Heart of the Wolf Prince

Chapter 10b

Alex carefully peels me off him and stands, looking intimidating to anyone else but perhaps Kohl. "You said you wanted a fine warrior, your highness. I feel Nomi needs to be fast tracked in order to get there."

Prince Kohl raises his brow at the strange nickname but waves him off all the same. "Whatever, go back to your Rotation. I'm taking over from here."

Alex looks back at me with what I can only describe as a werewolf shrug and, with a wink, trots past Kohl and towards the palace.

"See ya later, Nomi!" He calls over his shoulder

"Back to your gods-damned post, Goldie," Kohl grumbles before turning to me. Once Alex is out of earshot, I fix the prince with a glare.

"That was rude," I say.

Kohl shrugs, his thick black cloak shifting with the motion. His attire seems awfully proper for someone who is about to train someone. I wonder if training me was actually on his agenda today. "I'm the prince, I can do what I want, Nomi."

If I was in human form, I would have folded my arms. Instead, I bristle. "Shut up."

Kohl shrugs again. Then, after a couple of moments of silence, points to the thicket of the woods. "Shift back to your human form and go in there. We're going to be in the forest today."

I watch as he hands me a shirt and pants, one I hadn't even realised he'd been holding. I grab them and head off into the woods. He follows close behind and stops in a clearing, pointing to a large tree to our left. I go behind it and shift back into my human form, throwing the clothes on my butt-naked body as I do so. Thankfully, Kohl can't see me.

Once I'm done, I round the tree and re-enter the clearing. Kohl is still standing where I left him.

"Today, I'm going to teach you the basics of stealth."

I frown. "I thought I was learning combat?"

Kohl shakes his head, black hair swaying with the motion. "That will come later. For now, I'll leave the combat up to your Loverboy."

I bristle. "He is not my 'Loverboy'."

Kohl smirks, but I swear something dangerous flashes through his gaze. "Right. Of course not." Then his expression becomes serious. "Stand on the balls of your feet and remain there for at least a minute."

I blink at him, but I do as I am told. Unsteadily, I raise to the balls of my feet, but the motion feels strange. "Why?"

"Being of silent step is the key to being a good spy. But it seems we have a way to go," he adds as I careen to the side. I quickly correct my stance with a scowl.

"No, we don't. I can do this perfectly fine—"

"Don't care. Focus," Kohl cuts in, and I shut up with a glare. I swear a smile ghosts his face before it returns to that annoying, indifferent expression.

Maybe it's to spite him, but I soon adjust to the sensation of standing on my toes, and before long, a minute has passed. Kohl nods. "Good. Now, I want you to walk the forest without making a single noise. Go."

I gape at him. Balancing on the balls of my feet is one thing, but making zero sound on a forest floor littered with dry leaves and twigs? That's just impossible!

Kohl smirks as though he knows that's exactly the case. For some reason, though, his smirk urges me to prove him wrong. So, I raise to the balls of my feet and prepare to walk.

"By the end of this session, I expect you to be able to sneak up on me without detection. Though, I don't have very high hopes."

I grind my teeth together so I won't say something I'll regret. Instead, I stare at the ground, looking hard for places to put my feet, but it's hard to pick out clear patches of earth when green grass is covering everything.