The Prince's Guard

“My Prince!”

Chris frowned to himself. He was quite happy asleep, who was shouting?

“My Prince, where have you been?”

A shard of agonising flame ripped through his skull, he groaned. He wasn’t in pain while he was asleep. He much preferred sleep.

“Are you OK?” the female voice had got much closer. He heaved himself onto all fours, feeling warm soil beneath his fingers.

Why was he outside?

His splitting headache had caused a fog, he couldn’t remember anything. His chest was burning, his limbs felt heavy but not too bad. A strange taste in his mouth. He tried to take stock if he were injured but couldn’t feel anything apart from his head.

He forced his eyes open, instantly bathed in orange sunlight, he glanced around to see he was in woodland. Where, he had no idea.

“My Prince, can you get up?” the same female voice again.

“Yeah,” he grunted, forcing himself to his feet.

“I’m glad I found you! What are you doing here?” His arm was taken up, draping around her shoulders. He realised his mind was foggy, too foggy to be normal.

“I think you had too much last night.”

“No… No I… Someone took me, they had a witch.” He frowned to himself, his memory seemed more a dream but he was certain it was real.

“Bad trip, eh? I’ll get you to the infirmary, no one’s going to believe you met a witch, My Prince.”

“Lauren?”

“Only just realised?”

“She.. she did something.”

“Of course they did, my mate. I believe you. I’ll get you to the infirmary.”

“No. I need to-”

“Shh, sh, you’ve had a fright, that’s all. I’ll look after you, that’s what mates do after all, huh?”

“You’re not my-”

“Best save your strength,” she cut him off again, winding through trees that all looked the same.

His features were in a constant frown. His jumbled mind made little sense. Images were coming to him in random order like a dream. Had he just dreamt? Maybe he had been sleepwalking.

He didn’t sleepwalk.

He allowed himself to be led through the rough trees, his bare feet catching on gnarled roots before they broke through the tree line to see the palace. At least she was taking him home and not to some ramshackle cabin to nurse him herself. He shivered at the thought.

“Let’s get you well, My Prince, you’ve clearly had a night,” she announced as they entered the entrance hall, she steered him down the corridor.

“I was taken… someone took me from bed.”

“No one can break into the palace. You had a nightmare.”

“I don’t need the infirmary!”

“Just to check you over.”

“My head hurts, that’s all.” He frowned, he hadn’t meant to say that. He didn’t need to admit to this female how he felt.

“All the more reason to get you checked over.”

Before he knew it, he was going through the door to the palace infirmary where a healer was sat at a desk. “My Prince, what can we do for you?”

“I found him in the woods, just-”

“I was kidnapped. They injected wolfsbane and… I’m not sure.”

“I think he had a bit too much-” Laura tipped her hand in a drinking motion.

“I understand, take a seat, My Prince, we’ll give you a quick-”

“I have not been drinking!” Frustration riled within him, he hated being treated like a pup; he was a full grown! “Laura… Lauren, whatever your name is. Thank you for getting me to the Palace, I can manage from here, you are dismissed.”

Laura’s face scrunched in confusion. “What do you mean?… I need to be here, I’m your-”

Chris reared up to full height, ignoring the pounding in his skull as his frustration and fury filled the room. “If you say you are my mate one more time I don’t give a shit, I’ll tear you limb from limb! Go!” he growled much more like his father than he thought he ever could sound.

“I think you’ve had a knock, darling, just calm-” Chris took a menacing step towards her, crowding her towards the door.

“Do you wish to continue your sentence?” he snarled. He couldn’t say where his anger was coming from, he still didn’t have his wolf with him, this was all him. Things he usually kept locked inside, words that were reserved for himself only were flying from his mouth.

“My Prince, maybe you should take a seat,” the healer stated again, gesturing towards a bed but Chris wasn’t feeling all too compliant. He took another step towards Laura, his bare chest heaving, his fists clenched so hard blood was dripping onto the wooden floor.

“Baby, just go sit down,” she cooed as if he weren’t threatening her, weren’t glaring at her with murderous gold eyes.

His bloodied hand shot out to fist her t-shirt, “Last chance to get out of my sight.”

“Chris! Stand down,” Wade’s voice boomed from the door just behind Laura.

“No,” he growled.

“Christopher.”

“You’re not my father.”

“I am 100% certain you do not want him here. Let Laura go.” His warm hand clenched Chris’ prying his fingers off her clothing. “Guards, take her to the cells.”

“What?” Laura piped up.

“The King stated if you were to leave your suite you were to be arrested.” He moved out of the way for two of the palace guards to enter, grasping her arms behind her back.

“Chris! You can’t let them do this!”

“Why should I care?”

“I’m your mate! I’m your true mate! You can’t lie about this!”

“Delusional bitch,” Chris muttered.

Laura screamed as she was dragged from the infirmary, the sounds echoing down the corridor for longer than was comfortable.

“My Prince, please sit,” the healer repeated herself.

“Fine!” he huffed, plonking down.

“What’s wrong?”

“You heard my mind link, right?”

“When?”

“I… I don’t know, how long have I been missing?”

“Missing? You haven’t… what happened?”

Chris looked wildly around in confusion. “Someone took me from bed… like Monday night.”

“It’s Tuesday. No-one had any reason to think you weren’t home.”

“Jaxson! Where’s Jaxson?”

“I’ll send someone to your quarters, I’m sure he’s there.”

“No… No, they wolfsbaned him… I don’t know what happened, they… they were taking him away!”

“Have you been given wolfsbane?”

“Yes.”

The healer instantly began inspecting him, looking in his eyes, his mouth, “Do you have your wolf?”

Chris shook his head.

“Lay down,” the healer demanded.

Chris huffed but did so, hoping the action would ease his head.

“What do you remember?” Wade asked a little more gently.

“It’s jumbled like a dream. I remember a room, just… like wooden, maybe a cabin or shack. I was tied… there were ropes around me. There was this woman, a red-haired, he kept calling her witch. She… she did something. It felt hot, like burning inside. Woke up to Laura.” He rubbed his head, desperate to remember more.

“What male?”

“I don’t know… he was wolf. I didn’t know him.” He sniffed as if to take himself back, trying to remember if there was anyone else there. “There were others… not in the room, I could smell them.”

“Can you remember where you were? How long it took to get there?” Wade prompted.

“No… I was unconscious.”

“Can you remember anything said in the spell?”

“She… she said I need to tell the truth. That I can’t lie… I didn’t understand.”

Wade’s eyes glazed for a moment before he came back to the room, a slight concerned look on his face.

“What is it?”

Wade let out an empathetic breath, “We can’t find Jaxson.”