Mine At First Sight
Chapter 13 - Oh Shift

▪️L E N N A▪️

For the past two days, I found myself on edge.

Tonight, I would be heading to the dungeon. I was about to come face to face with the captured werewolf that had been Edric’s prisoner for the last few weeks.

He called himself Tharun and refused to say much else; only that Einarr was the true King and would be coming to claim what was rightfully his, and that we would all die at the army’s feet.

I was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.

Naturally, I had been too nervous to eat anything, and after serving Edric at dinner, I retreated to my room. The Lycan King had other plans though as he had insisted on bringing me something to eat from the kitchen.

There had definitely been a slight shift in our relationship since the training ground incident.

Edric no longer seemed as irritated by my presence, at least not openly. From the way I sometimes caught him staring, I knew that I had gained his respect. Maybe not all, but at least a great deal of it.

His body’s arousal in my presence did not go unnoticed either. It was a hard thing to hide after all, but unlike him, I did not openly embarrass him about it. Though I had been tempted to especially after yesterday, when he had the audacity to make a joke about me masturbating in the shower.

“Gods, he can be an ass!” I frowned as I remembered his words, “Should moan louder next time for spite, that would teach him to eavesdrop!”

Plopping down on the couch, I stared at the tray of food in front of me while my mind returned to thoughts of him. Taking deep breaths, I rubbed my palms together as my stomach rumbled.

So deep in my thoughts, I had not realised that I was not alone anymore.

“I swear, I don’t know which is louder. The sound of heart, or your stomach,” Edric teased, startling me.

Exhaling, I tried to calm my nerves.

“Why have you not eaten, Lenna?” his eyes looked at me with concern.

“Just a bit worried about going to the dungeons,” I replied honestly, while shifting in my seat.

“You have been training extra hard these last two days. You need your energy. Eat, now, before I force it down your throat,” Edric commanded, as he sat next to me.

I swear, these mood swings of his!

With our gazes locked, I slowly dipped the bread into the stew, then brought it slowly to my mouth. The pupils of his eyes dilated, and as usual, I got lost in their grey-green colour.

I wished that I was not so attracted to him. I almost hated it. But I gained satisfaction in understanding that I was not alone in this. Edric’s no-human rule was well known; I remembered him making a point to remind me back in the carriage. He had never slept with a human, and had no intentions of ever doing so.

Though I took solace in the fact that his body desired mine, which was a clear giveaway that he too, was fighting whatever weird attraction was going on between us.

Fate was indeed a cruel and spiteful bitch!

“Stop daydreaming and eat,” Edric’s deep voice broke through my reverie.

Knowing that I had no choice, I sighed and brought the tray to my lap and steadily began eating. We sat in relative silence while I gradually tried to finish as much of the stew and bread as I could. I felt like a child. Under his intense gaze, a soft laugh suddenly escaped me.

“What is so funny?” Edric asked, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

“The way you are hovering over me. It reminds me of how you are with Eckart sometimes, when he refuses to finish all his vegetables,” I giggled, while twirling the spoon in my hand.

Huffing, he shook his head, “Well, like I told you while on the garden terrace the other day, you do act childish sometimes.”

Narrowing my eyes, I frowned at him and placed the tray back on the table and stood up, “Why must you always insult me?”

“How is it an insult, if it is the truth?” Edric responded as he looked up at me, seeming genuinely confused.

“You know what, forget it…” I scoffed.

Shaking my head, I turned and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

“See, this is why you need to eat on time Lenna, you get moody!” Edric shouted from the next room.

A soft snarl escaped me as the truth of his words irritated me further. I was just too wound up about meeting the werewolf, and clearly in no mood to engage in our usual bickering banter.

Walking towards the sink, I washed my hands and rinsed out my mouth. With an irritated huff, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I had been leaving my hair down for dinner, since Edric had confessed that he liked it that way.

“To hell with this,” I grumbled and picked up my comb.

With quick movements, I began braiding my hair in one long plait, close to the scalp, using an underhand, upward motion to make one continuous, raised row. My fingers shifted through my thick dark locks as my emotions raged, and I secured the end of my hair with a small tie.

Ever since arriving at the castle, Edric had been driving me crazy.

I really needed to get a handle on my attraction for him. If I did not, who knew if I would be able to control myself from lashing out at him. Sometimes I wanted to kiss him, other times I wanted to whack him over the head.

Shaking my head, I forced myself to focus.

After all, I had not come to the Lycan region to get laid; I came to learn about and develop my powers.

Letting out a sigh, I straightened my shoulders and exited the bathroom.

Edric was standing by the fireplace, staring into the flames. I ignored how beautiful he looked with the light shining against him.

