The Red Prince has escaped his home world and his arranged marriage. The Little Wolf has been dispatched to bring him home... intact enough for his bride.

When the queen announced that her son was going to be wed in ten days, Solari felt nothing. When it was noticed that he had escaped, she felt nothing. When she was assigned to chase after him, she was irritated.

With her beast locked in her body by a subduing tether, Solari has lived the last ten years half alive as a member of the queen’s wolves. Heading into space is the last place she wants to be, but she knows where Prince Hazwell is going, there is only one place to start a journey in the area. He is heading toward his grandmother’s house... or space station.

Hazwell has never considered a married life where Solari wasn’t in the picture, but she was made into one of his mother’s guards, and they were not up for grabs. The announcement of his engagement had come as a shock, and his crimson guards spirited him away to his grandmother’s space station where he could get a long-range ship and figure out what he wanted to do next. The trouble was that his grandmother did nothing for free, and his performance in the arena is a requirement for his acquisition of the ship.

When the Little Wolf also enters the arena, all bets are on.

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Running Red

Copyright © 2020 by Viola Grace

ISBN: 978-1-989892-19-0

©Cover art by Angela Waters

All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.

Running Red

Published by Viola Grace

Look for me online at violagrace.com and your favourite eBook sellers.

Running Red

Stand-Alone Tales Book 7

By

Viola Grace

Chapter One

The queen swept through the halls of the palace with her entourage. Her wolf warriors were silent and watchful as they moved behind her in a protective wave.

She walked up to the practice yard where her son and his red guard were taking turns punching each other.

“My dear boy. I need a moment of your full attention.”

Prince Hazwell flipped the man he was grappling with and then walked to his mother, going down on one knee. “Yes, Mother?”

“I have chosen a bride for you. She will be here in ten days. Try and be presentable.” Queen Laridel smiled and looked at his now-tense form.

“Mother, who is this woman?” He remained kneeling.

“She is a solid alliance candidate. When you wed her, we will have a link that will secure our safety.”

He looked up. “Have we been challenged?”

“No, child. Of course not, and we won’t be as long as you wed this young lady.”

He grumbled. “I don’t wish to wed a woman sight unseen.”

The queen made a humming noise, and the guard went on the alert. “Well, will you give in if you can’t beat one of my guards? She will act as my champion.”

He looked at the guards and nodded. “Fine. I will fight one of your guards, and if I win, you put the wedding plans on hold.”

“Agreed. Solari, please take my son to school.”

Groaning silently, she stepped forward and removed the pelt that she had earned years earlier. She bowed slightly. “Your Highness.”

He grinned and gestured for her to join him in the center of the space. The other men stepped aside and formed a ring. “So formal? You used to call me Haz.”

“I also used to be three feet tall.” She felt the wolf under her skin rising. “Shall we?”

He didn’t reply, but he tried to grab her and lift her. It was his only chance of getting an advantage.

In the fifteen years since they had met, he had grown considerably and was now close to double her weight with a neck thicker than her thigh and arm put together. She was going to put up a good fight, but this wasn’t one she could win.

She took two steps back and then dove between his legs, coming up behind him and wrapping him in a headlock. She muttered, “Why are you so fucking slow today?”

She pulled back, but he swung, and since she wasn’t on her feet, she slowly shifted around until she was hanging in front of him, precisely where she didn’t want to be. He put his hands on her waist, and she pulled up her knees, pressing her feet against his chest and kicking out and back. He fell back, and she flipped him over, pulling his arms up and pinning them high.

The queen applauded. “Well done, Little Wolf. It wasn’t ideal, but it seems my son loses his fight around you.”

Solari let him go and backed up several steps, bowing. “My queen, the prince is off his game today. It is not a fair fight.”

Hazwell was doing a push-up in the sand, and he glanced at her in surprise. “That is kind of you to say, but a win is a win.”

Solari straightened. “No. Not always.”

He bowed to his mother. “I will meet with the bride.”

The queen beamed. “Excellent. Ladies, we have a wedding to plan.”

Solari bowed to the prince again, took her fur from Harpin, and closed the clasp as she resumed her place behind and to the right of the queen. It was the spot she had been in for the last four years. Since the king had passed.

“Solari, why did you say that Hazwell was off?” The queen was reading a treatise at her desk.

“He has far outstripped my skill, my queen. He should have snapped me in half after the first lunge.” She remained at the queen’s right side and shrugged.

“You should have more faith in your abilities.”

“I do. I also know what I can’t do, my queen. If I defeated your son today, it is because he wanted me to.”

“So, you think he wants this marriage?” She twirled her pen in her fingers.

Solari said calmly, “It is not up to me to know what the prince wants. If you wish for an answer, you will have to ask him.”

“You two used to be such good friends.”

“Yes, my queen, that was before I entered your household.”

The queen chuckled. “Ah, yes. The protocol. You are very precise about it, aren’t you?”

