Still the pull for something else tugs me. The need to be with my pride fights for position with the desire for something…else.
It’s silly really. I won’t even bathe near the males or females. I want to be more part of the pride but…
And now I’ve attacked a royal wolf.
For a long time, there was a joke that spread through the pride like wild fire. They ribbed on me, everyone saying I was the first rogue we’d had in three generations. The memory of it churns my stomach, because although I’ve never voiced my concerns, I think there might be some truth to it.
Especially after this debacle with the wolf.
My parents will no doubt leverage this against me. Try to use it to force my hand into marrying Crede. Immediately.
It’s my only option. I try to remind myself it’s what I want. What I’ve always wanted, but even to me, it tastes like a bitter lie.
“Liana.” Crede brushes his knuckles across my cheek, pulling me from the spinning thoughts running haphazardly in my head.
“I can’t do this right now, Crede,” I stammer out, inching a step away from him. “There’s too much going on in here.” I tap a finger to my temple.
He nods, and a radiant smile breaks across his face. “Then let’s get you out of that crazy head of yours.”
In the second it takes me to blink, to momentarily shut my eyes and open them again, Crede changes. His golden mane now covers his glorious lion body, his clothes lying a rumpled mess on the ground beneath his four legs. Brown eyes watch me, their gaze lazy as he waits for me to make a decision.
“Turn around,” I say.
Crede tilts his head to the side and sits on his rump as his tail swishes, making the leaves rustle at the contact. Familiar in this childish game we play, we each stick to our roles.
“Crede.”
He yawns, arrogance vibrating off him when he stands up to nuzzle my hand with his wet nose.
“You’re impossible,” I mumble.
Although I normally undress in front of Crede before I change, I leave my clothes on this time. He hisses and I shoot him a knowing smile.
I feel the shift, the intimacy between myself and the awakening lion as I transform.
Fierce. Majestic. Spirited.
On four legs, I glide forward, with Crede beside me. I give him a sideways glance and because our spirits are in tune with the other, we sprint toward the line of trees in unison.
My muscles stretch and I run faster. The pads of my feet dig into the soft ground and for the first time today, I feel in charge. Like my future is still unwritten. Like I may have a say in what lies before me.
Always my protector, Crede runs beside me, letting me guide us past the tall trees until we reach the plains.
He pushes his head to my neck and I ease myself down onto the glistening grass. He peers down at me. Fire burns behind his eyes and I feel the power swimming inside this magnificent creature I always thought was destined to be mine.
Chapter 6
Liana
It annoys me how closely Lia follows behind Crede and me. Like she can’t wait for the future that’s been paved for her. As if continuously coming in second to me, always trailing behind me, is a success of sorts. I scoff. As if I want to share my home with a houseful of women who are inferior to me in everything but their title.
“Be nice,” Crede grumbles under his breath, the deep rumble of his voice reaches me, and I avert my eyes for only a second before I meet his gaze.
“Don’t you ever get tired of this?” I ask under my breath. “Our whole lives are orchestrated, each detail thought out before we were even born.”
Thick eyebrows shoot to his forehead. “Would you do anything differently, Liana? Would you choose differently?” he clarifies.
“No,” I reply without hesitating. “Or I don’t think I would. Maybe, I don’t know because I was never given the option to choose.”
Abruptly, Crede stops walking and his large hand grips around my waist. “I don’t understand you. This -” he waves his unused hand around us – “is what you want. To rule our pride, to rule all the realms. It’s all you’ve talked about since we were cubs. There’s only one way to get what you want.”
“Marriage,” I reply.
“You say it as if marrying me was a bad thing.”
“It’s not,” I argue without any real vehemence behind my words.
“Is it at least better than marrying a wolf?” he tries to joke.
“Royal or not, no one’s marrying some rogue wolf, least of all me,” I bite back.
He chuckles, a deep rumble that starts in his belly and I smile back at him. He leans into me, his breath inches from my ear and I close my eyes at the sudden shudder in my body. “Just think of all the times you’ll be able to see me naked once we’re married.”
Laughter builds and explodes from within while his words settle and tense in my gut. “You’ve already seen me naked more times than I’d like anyone to know about.”
Heat emanates from my body as I flush at the hunger behind his gaze. The reminder of the intimacy we’ve shared makes me feel powerful in this moment. Wanted and desirable.
I first felt the butterfly of my attraction to Crede when I was sixteen years old. It danced inside of me, somersaulting in my belly until I was certain I’d be sick. There was a small flicker between us and every time our gazes met, I felt the power of our mutual affection for each other grow.
Years passed and while the power grew, attraction dwindled. It wasn’t him or me. It just was. He was and still is a beautiful lion. A magnificent creature.
My destiny.
“Liana,” Lia interrupts, her eyes dancing across the thick garden, “your mother.” She drops her chin and sinks into a deep bow when my mother reaches us.
“Mother,” I say, also bowing with my head tipped ever so slightly.
A long slender finger glides under my chin and she lifts my head. Silently, I observe everything she doesn’t say. Sadness, anticipation, and pride twist her features, and I take it in trying to figure out the meaning behind each expression. While she ignores Lia’s presence, she smiles warmly at Crede.
“Liana.” My name falls from her full lips with a tenderness she reserves only for me. “Let us speak in private.”
Crede and Lia melt into the background as I walk beside my mother, her leading while I still maintain my stand alongside her. While independence isn’t something others in our pride value, it’s something I hold dear. And something both my parents understand. Maybe even appreciate.
I may be part of our pride, but I’m an individual. Strong, resilient, capable.
Together we cross the garden, dry leaves cracking as we step on them. Water trickles through the crystal pond, the sound replenishing its surroundings. Summer smiles back at me with the warm vibrancy of the overhead sun. When we reach the foyer, we take a seat at the small table set in front of the vines scaling the tall walls of our castle. Immediately, house servants bring us two glasses of wine and a plate of cheese. Swirling the cool liquid beneath my nose, I take in its sultry scent and let my eyes droop closed.