“What’s this? Why did you braid your hair?” Edric asked immediately while turning to face me.

“Because I know that you prefer it out and flowing,” I reacted with a glare as I began to walk past him.

Grabbing my upper arm, he pulled me back against him, “I have upset you…”

It was not a question and I found myself becoming warm under his penetrating gaze while his eyes stared into mine, as though looking for something.

Muttering, I tried to pull my arm away, “Yes, well, what’s new right? I mean, I’m just a silly, childish human.”

Edric was strong, his grip firm, though not bruising.

“Let me go…” I grumbled.

Of course, he did not listen. If anything, he pulled me even closer, our chests pressing together. Between the heat of his body and that of the fire nearby, my skin began to get clammy and I had to fight the urge to press myself into him even more.

Moving his other hand to my waist, his gaze held mine as my own hands moved to his chest. The vibrations coming off from the both of us threatened to suck all the air out of the room.

I could feel every hard inch of him pressing against me and, to my humiliation, I moaned softly.

Edric’s nostrils flared and his eyes seemed to glow as he continued to look down at me. It was evident that he wanted to say something, and as he opened his mouth to speak, Faeda appeared by the open door.

“Oh shit! Sorry to interrupt! I saw the door open so I just walked in,” she said with a bow of her head.

Pushing myself out of his hold, “Don’t worry, you didn’t disturb anything, we were just coming to meet you and the others.”

“Are you sure? It looked like something,” Faeda, said as her nose sniffed the air.

Growling, Edric uttered as he walked past us, “It’s like the human said, it was nothing.”

My hands turned into fists while I watched his retreating back until he disappeared around the corner. The stinging feeling of my nails digging into my palms helped to keep me from screaming my annoyance.

“Are you alright, Lenna?” Faeda asked softly.

“I will be,” I said with an exhale.

In silence, we made our way towards the lower levels of the castle.

Edric was leaning against the wall by the large doors that would lead towards the prison area. He instructed Faeda to go ahead and wait with the others down by the cell.

“Lenna…” he started and I just looked at him, waiting for him to continue, “Never mind.”

I hated when he did that!

It left me curious, wanting to know what he would have said. Shaking my head, I entered into the hallway, immediately feeling the change in temperature. The cold, damp air wrapped around me like a heavy coat of armour as we descended the wide spiral staircase to the dungeons.

Walking through the corridors, the light from the lanterns lit our way. My eyes looked at each empty cell. Each one had a small window letting in the light of the moon. The fingers of my right hand reached out to touch the cold wall.

As another quiver ran through me, I did my best to try and block out the overwhelming sensations. However, as we neared Tharun’s cell, a whole other feeling began to creep its way towards me.

Having spent the last two days paying extra attention to improving my blocking technique, I exhaled loudly while I successfully pushed the energy aside.

After noticing Klaus, Odun, Ghaffar, Faeda, Abidan, and Drengr, I then saw Tharun standing behind the silver bars. His back faced us; his eyes were focused on the moon outside the small window of his cell. When Edric and I stopped a few feet away, the werewolf suddenly turned around.

He was completely naked, his body smeared with dried blood and dirt. Keeping my focus on his face, I stared into his eyes, stunned to acknowledge that I found nothing looking back at me.

Absolutely nothing!

It was like gazing into an abyss.

Even though Edric and the others had told me that he could not have been older than fourteen, based on his physique, seeing him with my own eyes cemented things into perspective. I was amazed that he had already undergone the shift.

Whatever Einarr was up to, he had managed to replace a way to make the werewolves transform ahead of their expected time. From the books I had been reading over the last few weeks, I knew that altering the natural order of things was never good.

“Your eyes…” Tharun’s voice was hoarse as he stepped closer to the bars.

Edric visibly stiffened next to me, his right arm extending from his body to protectively move in front of mine. I glanced up at him, then back at his hand, which acted as an additional barrier between me and the werewolf.

Keeping his eyes fixed on me, Tharun’s breathing slowly began to get more laboured, “So beautiful, your power, I need it. Help take the pain away, please?”

I wondered if he could sense the energy, I had within me due to whatever magical remnants he had in him. Or perhaps he assumed that I had power based on the colour of my eyes. Nonetheless, hearing the agony in his voice, I could not stop myself from wanting to assist.

“What power? What is wrong? Tell me how I can help.” I urged.

“My body burns! I just need your hands upon me, touch me please!” Tharun pleaded, his fingers gripping the cell’s bars.

“Like hell she will!” Edric snarled out, his tone sounding possessive.

As the silver immediately began to burn his palms, he hissed and let go, his eyes never leaving mine.

Faeda’s exasperated voice broke through my thoughts, “You spend days upon days in silence, and at the mere sight of her, your tongue loosens. Interesting.”

