The First King
Chapter 16

Konrad glared at Prew as the crowd around them began to disperse. The only ones that remained were their people, except they kept a fair distance away. It was clear that Konrad was furious. His aura was growing with each breath that he took. Though Prew could not feel it, she could see how his eyes darkened. The once bright blue eyes nearly turned to gray as he stared at her.

“Why would you do that?!” He demanded.

“Here is the thing, Konrad,” she stated softly as she winced from the tight grip that he had on her arm. “Men like to feel like they’ve won, even when they’ve lost. It is an ego thing. I wounded Alder’s ego when I won our fight, so he needed something to make him feel like a man again.”

“I don’t want you to marry him,” he growled.

“Then don’t die, and I won't,” she retorted as she tried to pull away from his grip.

“Prew…”

“Look, it doesn’t matter anyways,” she huffed as she stopped struggling. “It isn’t in the charter. I’m sure if you die, the Leader Council will just choose my next husband anyway.”

“I don’t want you to take him as a lover, either,” Konrad added.

“What?!” Prew questioned as she furrowed her brows. “Do you not understand it yet? I will never take a lover. I detest it! I watched my mother suffer public humiliation as my father took mistresses. And it wasn’t just her. I saw it happen time and time again to other women. But the one time that I saw a woman cheat, she was labeled a whore, a harlot. Her husband was allowed to divorce her and put her out on the streets. No, I will never take a lover, no matter what our agreement is. I took a vow, and I will continue to uphold it because I know that the moment I stop, I lose all my power. And it may be only a sliver of it, but it is something that I have worked hard for.”

Prew yanked her arm from Konrad’s grasp and stormed away from him. She was angry with Konrad. He was the one who suggested that she take a lover, and even though she never would, he now had the nerve to try and tell her who she could be with. As Prew walked near the fire, she saw Alder sitting on a long log by himself. Without saying a word, she sat beside him.

“Ah, there you are,” Alder smiled when he noticed her. “That was quite the fight. How did you learn to spar? I’ve never seen a human girl who could use a weapon, let alone win against a wolf.”

“She was an only child,” Konrad explained as he walked up behind them. There was little space between Alder and Prew, but he stepped in, forcing the two apart as he sat between them. “Her father raised her as if she were a son.”

“Interesting,” Alder grumbled as he moved further from Konrad. “Humans have such weird beliefs when it comes to their women.”

“Tell me about it,” Prew scoffed. “After traveling to four kingdoms, I have preferred dealing with you over most of the other kings.”

Konrad shot her a warning look. Prew glared at him for a moment before turning away. Konrad scowled as the conversation with Rowan came to his mind. Of course, she preferred Alder. Not because of his looks, but because even though he was a brute, he was respectful of her. Something the humans did not do.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he leaned close to her. “I will go with you to Pedarus. No man shall talk down to you while I am there. I promise.”

Prew nodded her head, but she did not respond to him. There was nothing she wanted to say. There were moments with Konrad that she enjoyed, moments where he was soft and gentle, but they were fleeting. She had to mentally remind herself that their relationship was more of a contract than anything. There was no room for emotions. He could not be the only man who made her body shiver with each touch. No, but he was the first. The first man who wasn’t afraid to touch her, to talk to her.

“Are you hungry?” Konrad inquired curiously.

“Yes,” Prew murmured as she finally looked up at him. His eyes were back to their bright blue, and his face was soft. He held out a plate full of meat and boiled potatoes.

“Don’t worry, I have my own plate,” he assured her as he held up his food in the other hand.

Prew nodded as she took her food. She was silent as Konrad and Alder discussed the upcoming plans. Once they were done at Pedarus, all of the members of the Leader Council were to meet. Konrad wanted to split their armies into two fronts: one side that went to the vampires in the north and one side that went to the witches in the east. The two enemies were relying on one another, so it would be best if they could sever their connection. As it got dark, several people began to retire to their tents to sleep.

“I have a tent that the two of you could use?” Alder suggested as he pointed it out. “There is a big enough bed and plenty of blankets to keep you warm.”

“Why don’t you go on to sleep,” Konrad told Prew as he placed a hand on hers. “I’ll stay out here.”

“Alright,” she whispered as she stood. Prew gave Alder a nod of her head before going to the tent. Konrad sighed as he watched her walk away. He knew that he messed up again. Between Prew and Lorelei, he was struggling trying to replace a way to keep at least one of them happy.

“You’re not going to sleep out here, are you?” Alder inquired curiously.

“Yes,” Konrad nodded. “I will sleep as Nero. The cold won’t be a bother to him.”

“Why do you not go sleep with that prize of a woman you have? If she were mine, I would be screwing her every chance I got.”

“Good thing she isn’t yours then!” Konrad snapped.

“Well, she isn’t mine, but she isn’t yours either, is she?” Alder questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Konrad growled.

“Oh, but I think I do,” Alder replied in a hushed tone. “I know she isn’t marked. And I can smell it, she is untouched. You are wasting something that other wolves would die to have.”

“You are the second person who has told me that I am wasted on her,” Konrad scoffed. “But none of you understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand, and I don’t want to. If you won’t take her, then I will,” Alder stated as he stood to his feet. “If you don’t want her, give her to someone who will cherish her. Can you imagine the strong pups she could give me?”

“Shut up!” Konrad commanded as he stood, pushing his shoulder against Alder.

“Then you best go to that tent, because if you don’t, I will.”

