Frost Bite.

Chapter Nine.

Zane.

She sat on one of the many desks, her bare legs dangling over the edge as she paged through a random book, hair neatly tucked back behind her ear as her eyes scanned the words with minimal interest. The shirt she wore was old and worn and hug down to just above her knees but went up to her neck. The sides were sleeveless which meant that the sides of her breasts were visible through the slits and the thin material did little to hide her pert n*****s in the cold air of the castle Library. She noticed that I was starring at her from across the room from under the cover of her hair and smiled lightly, her canines seeming whiter in the faint glow of the candles "You seem happier" I said, turning back to the book I held open in my hand, finger running across the old worn pages to read the first sentence that was scribbled onto it in hand written, black ink. She closed her own book and hopped off the desk, feet touching the ground with toes pointed downward "I am" she muttered, pushing her body away from the desk and giving a spin so that she was at my side, her arms folded behind her back as she looked down at the book I was busy reading. Her eyes scanned the page for a few moments then she turned her gaze onto me when I spoke again "Tell me about yourself" I insisted, closing the book with one hand and tossing it aside into the pile that was already starting to form on the desk. She unwound her arms and used one to grip the edge of the desk as she slightly tilted her head to the side "About myself?" she questioned, the shadows from the candles dancing across her face, legs and arms. I could see the claws on her fingertips dancing across the tabletop while she waited for my reply "Yes, after all, you are the very reason I'm here in the first place" I informed, motioning to the shelves of books that stood like pillars around us. Her head turned to look down at the books I had been reading, eyes scanning the titles and old hand bound leather. She knew that I had been studying up on wolves ever since she had laid eyes on the page I had been reading. I studied her, noticing that she looked livelier, almost alive compared to the daylight hours as if she had just woken up "What do I have to do with any of it?" she asked, playing dumb. I turned to lean back against the desk, crossing my arms over my chest as I gazed down at her since I stood at nearly a head taller than her. My head tilted back, looking up at the painted ceiling overhead although it seemed pitch black that far up at night. It hovered at least five stories above us "I trust you know that I, along with my brothers are members of the Royal Court" it was common sense and something she already knew as she nodded, reaching for one of the books on the desk, leafing through it while I continued to speak, steeling glances in her direction every now and then "I am in charge of the Royal Armada which means that I am in charge of you, it's new Commander" I turned to face her, hand placed palm down on the surface of the desk as I leaned across to get closer to her, my nose nearly brushing up against her cheek while she continued paging through the book. She hummed, unaffected by the close proximity "Therefor it is my job to learn as much about you as possible" I concluded, my hand gripping the book and slipping it out from under her index finger. She looked up at me, eyes snapping silently at me when she realized that her lips were mere inches away from mine. Her gaze flickered down to my lips and then she was gone, making her way around the desk to stand behind it with both hands propped flat onto its top "Then ask and you shall know" her cryptic words lead me to believe that she was in the mood to play games so I humored her, a faint grin slipping onto my lips when she shot me a daring glance, one that no normal commoner would dare give their first Prince. I turned, leaning across the desk to meet her head on "What is a wolf exactly?"

Blythe.

