The Red Wolf

In Walks the King

*Kadens POV*

Kaden had just laid down on the squeaky bed in his hotel when he felt the tug in his mind. It was late and his men knew not to bother him unless it was an emergency. He closed his eyes and opened his mind to the connection. What he heard was not his men or his pack....

A desperate voice came through. A sense of urgency filled him as he recognized the voice of the mysterious girl at the bar. An electric feeling engulfed him. The mate bond....he knew he found her the moment he walked into the bar.. his mate....but something was off. She did not smell of wolf or Lycan......the moon goddess was clearly mistaken by assigning him a human.......not to mention, his wolf Ragnar has been suspiciously quiet over the whole thing. Kaden could feel his excitement, but just like him, he sensed something was off about their little mate and went dormant. The plea came through again. Asking for help. She was in danger. As quickly as it formed, the connection was lost. He growled in frustration and jumped to his feet. Human or wolf, he would not let her die.

Taking half a second to mind link his Beta for support, Kaden opened the hotel window and jumped 3 stories to the ground. Shifting as he went. His wolf howled at its release. His fur reflected the color of the moon, indicating his pure blood line. And he was 3 times bigger than any car, with long-effortless strides, he made it to the bar in mere seconds where her scent was strongest.

The sounds of padded footsteps told him Loki, his beta, was by his side. He didn't look up but continued his track. Her scream filled his ears and a growl so loud released through his mouth it caused Loki to whimper. A bright red flame shot into the sky causing him to look up. "There!" he shot at Loki before taking off.

Her scent became stronger the closer he got. The sweet scent of honey and vanilla. His body and mind craved that scent. He made it to the scene and stopped dead in his tracks. Flames were littering the ground. His mate was lying on the ground unconscious with steam rising from her body. When his eyes reached her torn top, anger filled him and he immediately located the culprit. A filthy vampire was holding his burnt arm and walking towards her cursing and shouting.

He felt Loki at his shoulder. Their eyes met. Loki nodded and he took off for the girl. Kaden let out a ground piercing howl, stopping the vampire in his tracks. His eyes widened in fear when he saw the silver wolf come out of the shadows. Kaden was in front of him in an instant, his paw smashing the vampire to the ground so he couldn't escape. All that was visible was his fear-covered face.

"You..rree..Highness! She started it! I was only defending myself! You must believe me! I didn't break the rules!!" he pleaded desperately. Kaden lowered his head. While normal wolves couldn't speak outside their human forms, the King of Lycans could. Keeping his voice so low Loki couldn't hear, he leaned in until his snout was at the vampire's throat, he let the venom drip from his voice as he spoke.

"You almost killed my mate...." Horror replaced the fear and the vampire began to struggle. He knew his time was up.

"They want her! They told me to get her!" he shouted desperately. "I didn't know she had a mate. I was just having some fun first."

Kaden applied more pressure with his paw.

"Who wants her?!" he growled.

"I...I do not know his name....just that he's powerful. He's a warlock. An original. That's all I know, your highness! Please let me...." A sickening crunch was all Kaden heard as he slammed his foot down before heading towards Loki.

A warlock....what would a warlock want with this girl? With his mate. Surely she would know. This strange creature that smells of nothing.

"Sir. you need to see this". Loki was kneeling beside the girl sitting her up.. Her jacket had fallen off her shoulder and he was staring intently at it. Shifting back into his human form to mimick his beta, he knelt beside the unconscious girl. His eyes widened and he looked at Loki. Worried eyes looked back at him. On her shoulder was a crescent moon scar. It glowed white in the night sky. He had heard about this but had never witnessed it..this was the mark of the Celestials. The Moon Goddesse's warriors, as you may call them. They were thought to be a myth, nobody has ever seen them but they all knew the stories. Mark bearers were specifically chosen by the Moon Goddess. Why? He had no idea. But he knew this girl carried the power of the Lycans inside her. At least half of her.

The sound of voices and shouts broke him from his thoughts. Someone had seen the flames....two naked men and an unconscious girl were not going to be a pretty sight to any human.

"We must go. Go to the hotel and bring me clothes. Her scent expands for the next half mile. I assume she has a residence there." Loki nodded and he was off. Kaden scooped the girl up into his arms. She barely weighed anything. She moaned in his arms and rolled her head to the side.

Sticking to the trees, Kaden followed her scent to a small cabin in the woods. Trees surrounded it on all sides, except for a small gravel road that led out towards the town. The voices had stopped at the clearing where the incident occurred. He sighed in relief when he heard them come to the conclusion it was a bunch of kids playing with fire.

Cradling her in one arm, he reached for the door. Locked. With a hard shove, the lock snapped and the door swung open. He'd fix it later. He looked around in amusement at the tiny home before him. Everything was in one room, except the bathroom. Her bed was against the right wall, with a small chair by the window covered in books. A wood burning stove separated her "bedroom" from her kitchen. The kitchen was dated and had just enough counter space to make a sandwich. A small bistro table with two chairs sat snugly by the door. He thought of his own home. With 4 levels and all the space in the world.

"Where am i....." The girl in his arms began to move. Her eyes fluttered open and a confused look crossed her face.

"I believe this is your home," Kaden responded. She found his face and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"You're the guy from the bar....why are you carrying me....omg you're naked!" she squealed and struggled to free his arms. He let her go. She grabbed the back of her chair for balance before pointing at the throw at the end of her bed.

"You can use that...." Kaden smirked but grabbed the blanket anyway. Being naked is normal for their kind. Her reaction told him she was not used to Lycans or Werewolves....yet she bore the mark.

She watched him warely and then realization hit her face. "The vampire!" she began looking around frantically.

"He's dead." Kaden sat on the bed and watched her. She was gorgeous. Her green eyes were round and her lips were the perfect size for sucking. Her hair seemed brighter than at the bar but he wasn't sure in this poor excuse for lighting, He narrowed his eyes at the small scab forming over her bottom lip. In an instant he was on his feet, blanket dropped. She gasped as he grabbed her chin, but she didn't fight him. Electricity flew through his body from the contact...he knew she felt it too..Kaden examined the tiny puncture wound before looking into her eyes. He could get lost in those eyes.

"Did you exchange blood with him?" He asked urgently. "He bit you. Did you exchange blood?"