“My mother was specific that I not rise above my place. She said she had done it once, and it had cost her.”

“Ah, yes. I had forgotten. You also listened to your mother.” She smiled. “My son could have learned a lot from you.”

“I am no judge of what his highness does or doesn’t do.”

The queen sat back and sighed. “You are no fun anymore.”

Solari nodded. “Yes, my queen. I hear that a lot.”

The queen sighed again and got back to her work.

It took less than two hours before Altha ran in and bowed low. “Your Majesty, I have news.”

The queen had been reading a romance with her feet up on the desk. “What?”

“The prince.”

The queen got to her feet. “What? Is he hurt?”

Altha blurted out, “He’s escaped!”

Solari was startled into laughing. The queen looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Solari, go and get him.”

Altha bowed again. “He has sabotaged all the shuttles. The technicians say it will be days before they can take off.”

“Solari, you have studied interstellar engine mechanics. Go help them.”

Solari blinked. “I studied for two years, my queen. I am sure that the techs are better at it than I am.”

“Go. I don’t want to see your moping face around here until you have my son in custody. Take what you need. Bring him home.”

Solari blinked. “What I need?”

“Yes. Anything from the armoury or the royal fleet is yours.”

Solari nodded and walked off. She paced calmly through the halls, and when she was out of the palace, she broke into a light jog. She already had her preferred weapons on her, so there was nothing to do except hang out at the port until a shuttle was fixed.

She was approaching the port when a member of the red guard stepped into her path. She snapped out her batons and jumped, bringing them down with her body weight. He grunted and dropped to one side.

She kept the batons out and kept running. The port gates opened to her, and she was attacked inside. She used her batons until necessity made her pop her claws. It was the only part of her beast that she could manifest.

Solari got to the shuttles, and half were missing. The other half had open hatches and a lot of exposed wiring. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

She whistled sharply, and a mechanic stuck his head out of one of the shuttles. “Which one has the least amount of damage?”

He blinked. “The one they didn’t get to. It’s old but intact.”

“Will it fly?”

“It will fly, but the systems have a problem navigating the jump portals, and that is where you are heading, isn’t it?”

“Apparently. I need to do some scans.”

“The scanners are functioning in the second from the left, calculations are in the fourth, and a decent power system for a jump is in the one I am working on. You are the one they call Little Wolf, right?”

She snarled. “Only the Red Guard call me that. Usually, it is right before their nose explodes with blood.”

The mechanic held his hands up. “Right, miss. I will stay out of your way.”

“That is usually for the best.”

She went to the hangar and looked at the shuttle that was squatting in place. Of course. The king’s shuttle. It hadn’t been used in years, and she was going to break a dozen taboos by taking it out. But it was going to fly again.

Solari went to the first shuttle and used the systems to ping the satellite near the gate. She got a response that made her groan. Of course. He ran to his grandmother’s house.

She went to the mechanic. “Can any of these newer ships be prepped within a day?”

“No, miss. They are all three- to four-day repairs.”

“Of course, they are. Right, I am going to get the pilot hauler. Don’t get in my way.”

The mechanic held his hands up, and he nodded. “I will stay right here.”

“Wait, why is it just you? Aren’t there usually six techs on duty?”

“Yes, miss. The prince gave the rest the week off. I was on call.”

“Of course, he did.” She stalked away from the mechanic before she screamed epithets in five languages.

The pilot rig backed into the hangar easily, and she hooked the link into the rig’s extension. Being careful, she drove the shuttle out and into the sunlight. When it was out on the tarmac, she released the tow and put the pilot rig back. Now it was time for the serious stuff—oxygen, food, and making sure that the damned thing would fire up.

She had to lay in the essentials for hunting a missing prince. It was her duty to bring him home. She hated the word duty.

Chapter Two

Flying a shuttle was not on her list of favourite things to do. Those would be runs through the woods, hot baths, and comfortable clothing. Oh, and kicking Hazwell’s ass, but she hadn’t been able to reach it.

She lifted off and took the coordinates to the gate. The space station filled with illegal activities was only a few hours away if she could get into the gate quickly. The longer she waited, the further the gate would drift from her target. It had been hours since the prince had escaped, so she was at a distinct disadvantage. Time and hair clogs in her drain were her enemy.

Some folks thought space was romantic, but she would rather take herself through a den of vipers than fly through the pile of nothing. This was really stressing her out.

Solari waited for the ancient computer to lock into the coordinates and communicate with the gate. As she waited, she looked around. It wasn’t precisely ancient, but the other ships had regular upgrades. This vessel hadn’t been flown in ten years. It did not instill confidence.

The gate sent the signal for her destination, and she throttled forward as fast as the shuttle could manage. When the shuttle reached top speed, she sent the signal to the gate for activation.

Staring into the void between dimensions was enough to make her want to close her eyes, but as the pilot, she didn’t have that option, and it really wasn’t recommended.

The stars blurred around her, and the shuttle was locked in the gate. The ride was now out of her control.

