A Werewolf Fantasy
Chapter 38

"Is it true?" Cheyenne asked her with eyes as huge as saucers. "Has my lord agreed to let you see your mate?"

Erin nodded her head vigorously ins response to the question because she was too happy to even speak. She and the sister wives were sitting in their designated hut, whiling away the morning after they'd had a light breakfast prepared by Mizzah, the youngest female amongst them.

"Zokman has just informed me that I am to take you to the portal entrance at his signal," Cheyenne continued. "Tell me, how did you convince our lord to let you see your mate?"

"To be honest, it is a long tale, but I will summarize it to say that he probably wants to impress me."

Her response sparked a change in Cheyenne's countenance and the other women also gave her a sharp look.

"Our lord wants to impress you?" Cheyenne asked with obvious disdain. "Why?"

Erin became uncomfortable with the way the ladies were shooting daggers at her with their eyes. She had forgotten that these females were Nikjin's lovers and he had probably never done anything nice for them.

So, why would he single her out to be the recipient of his kindness? What was so special about her that he, the ruler of this realm would want to impress her, a random captive?

She cleared her throat and said, "Do not pay any attention to me, I was only trying to make you all laugh. I thought you would replace my response funny."

One of the females giggled but the others including Cheyenne were not convinced by her deflection tactics.

"I actually begged him to let me see my mate and he finally agreed," Erin added, to buttress her previous response.

"We begged too but our loved ones were turned into monsters instead," said Timah, another sister wife.

She looked so sad that Erin instantly felt guilty for her initial response to Cheyenne's question. She hadn't meant to reopen old wounds or bring back painful memories for these women.

"I am so sorry to hear that," she said remorsefully. "I had no idea that you ladies were once in the same position that I am right now."

"So, what did you think? That we came to this awful place willingly to be used as Nikjin's sex slaves?" Asked Rowana, the fourth sister wife.

"Hush, Ro! You do not want our lord to overhear you ranting like this, do you?" Cheyenne cautioned her co-wife.

Rowana shrugged defiantly but said nothing further. An awkward silence descended on the room as each woman pondered about the new development and what it could mean.

"Cheyenne, bring out the she-wolf right now," Zokman bellowed, shattering the silence in the hut.

Cheyenne sprang to her feet immediately and motioned to Erin to follow her. Together they stepped outside where the sun was shining faintly in the sky and a few birds were chirping on the trees in the distance. The place almost looked normal except that there were no other people outside but the three of them standing in front of the hut shared by the sister wives.

"Are you now ready to see your mate?" Zokman asked with a suspicious sparkle in his eyes.

"Yes," Erin replied. "Yes, I am."

"Good," he said with a tiny smile. It was as if he knew a secret that nobody else knew and it made him feel superior.

"I shall accompany you both to the mouth of the portal and then Cheyenne will follow you inside to... supervise you."

"Why would I need to be supervised? Is it not my mate I am going to see?"

"Well, my lord has given us strict instructions not to allow you to speak of anything that goes on here. That is why Cheyenne will follow you to make sure that you keep to your own end of the bargain." Erin shrugged. "Fine. Shall we go now?"

"Of course," said Zokman with a malevolent grin.

Something about his behavior made Erin suspicious but she couldn't put a finger on what Zokman or Nikjin, might be up to. What was the catch here?

What were they plotting? Should she throw them off their game by refusing to go on with the plan?

But, could she afford to pass up an opportunity to see Danshak after being separated from him for so long?

These weird vibes she was getting from Zokman had dampened her initial excitement about seeing her mate. Something was definitely off but she could not quite place it.

The sister wives had been skeptical about Nikjin's motives when she told them he'd agreed to let her see her mate. And then Zokman who had become her enemy from their first encounter earlier today is now suddenly all smiley and jovial with her. Why?

"Here we are," said Zokman, stopping at the edge of the compound bordered by two large trees that Erin couldn't identify. "Once you step beyond these trees, you enter the holding forest where your mate is being kept." "Holding forest?" asked Erin.

"That is what we call the cells," said Zokman with an air of pride. "That was my idea," he added.

"Obviously," Erin muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Can we go inside now?"

