The Werewolf Order (Erotica)

Coral wakes up the following morning after feeling Quell rise to his feet. She rubs her eyes, looking up at the handsome creature, somewhat content until she sees a slight frown on his face.

“What is the matter, Quell?” She asks tentatively.

“You should get cleaned up and dressed; there is something to attend to before we leave.” Without further explanation he backs out of her room, leaving her alone.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

She sits up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her to ward off the cool morning air. Her womanhood feels tender, having been rubbed vigorously the night before but she pushes those thoughts aside while she pulls a fresh shift, pair of socks and a dress from her bag. When the knife falls out onto the rug she looks at it for a moment, before grabbing it as well.

Pouring the water into the basin she soaks a towel in it before reluctantly discarding the blanket. The skin on her torso feels tight; a dried, shiny slick of Quell’s seed is still covering her. Knowing that the centaurs have a good sense of smell she rubs her skin red trying to clean it off. Washing the rest of her body she is covered in goose bumps and freezing by the time she has finished and makes short work of pulling on her shift and faded green dress. Pulling on her socks, she buckles the knife higher on the outside of her upper calf, the top of the hilt barely visible after she pulls her boot on but making it much more accessible than where Piers latched it the day before. Finally she unties the ribbon, shaking her thick curls free from the braid only to braid them back again for the day long journey to the land of the centaurs. Her body still feels a chill, now being deprived of the heat that Quell provided her all night; she shivers, fishing out her grey wool cloak from her bag and throwing it over her shoulders before stuffing her dirty clothes inside.

Out in the main part of the tent she is surprised to see Reid, not Quell, waiting for her. When he sees that she is dressed he holds the flap open, exposing her to the dark, early morning light. She walks outside to find a group of centaurs standing around, all of them looking unhappy.

Coral, unsure what is going on, starts to get nervous, feeling like she did something wrong. She wraps her arms around herself underneath the cloak trying to rub warmth back into her flesh. Slowly she approaches Rainer, who stands with Quell, Wistan, and two other large centaurs she does not know. When one steps to the side she sees a large post that has been driven into the ground; tied with his hands behind his back, Tobias sits with his back to the post, feet bound, mouth gagged.

Her face crumples and she starts to walk towards him only to be stopped by Quell, who moves to stand in her path. She looks up at him, then to Rainer, “What is going on?”

Rainer speaks quietly, “He was caught sneaking into our encampment last night. Had you not been under protection, I shudder to think what he would have done.”

Looking between the centaurs again she sidesteps them both and approaches Tobias; his eyes are shut, his head down. He has some dried blood coming out of his nose and a fat lip.

Coral crouches down, placing a hand on his shoulder to shake him, “Tobias,” she says. When he does not respond she removes the gag and shakes harder, “Tobias!”

His eyes blink open as he wakes up. He sees her but looks past her to Rainer and Quell; Tobias spits on the ground to the side, “Filthy fucking half breeds,” he snarls.

Aghast, Coral snaps at him, “Watch your tongue!”

When he looks at her it is different than before; there is no more soft kindness in his eyes, just a dark irritation, disgust and hatred, “Don’t speak to me like that, Coral, I came here to rescue you last night. I looked for you-but you were nowhere to be found. Perhaps I should have looked underneath all of those beasts, apparently you have a soft spot for them.”

Coral hears some movement behind her; she restrains from slapping Tobias, instead reaching out and shifting the gag back up to his mouth.

“You are a foul mouthed fool Tobias,” she whispers harshly, “too smart for your own good but too stupid to know when to give up. Your arrogance-your pathetic pride puts this entire town at risk! You want to be in charge? Ha! By the time you get the title you’re conceit will have gotten everyone killed and you’ll be bossing spirits around! I did not ask you to try to rescue me, nor do I want to be! If what remains for me in this town is to become your bride then I bid it a hearty farewell.”

She rises and walks away from him, hearing his muffled yells as he strains against the post. Her anger and rage warms her blood finally shaking off her chill. Approaching the centaurs she can see that two of them had restrained Quell; he did not take kindly to the way Tobias spoke to her and had every intention of making the boy apologize. Only when she stops in front of the centaurs and it is clear that she gave him a lashing of her own, do they release Quell.

