Heart of the Wolf Prince

Chapter 16(a)

I turn in the infirmary bed for the umpteenth time, the covers twisting around my body. I've been trying to sleep for the past three hours, but every time I feel the tug of the abyss, an incessant tension in my chest brings me back to the present. I feel agitated, so worked up that I can't quite come down. And, even worse, I suspect that has something to do with Kohl. That little fact only makes me angrier. Knowing him, he's sleeping in his lavish king-sized bed without a care in the world. I bet he's already forgotten about our argument, whilst I can't seem to stop replaying it in my head.

As I am about to give up on sleep entirely, the door of the infirmary clicks open. I shoot up with a wince. I squint towards the broad figure, guessing by the dim light in the hallway that it must be nearing night time, as I try to discern who may be here to see me.

"Naomi?" Alex's voice washes over me, and I try to banish my smile as I sit up straighter. I have been wanting Alex to visit ever since I woke up. I was beginning to give up hope the more hours that passed, but now, seeing his broad figure in the doorframe, I wonder why I doubted him at all.

Alex crosses the distance without another word, giving me barely just a glimpse of his blonde curls before he pulls me into a tight hug. I grip him back, glad for the familiar warmth of his body. I breathe in a lungful of his peppermint scent as we remain there in embrace.

Finally, Alex pulls back, the hard planes of his face lined with concern. "God, Nomi, you had me so worried. When I heard what happened I ran so fast I snapped both my hamstrings. I'm sorry I wasn't here to save you. I could have—"

He cuts himself off, pushing a hand through his hair. I grab his hand and wind my fingers through his, smiling. "It's okay. I'm okay, that's all that matters. I definitely won't be pulling a stunt like that again any time soon."

Alex nods, the tension in his body seeming to wane a little as he eases himself onto the bed. As I take in the heavy bags under his eyes, my throat tightens. I feel guilty for stressing him out this much. But aside from a few aching bones, I'm okay now, right?

After a few moments of silence, I wrap my arms around his shoulders. "Come here," I say as I tug him back down with me. He releases a breathy chuckle as we end up side-by-side on the bed. It's a bit crowded, and I'm sure the nurse would have a fit if she saw this, but I don't care. Alex wraps his free hand around my waist as he keeps his other firmly intertwined with mine.

"You know, I heard that you kicked her ass at the start. Do you have me to thank for that?" Alex jokes. I smile.

"Well, I would be lying if I said your training didn't pay off a little. But I still got my ass handed to me in the end, so not good enough."

Alex grins towards the ceiling. "Ah. Next time I'll train you to the point where you'll can beat her, so you won't need any grumpy princes to swoop in and save you."

I frown at that for a moment before he tugs me closer, placing a gentle kiss on my temple. My stomach does that strange somersault as heat lingers on the skin where his lips touched. I gaze into his eyes, and his hand tighten around mine as he leans in the kiss more forehead. A strange zing of energy runs through me as he pulls back, staring into my eyes.

"Well, if you want, I can train you again in a couple of days when you're fully healed. When I have free time in my roster." He frowns, as though remembering something. "Speaking of rosters, I'm meant to be on the grounds in five minutes. I'm not even supposed to be here right now – I just sneaked off between a rotation."

I pout. "Leaving so soon?"

He laughs before pressing another kiss to my lips, silencing any more protests.

Eventually, he draws back, almost reluctantly. "Unfortunately. I will be back as soon as I can though. In the meantime, you have my flowers for company."

He gives the bouquet a pointed look before getting to his feet, and I smile. His lifts my hand to his mouth a moment mine before letting go, offering me a promising grin as he exits the room.

Once the door clicks shut behind him, the warmth within me gutters like a candle in a draft, and I am once again left feeling agitated. My shoulder begins to throb and I growl at the moonstone splinters sticking out of my flesh. I wish I had the normal healing capabilities of any other wolf, so I didn't have to rely on these stupid stones for salvation. Moonstone is only supposed to enhance a werewolf's natural healing capabilities, but in my case, they need to stuff me full of them just so I can have a shot at healing at all.

I lay back down for several minutes, shutting my eyes as I try to use the lingering warmth of Alex's company to aid my sleep, but it's no use. That persistent agitation tugs at my chest, and before I know it, I am ripping the moonstone splinters out of my flesh and tossing them to the floor. I leap to my feet, a little achy but not enough to make me nauseous. Though, I do feel a little dizzy as I step away from the bed. I just need a scalding hot shower and my own bed for the night, then I'll be able to sleep. Yeah, that will fix it.

I feel like an asylum patient as I exit the infirmary and roam the empty palace halls, clad in my thin white robes. I intend to head back to my room for a much-needed shower, hopefully to rub this ache out of my body, but before I can reach the main hall that leads to my chambers, someone enters the main lobby and I pull to a startling halt.

Kohl storms past, not even noticing my presence. Upon instinct, I almost call out to him, but then I remember the argument we had, and I remain in bitter silence. But as Kohl crosses the space with purpose in his stride, there's something else that prevents me from calling out to him as well. His face is taut, lips drawn in a hard line. There is a loaded look behind his eyes as he stares down the east corridor, and I suddenly have the desire to not be seen as he passes by.

As I watch him go, I am suddenly curious as to where he may be headed. After all, it seems pretty late to be up wandering the halls, especially for a prince who should be getting his much-needed beauty sleep. Besides, I've never seen Kohl look so tense. He didn't even look like that during our argument.

His footfalls begin to recede, and after a few moments of hesitation, I decide to follow. I raise to the balls of my feet as I feather foot behind him, my steps making no noise at all. I can't help but smirk at the irony – he taught me this skill to spy on his adversaries, but now I am using it to do the same to him. It feels like revenge in some way, and I can't help but feel a little joyed by it.

Continue Chapter Sixteen >>>>