Chapter 20

Noora

She could not believe he brought Lulva into the royal training room. She was a child and even worse, with someone like Kekoa in such close proximity. She knew that Sosye were more aggressive towards witches but people from the southern kingdom weren’t very welcome here either. Noora did not want to get into a real fight with the witch hunter. She would if she needed to, though.

After dropping Lulva back to the ground, she took her hand in hers and left the room.

The guard who had escorted her before was right behind her, not even a second later.

“I can’t believe you are allowed to stay in the palace and dine here and sleep. Did you get any princess gowns? Or maybe colour for your cheeks and lips?” Lulva did not even breathe in between her questions. Although Noora was exhausted from hours of training, with no satisfying results, she still felt the familiar warmth spread inside her.

With Lulva beside her, she felt like she was home again.

The guard followed them outside into the palace garden, Lulva swinging their intertwined hands and Noora answered her every question.

Approaching footsteps made her turn her head, to see the prince elegantly descending the stone stairs, leading to their pathway through the winter-blooming bushes.

“Well, a thank you would be appropriate, don’t you think?” he called as he approached them.

His hair was slightly ruffled, his cheeks turning rosy at the cold air. If Noora weren’t so happy to see Lulva, she would’ve taken a jacket outside, with the sweat clinging to her skin and the biting cold she was doomed to turn ill.

“You’re right. How could I forget.” Noora said before turning to the hazel-eyed guard, who was standing beside them. his hand at the hilt of his sword, strapped to his hip.

“Thank you, for bringing Lulva safely to the palace.”

She could swear she saw his lips twitch before he bowed lightly. “It was my pleasure. Lulva is a delightful travelling partner.”

“Of course I am.” Lulva grinned at him.

Nikolai’s gaze narrowed at them, making Noora arch a brow. “It is me who you should thank,” he said, sounding offended.

Noora let go of Lulva’s hand and took a step towards him, tilting her head up.

“And why would that be, Your Majesty?” Satisfaction spread through her when his jaw ticked at her mocking usage of the royal term.

“She is here on my orders,” he insisted.

She nodded. “Yes, she is.”

She did not elaborate and watched his left hand twitch beside him. Today his hands were covered in emerald green gloves, silver stitching running around his wrists like bracelets. Or shackles.

“And?” His voice dropped a few octaves. A strange wave of goosebumps covered her skin but she still stood her ground, the next words leaving her lips in a whisper to avoid Raphael and Lulva from overhearing.

“As far as I know we struck a deal, Your Majesty—”

“Nikolai.” He interrupted her.

“What?” she asked perplexed, and he sighed. “You may call me Nikolai. The proper term may be unnecessary if your only purpose in using it is to mock me.”

Was he offering her to use his first name, after he so crudely demanded her thanks?

She blinked at him, before focusing back on the important matter.

“I do not owe you thanks because I told you I would participate in your fun little games if you brought Lulva here. And don’t act like it was a generous task where you had to go out of your way to retrieve her. We both know the truth.”

“The truth?” he asked, his chin raised in defiance.

“You may act like you have troubles but you are the luckiest man in this kingdom. You have everything you need, you never had to starve for multiple days or tend to wounds undeserved to yourself. You will never have to watch someone significant to you get hurt.”

He scoffed but remained untouched. The only thing revealing his feelings were his eyes. And what she saw in them was terrifying.

Rage, impossibly raw shimmered in those jade-glass eyes, seeming to throw daggers at her skin. She braced herself, realising that she just insulted the Prince of Oy Frossen and she knew no one, especially not someone as insignificant as her, got away with insulting a person in power, especially not a man.

But instead of striking her, or screaming at her, the prince remained where he was. Until he growled. He seemed to be shaking all over if she closely looked at him.

Noora stared at him in disbelief. “Did you just growl?”

“What? No! For what kind of vile animal—’

“Oh!” Lulva’s soft breath interrupted the king and both him and Noora turned to follow her gaze.

Oh .

It was indeed not the king who growled. It was a wolf.

But not just any wolf. Noora recognised the narrow body, the lengthy jaw, and the devious sparkly shine in the black eyes.“You kept him.” The words tumbled past her lips.

“He is yours?” Lulva squeaked as the white wolf slowly stalked over to the group. His lips were pulled back, displaying a row of sharp teeth.

Noora went for the knife stashed in her boot, making the king protest. “What are you doing? You know Spike. He is not going to hurt you.”

Despite his words, the wolf growled again, bending his body as if he were about to jump.

“I thought you arrogant, Your Highness, but I did not know I had to add stupid and na?ve to the list. That is a wild animal, not a pet!” she yelled at him.

To her horror, he rolled his eyes and approached the wolf.

“No!” Noora exclaimed as the wolf dove forward. He was going to kill him.

Without hesitance, she sprinted across the pathway and pushed Nikolai out of the way of the wolf.

With a strength she did not know she possessed, she wrapped her arms around the flank of the wolf, before they both came crashing down, rolling against the frozen ground.

Grunting, she dug her toes into the ground to come up atop, holding the knife against the wolf’s neck.

“Stop!” Nikolai yelled and her gaze flew to him on the ground his eyes widened in horror.

“He will not hurt you, Noora.”

Her eyes flickered to the wolf under her, who did not make any antics to escape her grip. The growling was gone, his long red tongue lolling out of his jaw as he gazed up at her.

She slowly got off the animal, knife still raised, but Nikolai was right, no aggressive signs were coming from the wolf anymore.

Noora looked back at Raphael and Lulva, who both had stunned looks on their faces and she turned to the prince.

Nikolai was already up on his feet, dusting off his trousers. How was he so unbothered?

When he found them adequately clean, he looked up at her. “He was just playing, he does that a lot.”

“Playing? He is not a dog but a predator.” She was angry. She did not even know why she was angry but somehow, she needed to have an outlet for her rage and he just had such a punchable face.

Her hand twitched and his gaze caught the movement.

“You thought he was going to kill me,” he realised.

The wolf let out a small whine.

“Of course I did.”

“But he was your pet first.”

“He was not my pet. He trailed me and I didn't want his company. He is a wild animal and not to be trusted.”

“You jumped in the way to save me,” he said in the same tone, a serious look on his face. He looked stunned.

Noora stared at him. What did he expect her to do? Stand there while a wolf attacked a person? It had nothing to do with him it was common decency. And maybe she was selfish, he and his damned tournament was her ticket out of this Hel. If he was dead, there was no tournament to be held which meant no gold for her and Lulva.

He took a few steps forward, clearing his throat. “It was completely unnecessary, though—”

“We’re leaving.” Noora dove forward to take Lulva’s hand in hers. The girl was still eyeing the quiet wolf. Could he not have been quiet all along? It felt like he set her up with his pretentious growling.

“What?” the prince asked stunned. Noora did not answer him as she shot a glare at the white wolf, pulling Lulva after her. It was time to get out.