Prince Zane was not at all what i was expecting. He was a man who knew how to sway a woman with words, a dangerous man if he wanted to be. He wasn't as rough and wild as Aron, nor was he as dominant and powerful as Nixtoni but he was sly and cunning, a charmer by trait. He leaned across the desk and gazed into my eyes with a look that playfully dared me to come closer. I smiled and turned my back to him, leaning back against the wooden surface with my hands gripping the edges of either side beside me. This man was one of seduction and I would not rise to the bate "A wolf is a single being made up of two separate souls" I began, turning my head to glance back at him from over my shoulder. It was late and the hands on the old grandfather clock read close to midnight. The light of the candles flickered in his light blue eyes, making them seem as if they were on fire "That of a wolf and that of a human" my eyes glowed a brighter blue when the word 'wolf' left my lips. She stirred inside me at the mention of her, like a beast who had been in a deep slumber but was provoked to roll over onto her side with a deep rumble in her chest "We are two entirely different beings that inhabit one body, a body able to shift from a wolf to a human on will" I turned my head away to stare into the darkness, able to make out every detail of the black world around me through my eyes that could still see at night. I could hear the steady beating of his heart in hid rib cage, the blood pumping through his veins and his breathing however low it may be "But even though we share the same body-." I paused, my hands tightening on the edge of the desk, claws digging into the wood with little care as who would see the markings or be tasked with replacing the table. My mind flickered from Aron to Nixon as the next words flowed out of me "Our thoughts and emotions are different" silence fell around me, the two faces in my sights mashing together as I blinked to find tables stacked with books, shelves that lined the walls and candles burning in the dead of night. I was no longer in that armory, on that platform with Aron on top of me. I was no longer in that bed Chamber with Nixtoni hovering over me, his hand gripping my chin and his lips inches away from mine "What transpired in the throne room?" his question was something I had been expecting but not from him, rather from his brother or Aron. It was hard to explain to someone who had not been born a wolf what I had happened but I would try "There is a thin line that separates us, a thread strung between control and inhumanity" I turned to look at him, my hair flowing around me from the movement, catching the light and framing my face. Zane was just as handsome as Nixon despite the gaping difference between their appearances, whereas Aron was gruff and unpredictable which made him just as alluring, not that he wasn't attractive "I am the control and she is the rogue within me" I raised my hand to grip at the material of the shirt that hovered over my chest, my fingers tugging at the fabric as my eyes gazed aimlessly down at the desk that stood a foot or so in front of me "If I am threatened she tends to take control and we become dangerous" I could feel the former Commander's armored boot striking my body from below, the toe digging into my rib cage and drawing the air from my lungs as I collapsed onto the marble flooring. I could feel my heartbeat ringing in my ears as she clawed her way to the surface, forcefully taking control over my body, our body "Think of it as a defense mechanism" I concluded, my hand dropping back to my side as I looked up at him, his eyes never having strayed from my form. He finally nodded, standing upright with his arms at his sides when I was finished speaking. There were many questions hidden in his eyes but there was also understanding "I read something earlier-." he began to say, his hand motioning to the books splayed out before me. My eyes darted down to them and I knew what question was next to come from the page I had scanned. A small, sad smile touched my lips "Can you explain to me the concept of mates?" my eyes drooped slightly with joyful agony mixing in their irises like a never ending storm, tangling together like the flames of a fire. I watched the flickering of the candle light, my head nodding once, slowly, almost unsure. The concept was something beautiful to my kind, something treasured and valued. It was what I had been taught ever since I was a little girl yet there I was wishing that I could change the path Selene, the goddess of the moon, had chosen for me "To you mates would be a husband and wife" I could feel my mind searching for ways to explain it as I spoke, cautiously. My wolf howled in the back of my mind, her cry of agony and pain enough to cause my heart to ache as an image of Nixtoni flickered before my eyes, in the flame of the candle "It is an intimate bond between two beings except far stronger than that of what humans are capable of" my feet began to move on their own accord, placing one foot before the other, leading me around the desk until I stood in front of Zane, my hand placed down on the desk as I continued to look down "Mates are linked by their souls, each pair hand chosen by Selene herself" his fists balled at his sides when I neared almost as if the proximity was too much for him to handle. I gave a sad smile, a brief twitch of my lips "If mates choose to accept each other-." my eyes lifted from the ground to meet his as my hand dragged along the surface, moving to be placed palm down on the left side of his chest "Then they can feel each others' emotions, they can share their thoughts and pain" the words were almost a whisper as I spoke them, my hand slipping down his chest until it fell limp at my sides, balling when Aron's face came to mind, his eyes filled with anger causing my heart to shatter in my chest, his rejection ringing in my ears 'You're not mine, you're his!' "It is truly a beautiful bond" Zane's hand moved, knuckles brushing across my cheek and temple to gently cup the side of my face. The gold from his rings were cool against my skin as he bent his head down, eyes searching mine for a moment. I wasn't sure what he was going to do, whether it was him trying to seduce me or not but instead of kissing me, instead of touching me, he whispered "But if it causes you pain then is it really love?" he knew what I was feeling, he could see the conflict in my eyes which was more than I could say for both Nixon and Aron. He stood upright and let go of my face, turning to stack the books on the desk into a neat pile then picked the candle holder up, holding it in between us "It's getting late, please allow me to escort you back to your Cambers" who was this man? How did he see right through me? How was it possible for him to know exactly what to say and when to say it? I stood staring at him, my lips slightly parted, my body free of pain in his presence and mind racing with questions.