Two sets of hands carried me for some time, then I was placed on a large, flat surface that I could only assume was a table.

I wasn't being attacked anymore, I knew that. I also knew that my senses were coming back full force, but they were useless because the witch Selene had effectively tied up all of my useful appendages so I was no better off than before. The most damage I could inflict would be from swinging my rather pathetic tail through the air in hopes that I would strike someone. It was the attack of an overly excited house dog instead of a fierce wolf. Luckily I didn't have to defend myself, at least not right now. Nothing was happening, but I could hear quiet murmuring beyond a door or wall.

A little while later steps were moving back into the room and coming towards me. But not one set or two. It sounded like a small herd. At least five people.

I lifted my head off the table top as a reaction, trying to see what was coming. I could only let out a soft, panicked whimper when I realized for the millionth time my eyes were covered. I was now desperately trying to keep myself as calm and as rational as possible.

But the second I felt hands moving through my fur towards my very raw and very wounded throat I let out a shrill cry. Or at least, as much of a sound as I could make with fabric keeping my mouth shut tightly.

"Calm down."

The voice was male and smooth. I felt like I knew it, but I couldn't quite place it. Either way, I didn't appreciate someone touching me while I was in such a defenseless position. I let out another cry and thrashed my body about.

"You're stressing her out, Archer." A woman chided," And after you put that god-awful collar on her it's no wonder she's so afraid."

So that's where I knew the voice from. And the name Archer. It was the former king that had put that wretched creation on my body.

"What was I supposed to do? It's not as if I knew who she would turn out to be. I just knew her little group was harassing my guards and terrorizing my people. I did what I thought was best."

I heard someone try to move close to me again. First the arrogant king, now another. No, I would not tolerate it. I curled my lips back as best as I could and let out a rumbling snarl.

"Christ, she is wild." Selene said hotly, but her voice didn't care the same venom and disgust it once had. Something had shifted in her.

"What are you doing to her?"

I knew that it shouldn't and I knew that I didn't want it to, but Griffin's loud, angry voice made a wave of relaxation flood through me. My head slowly lowered back down onto the table as I reasoned with myself.

He was only able to calm me down because I knew the mate bond was affecting him. He was delighted to find me and would never allow harm to come to me. I was not calm because my body was also responding to the mate bond. I was stronger than the bond.

It was all a lie and I knew it, but I wouldn't let myself believe anything else. Not right now.

Gentle fingers brushed against the sides of my snout. The touch startled me and I was barking and jerking around in seconds, before the mate bond was able to take effect.

"It's alright." Griffin whispered to me, then to someone else, "Why on Earth would you blindfold her? She must be terrified."

"I think she was poisoned." Selene piped up, "She wasn't able to stand when I found her and she wasn't very responsive to my voice. I thought she would be less afraid if I blindfolded her, you know, like the horses when you led them out of the barn fire. At the very least I thought she wouldn't be able to attack me while Victoria and I were carrying her here."

"And you didn't see who did this?" Griffin demanded.

Those gentle fingers were back on my cheeks, smoothing out the fur on my face ever so tenderly. The mate bond caused my body to be filled with pleasurable sensations despite the fact that I wish it wouldn't happen. Still, among so much pain, the little bit of pleasure was almost a welcome gift. Almost.

"No, it must've been someone who had a key to the cells. But they ran away as soon as they heard me coming down the hallway, curious about what all the noise was about. They were all wearing some kind of masks and it was quite dark. But I don't understand, I thought rogues from the outside were our only problem."

"Apparently not. Have we summoned a doctor?" Griffin asked, his voice sounding upset.

"Yes, but we only have a human doctor on staff right now. The werewolf doctor is about a twenty minute carriage ride away." Someone piped up.

Griffin made a disgruntled noise, but his steady fingers continued their soothing work. Slow, smooth circles on my face. As much as I wanted to deny it I had turned into a lap dog. My chin was resting tenderly in one of his hands and I was giving out little huffs instead of violent growls. And those fingers slid down my face ever so slightly. I tensed, worried he was going towards my throat, but I didn't attack him. A second later the fabric that had been tied over my eyes fell away.

I blink a few times, my eyes adjusting to the dim lighting that filled the room. The sun had started to peak through the grand windows and the fireplace in this bedroom had been stoked. My eyes were watering heavily but the room seemed lavish beyond anything I had previously experienced in my life.

As my blurry eyes cleared I saw the handsome prince standing in front of me, smiling tenderly when I met his eyes. He was wearing a white shirt with the top three buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up. His wild, black hair told me that this disaster had summoned him while he was sleeping soundly. He was heartbreakingly handsome like that.

"That's not so bad, is it? Now, I'm going to let you have your mouth."

