"The last thing I remember was telling Bardulf about someone in the throne room he had to see. I would never go after the Luna!" Seth growled at Flik.
"What happened after you told Bardulf about the visitor?"
Seth narrowed his eyes in concentration. "I...I don't know. It's not like me to not remember." He paused and shook his head. "It's weird. I do remember a chill running through my body."
Flik straightened at that. "A chill?"
Seth nodded. "I thought nothing of it since chills run through the castle all the time."
Flik, who had been harsh with Seth the whole time of interrogation, finally softened. "I felt a chill when you showed up in my office looking for the Luna. It's how I knew something was wrong."
Seth turned regretful eyes towards him. "I swear, I didn't mean to harm anyone!"
"I know. But I had to do this," Flik said with a sigh. Seth nodded, understanding he'd do the same in this situation. "Bardulf will come ask you a few more questions in a few minutes, but for now, just try to remember whatever you can about the event."
Bardulf had just dressed and gave Philippa something to eat when Flik knocked on his chamber door. Philippa glanced up from where she was eating on the bed as Bardulf answered it. The Luna smiled at the man as he stepped inside. He returned the gesture then turned his attention to the King. "I want to ask the Luna something, if you don't mind."
Bardulf grunted, then went over and sat behind Philippa on the bed, his arms wrapped around her. She leaned back on him and gazed at Flik with warm eyes. He stood at the edge of the bed, seeming uncomfortable for a moment. "Did you question him?" Bardulf asked when Flik made no move to speak.
"Yes." He looked at Philippa. "Do you remember anything from the moment you and Bardulf separated to the moment you ran into my office?"
She nodded solemnly. Her smile disappeared and she went still and stiff. Bardulf kissed the back of her head then urged her to answer. With a flurry of hand gestures, she did and Bardulf interpreted. "She was just outside the chamber when she felt a chill and started quietly back down the stairs. When she got onto the level of our offices, she ran."
Flik stepped forward, eyes alert. "You felt a chill?"
She nodded and rubbed her arms.
"Did you see anyone in the chambers?"
Philippa shook her head, no.
Flik nodded and stood straight again. "Seth and I felt the same. He felt it right before whatever it had possessed him. I felt it right before he entered my office. Something invisible is in the castle and it wants her. It will use anyone it can to get to her."
"Is Seth back to normal?" Bardulf asked in a low growl.
"Yes. And pissed off at himself." Flik sighed. "I don't think it will use him again. I think it will go after someone else."
"Reduce the amount of people here in the castle. Let everyone who is leaving that I will pay them graciously while they are away and that when this thing is dealt with, their jobs are still theirs. Also, let the other wolves know exactly what's going on and to not dismiss anything that may seem wrong."
"As you wish," Flik said and turned on his heel and left.
Once the door was shut, Philippa turned to the King with questioning eyes. Bardulf cupped her face. "I'm not taking any more chances with you. I am going to keep you beside me from now on, so I can protect you."
She raised a brow, a teasing smile on curving her lips.
He chuckled. "You know what I mean!"
Her smile turned genuine as she wrapped her arms about his neck. He wrapped his own arms around her, and they stayed in that embrace for a long moment before she pulled away to ask him about Seth.
"I am going to see him soon. I do not think he did what he did willingly." Philippa shook her head in agreement. Bardulf thought of how understanding she was, how she was able to accept their world without much fright. He lifted her chin so he could see her sparkling hazel eyes and smiled. "You're special, you know that?"
Philippa blushed and shook her head shyly.
"Don't shy away from me, my sweet. It's true!" he chuckled and pulled her back when she went to get up. "I don't say that lightly or without reason."
Her eyes went back to the look they always have when he gave her those kinds of compliments: shameful, suspicious, and confusion on how she could be any of the things he stated.
Bardulf sighed. "Did Jaqueline's family ever compliment you?"
Philippa nodded.
"Did you wave them off too?"
She shrugged, then nodded.
"Why?"