“Help, me…” Tharun said once more, ignoring everyone else.

“I don’t know how,” I replied, rubbing my hands together, wishing for them to glow now more than ever.

The werewolf whined before rolling his neck. It was then that he began to transform in front of us, and even though Edric and the others had told me that Tharun could shift without the full moon, it was amazing to see it with my own two eyes.

I had seen Berengar do it a million times, but from the way Tharun’s body sounded as it shifted, I immediately knew that something was off from the way he began to scream.

My face wrinkled at the noises of his bones cracking, Tharun’s shrieks changed into pained howls as the skin of his shoulders and back began to alter and widen until it split and sable merle fur sprouted forth.

The burst of dark energy that was released from him easily knocked my defences down. It felt similar to the one on the night of Einarr’s attack, and I knew right then and there that I would definitely need to work on my blocking techniques if I wanted to stand any chance of being useful in the war that was to come.

Once Tharun’s transformation was complete, I noticed how he snarled.

His dark eyes focused on Edric, then on me. His gaze twitched back and forth between us. Crouching, Tharun roared, then lunged at the bars. The sound of the impact startled me, causing me to squeak.

Edric’s hand moved closer to my body, the heat of it immediately helping to calm my nerves as I reached out and hugged his arm to me.

This seemed to enrage Tharun more as he continued to try to break free, not caring that he was damaging himself in the process, his body becoming bruised and bloody.

It was hard for me to watch him hurt himself in this way, and my eyes began to water.

“Someone, please stop him!” I cried out, my voice breaking.

Tharun’s front paws extended beyond the cell, his nails scrapping the floor, while his face pressed against the bars. His painful howls echoed off the walls as blood slowly spilled from the numerous wounds that covered his face and body.

“Put him out of his misery!” Edric said, before turning to face me, his large body blocking the macabre view.

Holding my hand, Edric led me out of the dungeon. The cool night air touched my tear-stained cheeks as we exited the castle and walked under the starry sky. Being under the stars instantly comforted me as I sighed softly and tilted my face to look at the first quarter moon.

“Why do you cry for that wretched creature,” Edric’s voice was soft while his thumbs moved to dry my tears.

Staring into each other’s eyes, I welcomed his touch, “Because I feel his pain.”

“You definitely need to work on your blocking abilities,” he commented, as he removed his hands from my face.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I looked away and frowned, “You think that I don’t know that? I will work harder.”

“Come, let’s take a walk,” Edric commanded, as he headed towards the lake.

The beautiful body of water was about a mile away from the castle, and I enjoyed the feel of the wind against my skin. This was my first time outside like this since arriving in the Lycan region and I soaked up every minute of it.

As I glanced at Edric out of the corner of my eye, I smiled, appreciating that he had brought me outside in the hope of helping to calm me down. My excitement increased as we neared the lake, and I had to hold myself back from running towards it.

“Did they kill Tharun?” I suddenly asked.

“No, we need him alive, to help us better understand what Einarr is up to. I had hoped that perhaps you may have been able to get some sort of read on his energy, but it seems the opposite happened,” Edric said, a scowl forming on his face.

“Perhaps once I’ve gotten a better handle on my blocking technique, I can pay him another visit? Maybe then I might be able to calm him down,” I suggested.

“You are not touching him!” Edric snarled.

“Why not?” I countered, then added, “Are you not curious to see what would happen?”

Snorting, he shook his head, “Not really and from the way you reacted to just being in his presence, I fear to think what touching his skin would do.”

“Maybe after another few weeks of training, we can attempt another visit? Being in his presence would be good practice for me either way,” I stated, as we reached the edge of the lake.

“I will think about it,” he muttered.

“Edric,” my voice soft.

“Yes Lenna,” he answered, looking at me.

Folding my hands in front of me, I gathered the courage to ask what had been on my mind for the last few days. Taking another deep breath, “Do you think I could see your beast?”

The green flecks in his eyes flared at my request, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“But why not? I have seen your Lycan form, but I have never had the chance to witness the shift.” My eyes pleaded with him as I added, “You can be my first.”

Rumbling, he muttered something inaudible as he began to take off his tunic, throwing the dark material haphazardly onto the grass.

“What are you doing?” I gasped as the light of the moon touched his bare chest.

“Did you not just request to see my beast? I’m not about to tear through my clothes,” he replied while undoing his belt, before toeing off his boots.

Blinking my eyes, I quickly turned my back, my heart beginning to race. His soft breathy laugh made my pores raise. It was such a beautiful sound, I wished that he smiled and laughed more, it suited him.

“Lenna…” Edric sighed in annoyance, “You cannot see my shift if you are not watching.”

“But you’re naked!” I hesitated, even though I knew I would have to turn around.