"Of course, go ahead."

Taking a deep breath, Erin stepped forward and immediately found herself in a forest that looked like the one she'd been languishing in a few days ago. She looked back and saw that Cheyenne was following her with an unreadable expression. Erin had thought that they both entered the forest at the same time, but the fact that the other woman was far behind her meant that Cheyenne had entered much later than she did.

"Danshak?" Erin called out softly, not wanting to startle her husband with her presence. "Danshak, where are you?"

There was no response, but she kept on walking and scanning the area for a sign of her mate. She heard a rustling sound somewhere ahead of her and she paused.

"Danshak, is that you?"

No answer.

"Danshak, it's me, Edvana. Can you hear me?"

"Edvana?"

Erin looked up to where the voice had come from and she saw a familiar giant wolf with tan fur, hanging onto the branch of a tree in a stance that showed that he was ready to pounce on her if she turned out to be an enemy. He jumped down from the tree and instantly shape shifted into a man, and grabbed her in a bear hug.

"Oh, my days! It is you, my Edvana," he said, burying his face in her hair. "I thought I was hallucinating."

"My love, it is me," she said and pulled back to look at his face. He had grown a bushy stubble from going days without shaving.

He looked somewhat haggard and had lost a bit of weight too. "It is so good to see you again."

"My darling, you are even more beautiful than I remembered," he gushed. "Where have you been? Why are you dressed like this?"

Cheyenne coughed, bringing their attention to her.

"Who is this?" Danshak asked, noticing the other woman for the first time.

"I am your wife's chaperone," replied Cheyenne. "We should be returning soon."

"Returning? To where?" asked Danshak. "What is going on, Edvana?"

Erin felt crushed by the look of alarm on Danshak's face. She wished she could go back with him and plead with Nikjin to let him stay in the compound with the others but she knew that was impossible.

"I am so sorry, my love, but I cannot stay here with you," she said and her voice broke as she spoke.

"Why not?"

His look of disappointment crushed her soul. "I wish I could explain it all to you but I can't. All I can tell you now is - "

"We have to go now," said Cheyenne in a stern tone.

"Let her speak!" Danshak growled at Cheyenne.

"It's ok, my love," said Erin, soothingly. "Everything is going to be all right."

"I cannot let you go," Danshak said softly. "I would rather die than remain in this desolate place for another day without you."

"So be it!"

They both turned around at the sound of the unexpected voice and saw Nikjin in wolf form, standing only a few feet away from them in a battle stance with his teeth bared. They had been so engrossed in their emotions that they hadn't heard him enter.

"No!" Erin screamed. "Leave my mate alone!"

"Did you not hear him?" Nikjin countered. "He said he would rather die than let you return to my lair where you belong."

"Your lair? Are you now his - "

"No, I am not," Erin said sharply, not waiting for her husband to complete the unsavory question. "And I will never be, I promise you. I am yours and I will always be yours until the end of time."

"We shall see about that!" said Nikjin before covering the distance between them and knocking the couple to the ground.

"Edvana!" Cheyenne screamed and ran forward to drag her ward away from the wrestling males.

"Let me go," Erin yelled, trying to break free from Cheyenne's hold.

"I was instructed to get you out of here once my lord shows up, and that is what I am going to do," said Cheyenne, tightening her grip on Erin's midriff.

Erin stopped struggling and looked at Cheyenne. "You knew about this?"

"No. I only know the instruction I was given. If I do not get you out of here, I shall be turned into one of those mindless, murderous beasts and I cannot let that happen. Do you understand me?"

That was not what Erin had been hoping to hear, but she could now understand why Cheyenne would be hellbent on following the instruction she was given, to the letter.

She returned her attention to where the battle between Nikjin and Danshak was being waged and her heart sank. The former had an unfair advantage over her mate who had been starved for days and barely able to maintain his balance. She watched with horror as Nikjin tossed his nephew around like a rag doll, ripping his skin apart with his claws and fangs. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as she watched her captor, killing her mate.

By the time he was done, Danshak was an unrecognizable lump of mangled bones and gore.

"Now, tell me, my darling Luna, is there anyone else you would like to see?"