Philippa huffed and scowled at his questions, but he didn't back down so she began explaining how she was always the maid and even though Jaqueline always let her wear pretty dresses, she was always the one who was royalty, always the one everyone thought was beautiful. Philippa wasn't supposed to be beautiful. She was supposed to be dirty and wear rags. Dresses only made her feel pretty in the privacy of her room because no one was around. Besides, the feeling never lasted long.
Bardulf tilted his head to one side. "Pretty dresses are the only things that make you feel pretty for a moment?" She nods hesitantly. The King narrowed his eyes. "Philippa, my sweet Philippa, I don't care about the dresses! I only want you wearing them so you're not walking around nude!"
She gave him a weak smile.
He took one of her hands in both of his. "You're kind, smart, endearing! You're accepting of me and my men, of our wolves. You are forgiving Seth and understanding that what he did wasn't his fault. You are fascinated by my wolf and some things I have shown you. You willingly do work when it isn't your job. You didn't think twice that those women in the village on the way here might have been wanting to hurt you. Those are reasons you are beautiful, why you're special. Not the dresses! It's you that is beautiful, just you."
Philippa was shocked and a little embarrassed he had noticed some of the things she knew were childish. But the more she watched Bardulf and the sincerity in his eyes, the more she began to accept his claims. Tears filled her eyes. Giving Bardulf a wet smile, she hugged him again.
Surprised by her reaction, yet pleased, he hugged her back. "You're amazing, my sweet Philippa. Just know that my opinion won't change."
That night, Philippa joined Bardulf and his men at the dinner table. Bardulf seated her at his right while Flik sat on his left. Philippa did not fail to notice how the only other women in the room were the servants and cooks that appeared and disappeared constantly. She also noticed that Seth was sitting with them, looking a little ashamed for his actions. Standing up, she went over and smiled at him, a sign that there were no hard feelings.
Seth smiled back. "Are you well?"
She nodded emphatically.
"I apologize for anything I might have done to harm you."
Philippa made a pushing to the side gesture then, to Seth's surprise, she leaned over and hugged him. He looked to the King to see that he was amused and had a kind of pride within his eyes. Carefully, Seth hugged back.
"Philippa, I think you're scaring poor Seth," Flik said, chuckling.
Philippa pulled away and took a long look at Seth, seeing him roll his eyes, before turning to Flik and giving him a glare. It was then that Varg couldn't hold in his laughter. The woman turned to him in surprise, hearing his rough laughter as if he hadn't laughed in years.
When he could speak, Varg held up a hand and said, "I'm sorry, Luna. It's just that usually women faint over Flik, not glare at him."
Philippa smiled and sauntered back to her seat, gracefully sitting down, and picking up her fork to begin eating what looked to be a delicious smoked ham and potatoes.
Bardulf put his hand on hers and she looked up at him. He gestured his head towards Flik and she looked. Flik looked shocked and slightly confused at what just occurred, and she thought she saw arrogance too. Shrugging, she looked back to Bardulf and raised her brows in question.
He smirked. "I think you hurt his feelings."
She shoved her hand towards Seth.
"I know, but Varg is right. Women don't usually stare at Flik. You hurt his ego."
She snorted and rolled her eyes.
Bardulf narrowed his own eyes and tilted his head. "You think he deserves it."
Philippa shrugged as if saying, "Who am I to judge?"
To her surprise, he laughed. Setting her fork down, she stared at the King who kept her close and took her away from her home. She had expected him to defend his friend, not laugh. When he was finished, she quirked a brow. "You are lovable when you try to play mother hen, that's all."
Philippa widened her eyes in shock at his description, then narrowed them at the King. She made a few hand gestures then crossed her arms over her chest.
Bardulf chuckled and shook his head. "I'm no mother hen, my sweet. They only listen to me because we are friends and I am King. We joke around, but some of these men do not have a woman in their life to keep them in line."
She tilted her head in question.
"Flik, for one," he said with a grin. "Seth and Leon. Varge and the rest have women."
Philippa gestured towards himself.