“What of it? You’ve seen a naked man before, no? Or did you and that wolf have sex with your clothes on,” he said, the sarcasm in his voice evident.

Grumbling, I debated on whether to turn around, “You know, the way you always throw that back in my face, one would think that you were jealous of Berengar.”

Within the next instant, I felt him suddenly standing behind me, snarling. The heat of his naked body marked mine and I had to supress the shiver I felt clawing up my spine. As I heard his soft growls, I could almost feel them vibrating through me as he breathed harshly down my neck.

“Turn around…” Edric commanded softly.

My body obeyed him instantly, but I kept my head raised. I did my best to keep my eyes focused on his face, not daring to look below his neck, as I knew I would not be able to stop my gaze from travelling further down.

“Tell me, Lenna, why would I need to be jealous of a werewolf?” Edric asked, his left eyebrow raised.

Rubbing my sweaty palms against the sides of my pants, I cleared my throat, “Well, perhaps jealousy was the wrong word. But you always seem to like rubbing my sexuality in my face.”

Edric remained silent while his hands moved to undo my braid. I closed my eyes as I felt him let my hair down, the feel of his fingers running through my thick tresses always felt so good. I sighed at the sensation, his touch seeming more tender when he reached the white streak of hair at my temple.

“I suppose it just confuses me, the openness you had around him. Yet as your King, I feel like you abhor the very sight of me sometimes,” he murmured.

“More like you frighten me,” I confessed as my curiousity got the better of me, my gaze slowly started to lower.

“What is it about me scares you?” Edric took a step back, his hands at his side.

Audibly breathing out, “Everything, your size, strength, and power.”

Of course, I left out the part about my intense attraction for him, there was no way I would ever admit such a thing out loud.

“Are you sure you want to see me transform?” Edric asked again.

My eyes travelled over the large expanse of his chest, once again admiring the muscles that I had become acquainted with a few days ago. Glancing down his torso, I admired the ‘V’ that led to his groin. Below the dark patch of hair, my eyes connected with his flaccid but meaty manhood, which twitched, causing my eyes to widen.

As my eyes reached his toes and travelled back up his muscular legs to his face, I had decided that he was perfectly formed, in every way conceivable.

Finding my voice, I nodded slowly, “Yes, I want to see you shift.”

With a growl, Edric took another step back, his strong legs transforming, grounding his stance as his now clawed feet pressed more firmly into the grass.

I stood awestruck as he transformed in front of me.

Unlike Berengar and the other werewolves, Edric did not drop on all fours.

Lycans had more of a wolf-man transformation instead of that of a complete wolf, and were much stronger and larger.

Edric’s arms stretched as even more muscle grew. His fingers changed into long claws. His handsome face began to extend, a wolf-like appearance taking form, as his canines elongated. Simultaneously, his skin gave way to thick, glossy black fur that covered every inch of him, and my fingers itched, wanting to run through it.

If I thought he was tall before, once his shift was completed, Edric stood over 8feet in his slightly crouched position, reminding me once more why they were at the top of the social structure.

Dropping into a quadrupedal stance, he spoke, absolutely scaring the ever-living shit out of me.

“Lenna…” Edric murmured, his voice had a harsher and deeper tone to it.

Screaming while stumbling, “Wait! You can talk?” I asked, even though it was obvious that he could.

The way he said my name sounded different, given his transformed facial structure. His speech was altered. It was not unintelligible, but it would take some practice to get used to the different pronunciations.

“I had no idea you guys could talk! I always thought you communicated like werewolves, through scents, howls, etcetera,” I said, still shocked by this discovery.

“We communicate that way as well,” Edric spoke slowly, making it less difficult for me to understand him.

Gradually walking back towards him, I marvelled being in his presence. He was the Lycan King, and while the other Lycans I had seen were impressive, to me, his was the most remarkable of them all. His body exuded power, and I had to brace myself so as not to be overwhelmed by his immense energy.

“You are simply magnificent…” I whispered, while closing the distance between us. “Can I touch you?”

Edric’s left ear twitched, his nose exhaling harshly as he nodded.

With trembling fingers, I hugged him. What was supposed to just be gentle caresses with my fingers, turned into me diving head first into his soft black fur. I buried my face in his chest as my hands wrapped around his neck.

I could feel Edric’s body vibrating under me as he rumbled, apparently enjoying my touch, as my fingers gently pet his fur. I revelled in the clean scent of him and sighed softly as I hugged him even tighter. It was interesting to note the contrast of his soft fur against the hardness and strength of his body.

Everything about him was so magnificent, I wanted to match his power.

As I pulled back and gazed into his beautiful eyes, I vowed to unlock my magical abilities, no matter the cost.