“What will happen to him, master centaur?” she asks Rainer.

“Well, our law dictates that a human who attacks a centaur will be indentured. He will be bound and taken as a prisoner. We have notified his father and he is on his way to the camp right this moment. In fact, it appears he has arrived,” Rainer nods in the direction behind her.

Coral turns around, seeing the quick walking speed of the Governor. He stops before his son but makes no move to free the boy or no motion towards him in general, as if he is afraid of the repercussions that his love could bring.

She leaves the centaurs, approaching the Governor; still enraged she grabs his sleeve and pulls him further away from Tobias so that their words cannot be overheard by the boy.

“They said he broke into camp last night looking for you,” the Governor’s eyes remain on his son.

“Your son is an idiot. He is a condescending, violent, arrogant, hateful pathetic excuse for a man,” Coral lashes out, “and you are just as guilty for raising him to be one.”

His wide eyed shock turns to her, “How dare you-”

“Shut your mouth and listen, Governor,” she growls, “they intend on taking him prisoner. That means that he will leave here in chains and never return-and you know just as well as I, that he is fool enough to try to escape. He will get himself killed.”

The Governor clenches his jaw, not denying her statement, “I don’t know what it is you think I can do about it.”

She thinks on it for a moment, “If I can get them to agree to leave him in your custody-he will have to remain in confinement for a stretch of time-you must promise that you will keep him reined in. If you fail,” she pauses, trying to come up with the one thing that he would regret losing the most, “if you fail, your family gives up the rights to the Governor title and you leave, west. Far west.”

His grinds his jaw slightly, chewing on the proposition. Not wanting to lose his son nor his title, it is a hard choice; finally he nods to her.

Coral returns to the centaurs. Looking up at Rainer he confirms that he overheard their conversation, “It is against our law to release him back to his own people, Coral. You know that.”

She nods, taking a deep breath to calm herself, “I was told a story about a woman who was in a similar situation as I but she… had her maidenhood stolen by the man; is it true?”

Quell shifts uncomfortably as Rainer responds, “Aye, that is why we kept you close last night.”

“And you think that fool capable of doing the same to me?” She looks up at the large, black skinned centaur.

“If I gambled I would put money on that possibility.”

“Then, master centaur, it seems like bringing him with us means you put my virtue in danger. If he was brazen to break in here once, you don’t think he’d come after me again? Taking him prisoner is simply providing him with a better opportunity and an easier reach. If he were to remain here, locked up, while we journeyed far to your homeland then not only am I removed from his daily routine but a vast distance is put between us to discourage his foul behavior.”

Rainer frowns down at her, his hands crossed over his chest. He looks up at his sons, to the guards, before looking back down on her in silence. Finally he nods, “You make a compelling argument, maiden. I concede.” It is just a tilt of his head and the two guards leave to pick up Tobias, each tucking a hand under his arm to lift him up and carry him from the camp. As the Governor nears them Rainer continues, “You will keep him locked away for two months. After that his behavior directly affects you. If I hear that he steps out of line again or if he makes an attempt towards any of my people, then you will be banished.”

“I understand, Sir Rainer,” the Governor says; looking briefly at Coral, all he offers is a small nod in appreciation before disappearing out of sight.

Rainer looks back down at Coral, studying her. “You are an odd one,” he simply says before walking away and deeper into the camp.

She stands there, her boiling blood slowly cooling; glancing around she sees that the humans have woken and are now packing up the wagons. Thinking she should help she starts to head towards the nearest one only to be stopped by Quell’s hand on her shoulder, “Come, maiden.”

He leads her back into the tent and stands in front of her, looking at her, “I have never heard a woman speak as you did, let alone to a man.”

Almost instantly her anger dissipates, leaving behind her embarrassment at having stepped so far out of line that she can hardly bring herself to look at him. She stares, instead, at his palomino legs, catching a glimpse of his swishing tail.

“I apologize for my insolence, Prince Quell. I should not have said what I did to Tobias, nor his father,” she replies before adding under her breath, “even though it is the truth.”