Chapter Seven
Dominic
Between his brisk run through the woods and the effort of shifting as well as trying not to shift in Olivia’s presence, Dominic had fully expected to fall fast asleep the moment that he closed his eyes. Of course, it would have been far easier if he’d been able to lie in his own bed instead of attempting to get some rest on his old, sagging couch.
He still couldn’t believe that Dominic had been kicked out of his own bed and forced to sleep on a tiny couch that was absolutely not fit for a prince to be sleeping on. Once again, Dominic was reminded of how far he was from the plush living style he was so used to. It was even worse to know that even though he was still a prince in title, everyone, including Atticus, knew that Dominic held no power anymore. Though he was still royalty and believed he should be treated as such, those that knew he’d been banished from the castle didn’t care who he was. They simply treated him as another member of the pack.
Frustrated, Dominic tossed and turned on the couch, attempting to find a way to arrange the lumps of stuffing into something that resembled comfort. As the dripping of raindrops through his roof continued for the second night, and he lay there, blanket-less while Olivia slept cozy with all of his, he struggled to get himself warm.
Once again, the question raised itself in his mind…. had it really been worth it to steal his brother’s fiancé?
Had he not done that, had he let his smug, wimpy, perfect brother just get married to that girl, then he’d still have his own place in the castle and be able to sleep on velvety soft sheets and eat lavish food at every meal. He would have been able to continue to spend his days in any leisurely way that he pleased, knowing that unless something happened to his father and then his brother, Dominic’s own responsibilities in life were almost non-existent.
Maybe it hadn’t been worth it to take revenge on him. What had that bit of trickery gotten him? A drafty and damp cabin in the woods where he was to stay with a small pack and use his brawn as protection for the kingdom. He was more of a soldier rather than a prince.
Ah, but Dominic couldn’t help the smile that drifted on his face. His body relaxing just slightly, he remembered the priceless look on his brother’s face when he caught Cherise in Dominic’s own bed. It wasn’t exactly Dominic’s fault, she hadn’t been in love with Ronald from the beginning, so it had been easy to seduce her away from him.
Of course, Dominic hadn’t wanted her for himself, and she hadn’t wanted that either, opting instead to break off the engagement and find someone that was fated for her. She knew Ronald was more of a fling rather than fate.
When Dominic had heard that she had broken it off, it took every bit of strength he had not to laugh in his brother’s face. His whole life he’d spent living in his brother’s perfect shadow, being told to be more responsible like he was, and generally never adding up to the future king. But there was one department that Dominic was always better in, and that was women.
Sleeping with Cherise had knocked that perfect smile from Ronald’s face and though it resulted in the nastiest brawl Dominic had ever encountered and had gotten him removed from the castle because of the hand he’d played in making her realize that she wasn’t fated for Ronald, that moment of satisfaction felt worth it.
Though, Dominic did feel a little guilty, only because he had to wonder if his pathetic brother would ever find a woman that would actually want someone so passionless and dull, but he supposed that eventually a woman as equally dull would come along. Not that Dominic had ever felt anything for Cherise, but she was nice enough and cute enough that he knew he’d spared her from a life of monotony.
In fact, there had never been any girl, no matter how attractive or interesting, that had ever made Dominic think of as more than a fleeting thought. None had ever gotten him riled or excited. The only one that had come close to making him feel anything was laying in the next room, having taken his bed and his blankets. But Dominic couldn’t figure yet if the wolf inside of him was stirring because of his attraction to Olivia or because she annoyed him so easily.
With his thoughts still stirring, Dominic lay on the couch just barely resting when he heard a snap outside. A branch, snapping under the weight of something, made Dominic sit up quickly, all thoughts of sleep and everything else quickly vanishing. Hair stood on the back of his neck and his wolf paced inside of him, ready to rip out.
Dominic took a few steadying breaths, listening as closely as any wolf could, to any other sounds outside. There was a rustling, like that of wet leaves on the ground, and it was right outside of his cabin.
Quickly he stood from the couch and raced to the front door. If there was about to be an attack then it wasn’t going to be on his watch. He opened the door but his eyes weren’t as good in the night unless he had shifted. Unsure if he was overreacting, he stood at the door for a moment, catching any unfamiliar scent in the night breeze, waiting for a shadow to move through the dark, but there was nothing. Still, he sensed something was lurking outside, just in the woods near his cabin.
Unable to calm his wolf, he shifted. His hands grew into paws and the bulk of his body landed heavily on all four. His ears, now even more keen to the sounds around him, twitched as he heard the slightest movement. His head snapped to the direction, his fangs showing, and ready to rip into any threat that was out there.
There. It was just there. The tiniest bit of light flickered among the trees, too close for comfort.
Dominic tore through the dark of the night, prepared to take down whoever it was that was out there.