His Breeder

, Ome

den shouldering of a body and she stumbled

still tingled from the kiss as if it had occurred only seconds before but in fact, three days had passed. Three days of

eaching

eaning

earning the art of intimacy. She tasted like freshly brewed

at her friend, a bemused expression on her face. And then it hit her — the recognition of what had just happened. It battered th

nty… twen

d entered from a side door, bent at the waist and hobbling forward with a small sack of coins

her arrow stuck out from its neck now angled awkwardly. She would have haggled for a higher price had it been another time,

y. Tearing a

smacked her lips, briefly revealing yellow teeth that looked like they’d had a passing nod with a toothbrush,

ession. “Oh,” she uttered while slipping the pouch into her pocket. “Okay.” After a final nod

n the tangerine sun and spinning around Alessia’s windpipe. Wolves passed her by with ardent eyes that flickered to t

s — items that had her hands itching with the urge to swipe at them. The urge to steal was almost overwhelming; her body was in desperate need for a qui

mountable fear and regret as she pulled away. The flushed lips tha

es

her, begged her to re

h her tail tucked between her legs inste

hy, why?” Her frustration dissolved to anger, and that anger soon molded to confusion as her emotions were cast up in turmoil. A whirlwin

I not se

r her passed the borders of fri

ways been

ays been t

e gravel under feet. She smelled the sof

g at her sleeping form. It was one that painted the slow, ready smiles that curled at her friend’s lips like the stea

s hol

eez

ers readily like t

inding down the hills and into the bustling city. Traces of standing smoke curled from chimneys. Pups sque

nows how long, and Alessia ha

with it. But one thing was clear to the thief, and she ro

el the layers until the rotten core has been exposed, and deal with it. They talked, they didn’t flee. Alessia took

fool,” she c

un away. If she felt this terrible, Circe must have felt far

so

ss. They could work through it. They would. Even if she could never reciprocate such intimat

a princess

daughter an

red to nothing before them because in each other

y, her eyes flickered about the stones in search of the familiar crawl space when suddenly, a ripple of shouts dis

uted from the opposite s

register the pealing of bells from the palace’s top floor, the golden toll swaying dense

ng

ir

wall and towards Circe’s bedroom window where three guards stood among wolves. They were lifting her g

as mi

skipped

ing into some part of her wher

ss

hands in her hair and wrenching back. Th

es paraded out of them. They carried weapons that glimmered silver, faces tight with focused anxiety for th

n two days and Circ

ole pack would be substitute

er hair before taking off in the direction from whence she came. Crashing through the

er pulled a s

uld she

d she

because

e still peacefully wandering about and fulfilling their daily duties, oblivious to the impending doom darkening in the distanc

here, t

for a moment, hope rippled through her like a

t was

en his bloody lips. He looked beaten but not as badly as th

lutched at his forearms, wild ey

rows furrowed.

it! Where’s

upon his face. “I tho

ia faltered,

hand through his unruly hair. “She looked pretty desperate to me,

hough the words had physically bruised her. She blinked at Da

ip meant so much more

above them, foliage moved like an awnin

idn’t she find you?” Alessia couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. Damen saw the shift in her face and it seemed to affect hi

s withdrawing their money and items; shoppers glancing at each other with tight, anxious expressions. No one was angered by the disa

was not

mud between rows lined with the heads of slaughtered vamp

and moments later, a drop of co

f respecting a wandering princess. They checked each stall that was still open, then picked their way through the dwindling crowd: the lame beggars

no sign

bodies, Alessia felt a rope slowly wind arou

es

od beside a fruit vendor. She approached them whilst silently

om her, we wouldn’t be

a powder blue turban. He paused to look at her for a long time w

f something cold down

way did

n, searching, inwardly

uman reflex of selfishness - unable to stop her mind from gauging the number of coins she possesse

Ci

tupor as he was already reaching into the pockets of his

a pair of skeptical eyes, t

her. It’s the pri

silver coins. You can count it later!” she snapped but he proceeded to untie the string and peer greedily at the coins in hand. Al

n that way wi

oy

his robe before beginning to load h

nto her voice as she asked,

fat, sunburned,”

e ones that had idled in the alley when she walked by with Circe; the ones that had eyed the

pered, his face pa

k

nst the cobblestones and bricks, dust licking at her heels in the growing mugginess of the air. The storm was here. The flicker

e be

n the earth, drumming on her head as she squeezed and st

er wild eyes bolting towards the harrowing figure that stood

over with a fog of red

d reached past her coat and curled around the dagger - couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, her

pushed off the wall once she didn’t withdraw the knife, watching her re

oulders were pulling taut and she was dri

tones switched to paws within a fraction of a second and she dove straight for the enemy. Her wolf m

her veins had not thrummed like a live wire to protect

e staggered back, a harsh hiss of pain escaping him. All it took was a stumble for her to take him to the gr

her canines straight into his

ntil she felt the lining of his trachea wedged between her canines and with a vicious yank, she tore his throat out altogether. She spat it to the side. A

shift back to squeeze through a small opening in

a cried into th

ug into the bare soles of her feet. She turned

rce

te above, briefly brightening

chords, making them tremble like a leaf in winter. Heat crept behind her eyes

e, pl

Less

ack to the alley. She knew that voice. She knew that name.

ley’s mouth, Alessia’s breath c

fau

s with peeling labels, torn up magazines, yellowed newspapers - they were all sc

he garbage piles was

coat were piec

bruised blue by the hands of another. Hands that had held her to the

fau

wrapped and squeezed, silencing her cries that were only dr

fau

upon the princess’ face for she had found her friend. Sh

o sound left. She tasted the

fau

once, she was grateful for the dark shadows that masked the pain contorting

her voice cracked. She closed her m

fau

d between her thighs an