerful to handle. The rabbits that I used to play with as a child became my prey once I passed the age of five. For a while, I had no control over Aleksander and the result of that was many other wolves getting hurt. He wasn’t always the easy wolf to have.” Ruslan said while looking towards her.

“Does he often go berserk?” she innocently asked. This conversation was turning out to be more fruitful than she had expected. There was no easy way for her to sugarcoat her intentions. That by asking more about his wolf, she would be able to evaluate how much poison it would take for him to stay awake till she could run away. And from the conversation they were having, she might need all the poison she had for herself.

Suddenly his face darkened. Rosamund could feel the anger emitting from his body in strong waves and she couldn’t help but put her guard up. Subtly settling herself in a defensive pose, she was ready to fight if he attacked her.

“Once.” he didn’t elaborate anymore and she knew it was something that had a deeper history. A very bothersome and dark history that is.

They both went silent for a few minutes before the tables turned. Apparently, it was her turn to answer some of his questions now.

“When did you get your divinity powers?” his question made her breath hitch in her throat. She had prepared tens of times to answer questions about her so-called divine powers but never had she prepared for the feelings that would come with them. She felt awful to lie to him and it made her feel so ashamed, yet somehow she was able to keep her face void of such feelings. Rosamund had no choice but to lie through her teeth and shut off all the feelings of shame and regret from herself while answering his question.

“When I was five. The first time it manifested was during my first training with Commander Yagiz. It was an awful day.” it was also the first day she was beaten half to death because no divinity manifested in her. She was starved and worked to her bones in the Gallows. That day, Yagiz had slashed her skin off her spine and made her pick up the body parts in the Gallows while the Queen cheered from her balcony and the King sipped away on his tea. They were enjoying her misery as if it was an opera play and, since that day, she had forgotten how to smile or laugh.

Ruslan nodded in acknowledgment. Their conversations shifted towards the lighter side throughout the night. It was probably now past midnight that both of them retired to their tent. It was vast, with enough space for atleast ten people. Rosamund didn’t know when they had set up such an extravagant tent. The only problem with it was that there was only one single bed. It was big, she couldn’t deny it, but the uncomfortable feeling of having to share her bed with her so-called husband, who was also someone she was conspiring against, was a little too unnerving for her. Ruslan was getting washed outside and she was standing idle looking at the bed that was before her.

“Now how am I supposed to sleep with him?” Rosamund said to herself just as Ruslan walked back inside. The first few buttons of his shirt were open, giving her a very flattering view of his golden chest. His hair was wet, his veil removed. Steeling herself against feeling ridiculously shy, Rosamund took the pillow from the bed and arranged them on the floor with a cloth laid below. Ruslan stopped drying his hair with the towel and looked at her with a very apparent amusement in his eyes.

“What are you doing?” He had the audacity to ask her mockingly.

“Sleeping on the floor.” she curtly replied while laying down on her makeshift bed.

“There is a perfectly made bed,” he pointed out. Ruslan was purposely getting on her nerves.

“I can’t.” she simply said, moving so that her back faced the so-called bed he was referring to.

“ We are husband and wife.” His not-so subtle way of telling her that they indeed were half husband and wife, made her madder.

“We are not yet a full husband and wife,” she smugly replied.

“I am the King and I say, we are as good a husband and wife as any other couple.” his voice was nearer than she had expected. Still, she refused to give in to him.

“No we are not. Not until we have the Unionous Ceremony.” Unionous Ceremony was when both the bride and the groom bind themselves into the marriage infront of everyone by making a life bond. It was also the day when they were to make their blood bonds as well. For Ruslan, it was when he would plead his alliance with the Marigold Kingdom. The Unionous Ceremony was followed by consummation of the wedding.

“But there is no harm in sleeping in the same bed now, is there?” in an instant, Rosamund was hurled on his chest. She gave out a shriek of protest and was seconds away from decking him before he manhandled her onto the bed.

“What do you think you are doing?” she asked, struggling to free her wrists from his grip. Under the dim light, Ruslan looked more wolf than man, with a sensuality Rosamund did not want to admit.

“I am trying to get you to bed.” He cheekily replied, still keeping her wrists under his grip.

“Let me go.” she said through her gritted teeth. He was strong, alright, a little stronger than she had anticipated. Apparently, even if the wolf was away from their turf, they were still beastly strong.

“You’ll have to sleep here. With me. I simply cannot have my queen sleeping on the floor,” he said, still as adamant as a brick wall.

“ I do not want to,” she protested, successfully freeing one of her hands from his grip.

Sighing, he let her go fully, while straddling her hips in a scandalous way that made her aware of the position they were in.

Both of them seemed to have realized simultaneously as Ruslan instantly jumped off her in a blink of an eye.

Clearing his voice, he said, “Sleep on the bed, princess.” and laid down on the bed she had made for herself. Rosamund was left frozen on the bed, not knowing what happened.

As fast as she could, she settled on the bed without saying another word. The candles were blown out by the wind. The night was peaceful, with crickets loudly making their mating sounds and the rustling of the trees adding sounds to the feature of a lullaby.

“I hope we have a good future together.” Ruslan spoke from his bed promptly.

Rosamund didn’t say anything in reply. Maybe because he thought she had slept, Ruslan continued.

“I hope this union of ours becomes the best decision of your life and I hope, as flawed as I am and my wolf is, you’ll come to love both of us. Even though you are the untouchable first commander of Marigold, my insolent heart can’t help but find you the most human among everyone. You might not be aware, but I have come to admire your secretive self and the expressions you make when you think no one is watching you. It might have been my destiny to be bewitched by someone so far away. Rosamund Marigold Karkonz, I dread the day you become the moon I have secretly asked for in the deepest part of my heart. I dread the day. You show me yourself and I know that I will die loving you. You are the soul mate I have found through fate and I wish, I wish you were my soul mate that I had waited a lifetime for.” Ruslan felt silent after that but his words pierced through her heart like a million needles.

Stray tears kept flowing from her eyes and she silently cried throughout the night. It was painful to be someone else’s wish. It was painful for her because she knew how it hurt to have disappointment as a result of the prayers. It was painful for her to become the reason he would lose faith in the Goddess, because the day she would draw her sword against his throat and betray him the worse possible way would be the day he would kill the part in him that knew how to care.