It was a warning and part of me understood it. Out of the corner of my eye I could see five other people. Selene, an unknown woman- presumably the woman who had intercepted Selene when she was carrying me out of the cell- a guard, and a couple. The man caught my eye instantly and I knew that he was the previous king, the one who had put the collar on me in the forest.

The cloth slipped off my muzzle and I was instantly snarling my attention solely focused on the previous king.

"Hey now." Griffin chided softly, "Everyone in this room is here to help you."

I doubted that the woman who called me a wild beast truly wanted to help me and the same went for the awful man who had put flesh-burning silver around my neck. They were only here for Griffin and I knew that.

"You should have her shift, the doctor will be here soon and it will be easier for him to assess her." Selene suggested.

Her long blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a bizarre updo. Somehow she still looked like a goddess.

"I've never seen her shifted." Griffin murmured, frowning softly, "I'm not even sure if she can."

"That's absurd, of course she can. A wolf not being able to become human is like-"

"A human not being able to transition into a wolf." Griffin interrupted.

"We aren't going to worry about those kinds of things right now." The former king announced, moving forward intently.

Though he was one of my least favorite people in the room I had to admit that he had an ambiance about him and the grey hair and wrinkles only pressed it further. He absolutely owned a room in a way that no one else could. And he did it without being intimidating or loud. He just dominated the world around him and it was very clear very quickly. He made Thorn look like a mere maggot.

With Griffin still running his hands over my fur I stayed relatively still as the old king neared. But though I was watching him closely he didn't seem too worried about me. With one swift movement he untied my forelegs, the quickly undid my back legs.

"Poor beast." He murmured, making a gentle noise to himself as he assessed my wounds up close. His eyes stayed averted off my throat.

"Who would do this?" Griffin asked, "She was the rogue terrorizing us from the outside, who could be coming at us from the inside?"

"I'm not the king anymore. You need to ask your father."

Griffin gave out a choked noise, but didn't say anything as the doctor finally arrived. That initiated various methods of trying to get me to shift. They tried speaking in different languages to me, Selene attempted to use some kind of pressure point she had learned about in book, the doctor placed a disgusting substance in my mouth. Griffin looked frustrated and anxious, like he was about to start begging me to shift.

I stayed in my wolf form.

I could've shifted. In fact, I felt my human straining within me. She wanted to be let out. She wanted to be with her human mate and to use real words to express how she felt instead of attempting to override the wildness within me for the sake of getting a few grunts out. She was resilient and distressed when she saw how upset my mate was.

But I didn't want to be in my vulnerable human form. Not in front of all these people I didn't trust. I wasn't ready to be weak and naked in front of the former king and his wife and Selene- whoever she was to my mate. They had already gotten me into the most submissive positions. I would not allow them to continue.

And if I shifted I worried that I wouldn't want to go back into my wolf form. I wouldn't want to finish the job that my team needed me to complete. It was my sole purpose in this world, I couldn't give up on it just because of Griffin.

The world needed strength, not more tenderness and humanity.

The doctor did the best he could, given the situation. He seemed a little off put by my paws and claws, but still delivered a diagnosis. I listened to what he said and though I was in a lot of pain nothing that had happened to me was going to be fatal. I was small for my age, but I already knew that. It was the royals who didn't. Being starved in the woods for a week when I was young had stunted my growth. My body weight was manageable, but not ideal. I wasn't getting enough food on the run and I hadn't been getting a lot in the prison either. I just needed ample rest and more food in my stomach. Nothing could be done to undone everything so I was carried off the table and placed on the massive bed instead. Comfort was the only thing they could offer me now until the poison passed completely and once I was on the soft textures I found I was actually quite exhausted.

And as things settled down people started to leave. First the former queen. Then the random maid who had assisted Selene. The former king dismissed the guard, then left shortly after.

"Are you going to be alright? I can't imagine how hard this is." Selene asked, her voice low and kind. Her doe-like eyes were focused on Griffin.

Griffin gave her a lopsided smile, but it was clear to see that he was stressed out. His eyes showed how exhausted he was and I saw the way his hands were clenching and unclenching at his sides. Or perhaps, it was the mate bond that made me so in tune with how he felt.

"Thank you for finding her Selene. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't stopped the men from continuing."

"Come on, let's leave her to rest. She needs it and you do too. I'll come and check up on her with you in a couple hours." She suggested. She was firm, but kind as she placed a hand against his back and eased him towards the door.

A moment later they were gone.

I was left on a lavish bed with a roaring fireplace in front of me and plenty of other furniture to splay across should I feel inclined. A stunning rug. A gorgeous vanity with a mirror- something that only the rich could afford. It was all beautiful, hell it even smelled good, and for the time being it was all mine.

The lock clicked.

But a nicer room didn't alleviate the fact that I was a prisoner.

****Next chapter comes at sixteen votes!****