A Wolf Among Us

The next couple of days passed pleasantly enough. During the day, I sparred with the best of the Evil Queen's guards, quickly leveling up my sword skills as competing in archery practice with Prince Henry had my bow skills. Snow got used to her new, much larger breasts, and I spent a lot of time putting all three women through their paces in bed.

Neither Hilde nor Snow seemed to enjoy putting on sapphic displays with each other while I enjoyed Ella, but that certainly didn't stop me from ordering them to do it. Snow didn't seem to mind playing with Ella though, so it was probably the whole stepmother thing bothering her. Interestingly, Hilde seemed to do quite well with Ella when I had the two of them put on a show, but then Ella seemed to be playing up to the insecure Queen. Truly, she was a treasure. Sooner or later, the Tempest Jewelry would ensure they were all attracted to each other regardless, so I wasn't going to sweat it.

The girls spent plenty of time during the day getting ready for the trip, as well, of course. Everything was packed and ready with an assortment of good horses picked out, along with Silver and Buttercup, naturally.

The final day before we headed out, I got the notification on my bracelet, the Basic Runes upgrade was so useful, that Ruby had finally been captured, so I wasn't very surprised at lunch when the Captain, whose name turned out to be Irons, amusingly, showed up to inform me a young woman was at the gate looking for me.

"She give you a name, Captain?" I asked, standing to talk to him.

He nodded. "Indeed she did, your Lordship. Ruby Lucas. She looks a peasant, and I'd have turned her away out of hand, but you did say to be expecting someone."

I clapped him on the shoulder. "That is exactly her, please show her up if you would."

After sitting back down at the table, Hilde asked me. "This is who we were waiting for? The werewolf?"

I nodded. "Yes indeed, a front-line combatant and very useful in the forest. And now I own her too."

"But we aren't traveling on the full moon?"

I just smiled and waited. Soon enough, the Captain brought her up, and I gave her a once-over, now she no longer looked like a wolf. Long, very dark brown hair, same as the wolf's fur had been. Shockingly green eyes. Strong jaw line, but quite good looking. And sure enough, she was wearing a very red hooded cloak. She was also very, very angry.

"Thank you, Captain, that will be all." The Queen said, causing him to salute and withdraw.

Despite her obvious anger, Ruby didn't say anything. So she wasn't stupid, good. After the Captain left, I waved her over to the seat next to me at the table, and her eyes widened in shock. "Do sit down, we have things to discuss, and you have a grievance to air." With the Captain's departure, Ella had also sat down next to Snow, no longer playing servant.

"What is going on here?" Ruby practically growled while looking at the Queen warily. Hilde just rolled her eyes and gestured to the seat as well. Ruby did sit down, but pulled the chair away from me some. "You tricked me." She held up her arm with the bracelet on it. "And now you own me. I'm in love with you, but I'm pissed off at you even more."

"To be fair, I didn't trick you. The bracelet has absolutely broken your curse. You will not be **** to shift during the full moon. As for the rest, yes. But that's how the bracelets work."

She looked down at her bracelet, then back up at me. "Truly?"

I chuckled. "I have no reason to lie. Cards on the table, I own you now. In fact, I own everyone here." Hilde grimaced then. "I have a mission, and you are all going to help me, but that doesn't mean I can't help you as well along the way. Ella, would say things are better for you now?"

"Oh yes, my lord! So much better!"

I gestured over at Snow. "And how about you, my dear?"

She blushed and looked down, then whispered. "It's not what I expected, but I have enjoyed the last few days." She adjusted the neckline of her new dress that showed off a vast expanse of cleavage. "And I'm still getting used to these." She blushed harder.

I didn't bother asking Hilde, no point in making her lie about going from Queen to **** being a good thing. Ruby wouldn't buy it. "And just so you know, the bracelet does so much more than just halt your curse. No, now you are in control of it."

Ruby had been looking intently at Elle and Snow, obviously gauging their words. As I figured, her nature let her read people. She was probably very good at body language, werewolves generally had enhanced senses as well. At my own words, she grabbed her bracelet again. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing, we can communicate through them, just want to speak to one of us and talk into the bracelet, and the other will hear. Of course, anyone else nearby will also hear, so maybe only use that one if you know they are alone. They can be used to tell the time, each has a clock built in. And most important for you, if at a later point in time you would have become more powerful, your current abilities will be updated to match."

Hilde seemed rather interested in that last part, though Ruby just seemed confused. "I don't understand."

I leaned back in my chair. "Yeah, this could certainly be confusing. Think of the bracelets as having a link to your fate, they have a picture of an ultimate version of you, and once you are bound, the you here and now will be given any abilities that ultimate fated version does that you don't. For you specifically, Rose, that means being able to shape-shift at will. The moon no longer binds you because that other version of you learned to control it."

That definitely shocked her. "I can turn into my wolf form when I want?"

I nodded. "And back any time you want. Oh, and you have no weakness to silver now, so your fast healing should always work."

"Do you have any idea what this curse has cost me?"

Shaking my head, I replied. "No, but I can imagine some of it. Living in constant fear each month when the full moon approached, of causing harm to family and loved ones. Of being found out and driven out of communities. Even being hunted down and slain like a beast."

"This cloak is enchanted, it could keep me from turning. But I've lost track of it at times in the past, like this past month, and I had to flee."

"You were very lucky." Hilde spoke up from her throne-like chair. "You had been brought to my attention, and I had hunters seeking you when you encountered the Prince instead. If not for him, you might be dead now." Well, I guess that was her helping, after a fashion.

Rose looked at Hilde in horror, then back at me. "So I owe you my life as well. Very well then, my life is yours. I will serve you as you wish." Well, she would have either way, this was easier though.

"Excellent. Primarily, you will be my bodyguard and sparring partner for at least a time. You will also, of course, serve me sexually. Tomorrow we are heading out on an expedition into the Enchanted Forest, and you will take point. I take it you know your way around in the woods?"

She gave me a throaty laugh. "Indeed I do, very well in both forms. I've lived my whole life in them." She eyed me up and down, apparently liking what she saw. It didn't look like serving in my bed would be any hardship for her. Good.

"Good, then after lunch we'll all head upstairs where it's more private, and after you work on getting used to shifting at will, we can spar for a bit. Then after dinner we can spar in bed, and after a hearty breakfast, into the woods."

"Everything is in preparation, my Prince." Hilde told me.

A couple of days on horseback, and I'd have a master herbalist and a healer capable of resurrecting people counting down. Then on to the sea.