CHAPTER 145: INVESTIGATE

The next time Lance opened his eyes, he was in his wolf form, his massive body taking over the entirety of the bed.

The wolf snorted as the human receded and remarked," Our name is Lancelot. Not Lance. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Lancelot lay still for a moment, letting the girl press against him. She was still trembling faintly, but the warmth of her body seeped into his fur until the shaking eased.

He snorted contentedly before taking a deep breath. She smelled like mint and oranges- fresh, sharp, and sweet all at once. He liked it. A lot. He could lie her all night simply basking in her scent.

His human, however, was not pleased with him. Which was good, Because he was not pleased with him as well.

He heard Lance’s voice echoed in his head, sharp and restrained, ordering him to move away. Lancelot ignored him. Didn’t Lance ignore him all the time anyway? This time, it was his turn to do the same. He shifted slightly so that her head rested near his chest and closed his eyes, content to feel her breathing even out against him.

Then, something strange stirred. When he opened his eyes again, a pair of curious ones stared back at him. He froze, nostrils flaring. That wasn’t Emira looking at him. It was her wolf—peering out from behind her eyes, testing the boundary of her existence.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.

The wolf inside her jolted, then blinked up at him. "Your Majesty," she whispered, awe spilling through her tone. "You are so magnificent. And your fur is so shiny! I was just admiring you."

The wolf tilted his head, amusement flickering through his silver eyes. He preened slightly before patting the girl’s head with his paw. "Then admire all you wish, little wolf. It is meant to please you."

Inside his head, Lance almost groaned. "Stop being cheesy, Lancelot! Ask her what we discussed." he snapped.

But Lancelot didn’t bother replying. He simply stretched a little, enjoying the feel of her hand.

After a moment, he tilted his head. "Why don’t you show me your wolf form? I want to see you too. I’ll take you out to play..."

Lancelot watched as the girl went still and then felt the sudden tension as she tried to recede back into her human’s mind.

She would have pulled away but he stopped her with a single command. "Stop."

She froze at once. Lancelot watched her struggle against the command, and lifted it gently before rubbing his muzzle against her chin. His fur brushed her skin softly as he spoke, "Don’t run away, little one. Tell me. Why won’t you show me your wolf form? Are you scared of me?"

The girl shook her head, her lips trembling. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, with tears glistening in her eyes, she whispered, "Your Majesty... I am cursed. I cannot come into my true form unless my human is mated to her fated mate."

The wolf blinked, his ears twitching in disbelief. Cursed? Someone dared to curse this sweet little orange?

The thought made a growl rise in his chest. It seemed he would have to help Lance uncover the truth- to find who had done this and free this little wolf from her chains. She would be a cute wolf... he could sense it.

"Who cursed you? And why?" he demanded in a voice carrying a faint snarl.

The small wolf blinked again and shook her head, her expression full of confusion and sorrow. "It is not I who am cursed, per se. It is my human..." She hesitated, her voice faltering before she forced herself to continue.

"She is... she is different," the little wolf said softly. "My human is of mixed blood. She carries both the blood of White and Black witches. The ones who died to save the humans and wolves but also the ones who caused the destruction."

She was not supposed to be an Omega. But somehow, she was suddenly bound to me soon after she was born."

She lowered her gaze as if afraid her words themselves were forbidden. Her small voice trembled. "No one knows how or why. Her mother was not aware and neither do I know. But over the years we have found somethings which makes our bone unique. However, due to her mixed blood, while Emira is powerful she is also unstable. Emira is both blessed and cursed at the same time."

"She was not born with you as the latent? Then you are not hers..." Lancelot’s words trailed off as her hands continued to stroke his fur.

"That is the thing. I am indeed hers but something interfered in the birth which separated us and then we were forced together. Actually, there is something she doesn’t know. She was was born to—"

"She was not born a wolf? Then you are not..."

The wolf tapered off as her hands continued to stroke her fur and she continued. "She was born to..." But before the little wolf could reveal, he felt her panic and say suddenly with wide eyes, "Oh no... Emira is waking up. I need to go back."

Before she withdrew, she leaned forward quickly and pressed a gentle kiss to his nose. Her touch was light but warm, "Thank you, Your Majesty. It is only because of your power that I could come out even this much while Emira was asleep."

Lancelot blinked, startled by the sudden kiss, and before he could react, the girl slumped against his side. Her breathing steadied, and her eyes drifted closed in peaceful sleep.

For a while, he just stared at her, before asking slowly, "Why is our mate not affectionate like that?"

Of course, as expected, his human had no answer to that...so Lancelot closed his eyes and spoke, "Now you know the mystery of her blood. I’ve given you what you wanted, Lance. So, remember our deal."

With that, Lancelot retreated from the forefront, letting Lance return to his human form even though he did not want to. There was a thought troubling to the human and wolf alike about their own mate and this slave that had been bonded to them...