His Forsaken Luna-Chapter 20: Sneaky Princess

The doors slammed shut behind me. Smoke curled in the dark, warm tavern. Heads swivelled at once, and everyone glared at me, the sudden silence deafening. Those glares then turned to snorts, and laughter after sizing me up and sensing my lack of power. I was a small woman, and their initial threatening poses relaxed—I was obviously no threat.

Rude. Did they do that to everyone that enters?

After looking around, it was clear I was also one of possibly three women in the entire place. The other two were tall, wearing leathers and fur cloaks, hairs pulled back in braids, axes on their backs and swords sheathed by their sides.

While courage still thrummed in my veins, I strolled forward, looking as relaxed as possible. Acting as though this was not my first time entering such an establishment. I walked around groups drinking together, discussing their latest hunt, a fight, a beautiful she-wolf, the last quest they went on; the chatter fading into a stream of background noise.

Someone yanked on the back of my hood and my step faltered as I looked back at the tall Were. He held the top of my cloak and shouted, "There’s a lost lamb here! Any shepherds here want to claim it?"

Boisterous laughter followed as I scrambled out of his hold and arranged the hood around my head more securely. I squeezed between a few other bodies until I finally made it to the bar. The wait wasn’t long before the burly barman with a brown plaited beard and long hair pinned back in a bun, rested his hairy forearm against the counter, and stared at me with deep blue eyes, deep lines etched between his bushy brows making him look sterner.

"Can I buy a map from here?" I questioned, folding my arms together on the counter, not backing down from his piercing stare.

The barman’s eyes instantly narrowed, glancing at my leather gloves. I hid them as casually as possible. The leather gloves didn’t match my servant’s attire. "Upstairs," he grunted, pointing his thumb to the right side of the bar without raising an eyebrow or asking any questions.

A smile almost graced my lips. This was going better than I thought it would.

"You won’t need it after a few months in the mountains." A man to my left slammed his wooden tankard down and burped before looking me up and down. "You don’t look like you’d last a day out there."

I tried not to make a face at his lack of manners. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," I murmured and began turning away.

The barman leaned forward and grabbed my shoulder. My heartrate spiked and breath inhaled sharply at the foreign touch from a stranger. "Speak little here." He squeezed my shoulder and held my gaze, warning me.

I nodded with understanding, tightening the cloak around my head again. My voice was not that of a servant’s but a well-spoken lady. Thankful to the barman I wandered off to the stairs where a man stood guard, bulky arms crossed. "Let the pup through," the barman called out to him.

With a little grumble about not ’roughing up pups anymore’, the guard stepped aside allowing my entrance up the narrow, wonky stairwell. Clutching onto the wonky railing, I managed to get to the top without falling over.

There were less people on this floor. A few kept their identities concealed behind masks covering their mouth and nose, or wore low hoods like me. Worn chaises were set out and a few men relaxed on them, pipes in hand, smoking, women sitting on their laps, whispering in their ears, inhaling their smoke close to their faces, or grinding against them, entertaining them.

I looked away, cheeks heating, ignoring the slight fever that rippled through me at the sight.

The wooden floor creaked beneath my feet as I walked towards the various tables at the far end. It was like a mini marketplace but there was only one vendor. He was already with a customer but weapons, trinkets and the sort were all left on display. Guards stood by the walls, expressions stoic, used to the odd atmosphere.

"Well, well, I didn’t expect Frode to let a pup up here." The vendor tilted his head, dark brown hair pulled back into a half-up hair style, braids running down one side, a few black raven feathers dangling from the ends.

Frode must be the barman. The name suited him.

"I’m no pup," I snapped, annoyed by the derogatory term. It only meant a young Were but many used it for teenagers and those of a skinny, weaker build.

The vendor’s smile broadened as he looked me over again. "No, you are most definitely not. You’ve intrigued me."

That was exactly what I didn’t want. Attention.

"You may call me Sverre," He dropped his voice to a whisper, leaning forward.

"Lli." I nodded back, ignoring his curious eyes, and trying not to look at him with mine. Most would never dream of or believe their Princess would walk among them at night, but this Sverre and Frode probably dealt with a lot of clientele and had seen enough to not close their minds to that possibility.

My hair was hidden but my distinctive eyes were not. "Do you sell maps? One showing our surroundings, nearest ports and the like." I got straight to the point.

Sevrre turned around and rummaged through a few scrolls left in one of the shelves behind him and pulled a large one out, opening it on the table and placing a few paper weights on the corner. "This one also shows the routes to the Isles of Men and Iron. Anything further to the Eastern regions will cost."

"How much for this?" I questioned, leaning forward, peering at the detailed map, almost gaping, but I refrained. I thought we were much further away from the fjords and the ports but this map showed otherwise.

With this map before me now, it made mine and Theo’s escape become more real. It was definitely possible.

"For you Lli, it’s free."

My eyes narrowed at the vendor. I know I was a princess, but even I knew nothing came for free. "What do you want?"

"Tell me where you plan to go," Sevrre grinned.

"I need information about the ports anyway..." I murmured. "Travel in general..."

I cannot transform into a wolf, we could either travel by horse or Theo could shift and carry me, but that is still a long way. I continued to stare at the map, looking at the paths, calculating, ideas forming more easily now that I could see what was past the palace walls.

My focus was so attuned to the map, it took me a while to feel the heated presence at my back, and notice the large tanned hands pressed against the edge of the table either side of me.

"Planning to run away, little wolf?" His deep baritone voice jolted me from my reverie and I stumbled, turning around with wide eyes. Eryx caught my waist and smirked down at me.

"How..." I breathed, trailing off when I looked past Eryx’s shoulder and noticed the man in the street from before. He turned away from us and stood guard from a distance.

He’s with the Alpha Prince. So was Eryx in Ulfstad before or was that man a spy, someone to keep an eye on me and my actions?

Facing Eryx, I quickly moved the paper weights away from the map so it could fold into a scroll once more. Sevrre commented about getting the parchment ready to send to my home, backing away from the looming form of a powerfully charged Alpha. He’d read the room well, turning away from us.

"I was looking for a new book to read," I brazenly lied, picking up the closest one beside me and lifting it up in the light, ducking under his arms that had caged me in.

Eryx’s eyebrow rose as he slowly stalked forward while I retreated away from him. "Creatures of the night and how to seduce them?"

"Yes... I thought my acting skills could be better..." I trailed off after noticing Eryx’s eyes glittering and those full, sinful lips tilting up into a smug smile.

A frown tugged my brows together and I glanced at the book, reading its title. ’Creatures of Lore, real or just fairytales?’

My grip on it loosened as the Alpha Prince lunged forward, his scent wrapping around me as he once again cages me in, this time in a small alcove, my back hitting the wall.

He loomed over me, all muscles, cloves and pine wrapping around my throat, squeezing as the man’s glare pierced through me like a blade. I was pinned to the spot, a little breathless as heat ricocheted across my body at his propinquity.

Leaning closer, hand lightly caressing my jaw, Eryx’s eyes dropped to my lips and whispers darkly, with a low feral growl, "No matter where you run, I will always find you."