Chapter 17: Frustrated Fear

My first instinct was to laugh through my fear at the so-called prince's assertion. Was this grandiose nonsense the reason they kept plaguing our people, some insipid desire to rule over all?

He sat back down in the chair and I took my spot on the couch and huddled into the blanket I had left there.

"The prince of the eastern werewolves," I corrected, since I could not entirely let his assertion stand. I was supposed to be being passive and lull them into underestimating me, but it was turning out to be pretty difficult. Maybe I had spent so much time trying to resist the curse that fighting had become ingrained in me.

"So you say and maybe that's true, for now."

I failed not to narrow my eyes at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, it's not really my place to say."

"Then why are you here?" I asked.

"Simple curiosity. I wanted to see the princess of the savage rebels with my own eyes," he explained.

I resisted the urge to bare my teeth at him. Where was this aggression coming from? The curse, or what it me? "I'm not a princess. We're not rebels, we're free people. We owe you nothing. You began the fight so you can hardly complain when we finish it."

He almost looked at me with pity. "You'll never finish it."

"Then why do you keep attacking us?"

He shook his head. "That's not really your concern, princess."

"Then why am I here?" I pushed.

"It's not really my place to explain that," he said simply.

"Then why did you want to talk to me?" I asked, voicing my frustration.

"I told you, curiosity."

I huddled back further into the blankets. This conversation was a waste of my time, and that was saying something since I had nothing to do but sit around and be terrified. I turned my face away and huddled into the couch.

"You really have no interest in complying with me, do you?" he asked.

I ignored him. I had enough to deal with without sating his morbid curiosity.

"Look at me, Elise."

I shut my eyes and kept my face turned away.

"Fascinating."

I just wanted him to leave. Perhaps if I did what he wanted he would grow bored and leave, but I could not bring myself to do it.

"Your rebellious spirit intrigues me. It's not what I heard about you, princess."

I took the bait. "What have you heard?"

"Many things. I've heard that you're sweet and gentle, protective and loyal. Beautiful."

His odious words deserved no response.

"You have such a forgiving nature that you've forgiven the one who put you under the curse. I'm reasonably certain that none of our thralls have given that benefit of the doubt to my father," he commented.

An uncontrollable scowl crossed my face. "S-Serge is nothing like your father. H-he hurt me by accident. Your father is the aggressor. I would not forgive him either, if he did such a thing to me."

The prince moved to sit on the couch beside me. I huddled as far from him as I could get. He took my hand and looked at the ring on my finger. "And you've agreed to marry him? My father has done many things people might find objectionable, but he's never forced himself on a thrall."

"Serge has never forced himself on me, either," I protested.

"How do you know, really?"

I gritted my teeth and yanked my hand away, back into the safety of the blankets. "I know, because I can feel what is or is not a part of the magic. And besides, I know S-Ser..." I hated how my voice was catching on his name again. "S-Serge."

"You're an interesting anomaly," he commented. "My father will, no doubt, be interested in meeting you, too."

I did not bother to answer. Part hostage, part curiosity, these people disgusted me so much that I wanted nothing more than to tell them exactly how repugnant they were. Even the curse could not suppress such overwhelming sensations.

Jordan nodded to himself. "Well, I can see you need your rest, but it was a pleasure to have met you, Elise. No doubt we'll talk again soon."

I consider telling him that the pleasure was all his, but remembered in time that I was trying to lull them into further letting their guards down.

"You too," I said flatly.

* * *  *  *  *  * * *

Another fearful night and another endless day passed and I continued to drag myself around my little apartment cage. I stayed in my wolf form most of the time because it continued to take the edge off my curse.

I wondered about Jordan's words to me. Would his father want to see me? Was I such an interesting specimen that he would set aside his important business of harassing and murdering my people to talk to me? It seemed terribly unlikely.

But even the fact that I was here seemed terribly unlikely. I had not seen a familiar face in days, not even the traitors who had kidnapped me. It was just me and my caretakers and that one incident with the odious prince.

Sometimes I wondered if my people were going to try to rescue me. I had no doubt that Serge would want to, like some slightly grim prince charming with a sword on a white horse. If only it were so easy.

I doubted that they even knew where I was. They probably reasoned out that Mark had taken me, they might have noticed the other person who was probably from Austin's pack, but would they even know that it was the eastern wolves who had done it? Of course they would suspect, but we had never even known exactly where they had been located. Who would guess there were a bunch of werewolves working in a building in downtown Toronto?

I swallowed past the sudden thickness of my throat. Even if they did somehow track me down, it would be dangerous, more dangerous than I imagined it was to fend off the attacks. My skin prickled and my blood rushed with fear that they might be put in danger. The safest thing, the best thing, was for me to try to find some way to get myself out.

That seemed rather unlikely as well. As always, my hope was in my one chance at the element of surprise. I had one physical way out of this stark apartment and that was through the door that was constantly guarded by male werewolves. I would not have had much of a chance against them even before I was cursed because of their muscle mass advantage, but with the additional handicap of the curse my odds were near zero.

My most likely hope was to somehow get my hands on a bit of technology once their guards were down.

I waited some more.

* * *  *  *  *  * * *

Another excruciating night passed me by and turned into a day that brought little relief. I was scared and I was anxious, but oddly my anger and my frustration helped tamper my fear just enough that I managed to function.

My heart ached for Serge and not only because of its frenzied pounding. I wanted to be back by his side.

I needed him and it was more than just as a thrall needs her master.

I continued to shiver and hide under the blankets in my wolf form, but I kept quiet watch.

The day drew to a close in the cold geometric rooms and I survived another night. Pauline came in the next morning and bullied me back into my human form and then into the shower.

"Make yourself look presentable," she ordered.

I frowned. She was being much more bossy than normal and seemed to be in a worse mood. I went into my room like a good little thrall and closed the door. I looked through the things they had provided me. I was terribly tempted to wear my clothing from home, but I wanted to give the impression I was cowing and submitting, so instead I picked an outfit out of what they had provided, a skirt and a sweater.

I slipped on my ring from Serge.

When I came out, dressed and human, Pauline looked relieved.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing, but you've been summoned."

"Summoned?" I repeated.

"Yes," she said tersely. "Now come over here and eat quickly, you don't want to be late."

Pretty sure I would be fine with being so late that I never got there. Had I really been summoned to see the wretched leader of the eastern wolves?

My anxiety spiked as I sat down to eat and the hour hurried towards me.

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