He raised a brow. "Me?" She nodded. He shook his head and leaned towards her. "By now, I thought you would have guessed."
She pointed to herself, suspiciously.
"You didn't believe me when I told my people that I came home with a different woman to marry?" She shook her head slowly. "You really don't believe me when I say these men, these wolves, look to you for balance, protect you because you have now become the heart of their pack?" Again, she shook her head.
"Bardulf may be the one to walk you through the ceremony and mark you," Flik said, and she looked at him. "But it will be all of us who will make sure nothing, and no one comes close to harming you, even if it means putting our own lives at risk."
"Our King needs someone to rule by his side," Varg explained. "That Lady Jaqueline wouldn't have been able to do so. She wouldn't have been able to adapt to the knowledge you now have."
"Don't you see?" Bardulf asked, returning her attention back to him. "I brought you here because you're what I consider my mate. I want you by my side. I want you as my wife."
Philippa's mouth made an 'o' shape as if she had just now put all the pieces together. She glanced to each of the men, some of whom she didn't know the names to, but who all seemed to look at her with adoration and admiration. They all accepted her as Luna. They all liked the idea of her married to Bardulf.
She looked quickly to the man who was to be her husband and gestured quickly between the two of them. His brows furrowed and she made a few more gestures before he chuckled. "In a few days."
Her eyes widened and if she could have spoken, he was sure she would have repeated his words in a much louder, shocked tone. Her eyes grew panicked and it seemed like she was going through a checklist in her mind.
Bardulf stood and pulled her out from under the table so he could kneel and put his hands on her shoulders, shaking her gently. She focused on him as he smiled calmly. "Don't worry. Lynn has been taking care of most of the preparations. The cooks are doing an excellent job of keeping me up to date on their progress and on the morrow, you will be fitted into a gown."
She made frantic hand motions that Bardulf couldn't keep up with.
"Hey, slow down. Easy, my sweet." Philippa went still before tears started filling her eyes. Shocked, Bardulf shook his head. "Don't cry! What's wrong?"
Slowly, she explained how she should have been prepared and she wasn't and everyone else was doing the work.
Flik and Varg chuckled. The former said, "I hate to break it to you, Bardulf, but she isn't going to just sit, and watch others do things. She's going to work because that's what she likes." Bardulf glared at his friend, but Flik only said, "I'm not saying give her hard labor, but let her do a few things here and there. Insignificant things, like sorting your papers like she had earlier."
The King relaxed and sighed, thinking for a moment. He made Philippa look at him and asked, "Do you know how to bake?"
She nodded.
"Can you decorate a cake?"
Same answer.
"Will you let Chef Roberts help you with baking the wedding cake?"
She smiled and nodded quickly.
"Alright. The dress fitting is in the morning. It shouldn't take long since I know you won't want anything that attracts attention, so I will have a word with Chef Roberts and let him know to wait for you to start the cake."
She hugged him, her way of thanking him for his understanding.
He sighed and closed his eyes, not liking the idea of her working tirelessly. "Just promise me that if you are exhausted you stop or if something is wrong, you let someone know right away."
She nods emphatically. When she pulls away, she had the urge to kiss him, and blushed. Bardulf noticed her blush and guessed her thoughts, then leaned forward and did the deed, gently placing his lips over hers in a soft kiss. Not at all scared, and just a little surprised, she leaned towards him for more. His lips were warm and soft against hers, gentle and yet had much strength like the rest of him. He pulled back and she frowned, not wanting the moment to end.
He smiled. "Eat. I will kiss you again upstairs when we don't have an audience."
Finally remembering the other men, Philippa blush grew deeper as she was moved back towards the table. She didn't meet any of the others' eyes as she began to fill her stomach.
Flik chuckled but made no comment as Bardulf seated himself and began to eat as well, pleased with his sweet Philippa's reaction. He could have kissed her there all night but knew she would eventually remember the others and would have pulled away first. He savored the lingering feel of her lips as he bit into the ham on his plate.