Konrad grumbled as he walked away from Alder and headed for the tent. He paused at the entrance. With a deep breath, he stepped inside. Lying on the bed, under the thick covers of bear fur, was Prew. She sat up as Konrad walked over.

“You stay on your side,” he instructed as he removed his shirt. Prew moved over, giving him space to lay beside her. But her eyes were on his chest. It was her first time seeing it bare, and it surprised her to see it full of small, curly hairs. Once he laid down, he looked over, noticing her gaze. “What?”

“Nothing,” she murmured as she turned away from him. “Just don’t touch me.”

“Stay on your side, and I won’t,” he replied as he closed his eyes.

As Konrad laid there, he could feel Prew trying to get into a comfortable position. She had moved to the other side of the bed, leaving a large space between them. He opened one eye to look at her. Her back was to him, with her long hair unbraided and loose across the pillow. The smell of blueberries filled his nose, causing him to smile at himself. He closed his eyes again, and after a few minutes, he drifted off to sleep.

Konrad’s eyes slowly opened as bits of the morning light came in through the cracks of the tent. He felt warm and comfortable as he lay there. As he stretched his body, Konrad finally realized that there was someone snuggled against him. He looked down, noticing that it was Prew. A smile crept across his face. It was cold out, and the only source of heat was his body. He quietly listened to her, hoping that he had not woken her up, but her breathing was steady and shallow. She was still sound asleep. Slowly, he moved his left arm, placing it gently around her with his hand resting on her waist. Though Nero was fighting against everything he was doing, Konrad didn’t care. He wanted to stay there, to lay there until she woke up.

Prew had to concentrate hard to keep her breathing steady. With his hand on her side, two of his fingers were resting on her bare skin. She was sure that her goosebumps had given away the fact that she was awake, but he didn’t acknowledge it. When Prew had woken up some time ago, she was already against Konrad. But he was so warm, and the air was so cold, she did not want to pull away from him. Even if it was for just a moment, Prew wanted to be next to him. And now that he knew she was there and he had his arm around her, she did not want to leave. This attention, this intimate moment was not something Prew thought she would ever get to experience. And though Konrad had his harsh moments, he had a way to make her crave his soft side.

“Your Majesties?” One of the human soldiers called out from the outside of the tent. “We are packed and ready to go to Pedarus.”

Konrad groaned as the sound permeated the tent. He looked down at Prew, whose eyes were part-way opened. She glanced up at him briefly before her eyes settled back onto his bare chest. The tiny curly hairs that went across his pecs and abdomen were an interest to her. She reached out with her left hand, gently running her fingertips along his skin.

“I have never seen a man with so much hair,” she remarked softly.

“Hmm,” he mused as he enjoyed the sensation of her touching him. “Is that so? And how many men have you seen without shirts?”

“Too many to count,” Prew chuckled as she sat up. She looked at his face, noticing his instant frown. “I trained with the soldiers that were stationed at Sella Castle.”

Konrad nodded his head as his hand rested on the small of her back. He had frowned, not because she had seen other men’s chests, but because she had sat up. With her not being against him, he suddenly felt cold. There was an urge to pull her back down beside him, but there was an internal conflict that raged within his soul. Nero fought constantly against Konrad’s urges.

“Can you leave so I can change?” She questioned, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Oh, sure,” he nodded as he stood from the bed.

Konrad grabbed his shirt from the night before, sniffed it, then put it on. Prew looked at him in disgust as he left the tent. She knew that shirt had to smell, but yet he chose to wear it again. But then she looked down at the part of the bed where he had laid. It was still warm, and she felt herself suddenly missing him. As much as she wanted to distance herself from Konrad, she knew that they were stuck together. As adamant as he was about changing the charter, she knew it would not be done unless the Leader Council agreed to it. And yet, she had to remind herself not to get too attached to Konrad; he would not feel the same about her. She would only be left heartbroken if she allowed herself to fall for him.

With a sigh, she got off the bed. Prew changed her clothes and then stepped out of the tent. Once her eyes adjusted to the bright morning light, she noticed both Konrad and Alder trying to approach Meeka. Her horse was stomping on the ground as they neared him. As the men held out their hands, Prew wondered if they were trying to pet Meeka or grab him. She walked up behind them slowly, listening as they tried to attract the horse to them.

“You two should be careful,” she warned, startling them both. “Meeka has killed a man.”

“I found your horse eating from one of my grain bags,” Alder complained as he turned to Prew. “I was just trying to catch him so I could tie him up, like the other horses.”

“Well, he isn’t like other horses,” she shrugged as she walked past the men and up to Meeka. She stroked his side as she looked back to Alder. “He isn’t halter broke, you can’t lead him with a rope, and he has never had a saddle on his back.”

“A feral human with a feral horse,” Konrad smirked as he tossed an apple to Prew. “Get on your stallion, wife. It looks like a snowstorm is on the way, and I’d like to not be caught in it.”

“Yes, husband,” she replied, doing her best to hide her smile. After she scrambled onto Meeka’s back, she began to eat her apple.

“That was meant for the horse,” Konrad stated with a roll of his eyes. “Werelia Inttum.”

“Well, Meeka ate grain earlier; he doesn’t need anything else to eat.”

“You owe me for that, by the way!” Alder shouted as he crossed his arms.

“I’ll think about it!” She called out to him as Meeka trotted down the road.

Konrad and the other wolves shifted, followed closely behind by the human soldiers, spare horses, and the wagons with their supplies. Their journey today was not a long one. The Frostpaws hunted near the borders of Pedarus. The trip overall should take one day, if not less, and then they could all go back to Guilford.