She scrubbed her face with her hands and watched the countdown to normal space. She had an hour.

“What kind of a jackass takes off when he has just been told he is going to get married?” She bolted out of the pilot’s chair and went to scrub her face. It was cruel of the queen to send her on this mission when so many of the other wolves would have gladly hunted Hazwell and torn him to pieces before dragging him home.

She blotted at her skin and felt her wolf trying to rise. Her tattoo held it down, and she let herself cry. She was trapped in her own nightmare, and she wasn’t going to wake up any time soon. She had been trying for a decade.

The counter ticked down, and Solari braced to be spit out. The shuttle jolted and skewed sideways as she exited the gate. “Shit!”

The alerts inside the shuttle told her that she had been caught in a net. Of course, those crimson idiots would have been on alert to a gate from their home.

She ran diagnostics on the vessel and cursed. The queen had finally managed to do it. She had sent her on a mission that was going to end in her certain death. Soon.

Right. To business. She had to figure out a way to the station with a broken ship.

Solari identified that the right navigational thrusters were toast, so she watched the spin that she had been sent into and triggered the left thrusters in one-second bursts. It took an hour of work to get her within calling distance of the station, and that is when she found out that she had no long-range coms.

She took in a deep breath and kept her eyes on the station, firing the left thruster as she incrementally got closer and closer to the station. She would probably run out of fuel before she got close enough to be a threat to the station and, therefore, either blown up or rescued.

“What a fantastic day.”

* * * *

Hazwell sat with his grandmother, having tea. He poured for her, and she smiled up at him.

“You are such a nice boy. Why aren’t you giving me great-grandbabies yet?” His grandmother smiled and leaned back with the cup of tea.

Hazwell leaned in his own chair and said, “They don’t come from me. We have had this discussion before.”

“I don’t care about legitimacy.”

“I do.” He growled. “This idea of my mother’s is insane.”

His grandmother cackled. “That is my daughter you are insulting. Rightfully so, but still, speak with respect.”

He growled. “Fine, she is royally insane.”

Hydu-Nuan was queen of the station, and all of the worlds within the grasp of it were hers. Her daughter had met a king, become queen, and then taken over his world. If it wasn’t for the necessity of the gate, Hydu-Nuan would have claimed her daughter’s world as well.

“Better. Where are these wolves that were going to come after you? It has been days.”

He frowned. “I don’t know. I honestly expected that they would be here by now.”

“The arena will only remain reserved for another few days.” His grandmother muttered the words an instant before the door opened, and one of her secretaries came in. The man was of an unidentifiable race, but the muscled seven feet of him certainly made an impression.

He walked up to Hydu-Nuan, and he whispered quickly to her.

Hazwell’s grandmother sat up. “Send retrievers and a med team.”

The secretary bowed and headed out, speaking into his headset. There was urgency in his voice, and Hazwell sat straight. “What is going on?”

“Someone set a net near the gate, and it caught a shuttle coming out. It has been limping toward the station for three days. Life signs are visible but minimal. Whatever is in that ship is going to be dead in a few hours if we don’t catch them and bring them in.” She chuckled. “More tea?”

“Do you have an image of the ship?” Hazwell leaned forward.

She sighed and grabbed one of her projectors. She slid it in the center of the table and dimmed the lights. “Display incoming ship.”

Hazwell looked at the tiny black speck that was nearly invisible and said, “Magnify.”

The ship got larger, and he could make out the gold streaks of the royal insignia. “Magnify.”

The right side of the ship was torn to hell. It looked like it had run through some heavy rocks. The glow of the power cells showed exactly how close the ship had come to exploding. “That is my father’s vessel. I thought they tore it down for scrap.”

“Well, it’s trash now. Huh, look at it spin.”

The slow rotation was hypnotic, but it was definitely coming toward the station.

There was only one of the wolves crazy enough to fly out in a seventy-year-old shuttle that hadn’t been flown in a decade. “Solari.”

His grandmother perked up. “Little Solari? The Little Wolf? That is who my daughter sent after you?”

She started laughing. “Oh, this is going to be fun to watch. She was so cute when she was twelve. I haven’t seen her since.”

Hazwell paused, and then he exhaled. “She’s been tethered.”

His grandmother, ruler of four moons, a planet, and the station, summed things up with, “Well, fuck. That is going to complicate things.”

Hazwell watched as the retrieval team caught the shuttle, stopped the rotation, and hauled it into a repair bay. He was watching on the display screen when a figure was brought out on a stretcher, and the medics were running at full tilt.

His grandmother looked at the display and watched. “Oh, that looks expensive.”

“What?”

“Her repairs. She is going to be in debt to the station.” She cackled. “I have never had one of my daughter’s guards up here. I wonder how much she will earn in the ring.”

Hazwell stared at his grandmother. “You are going to charge her to live?”

She snorted and waved the display away. “Of course. No one lives on this station for free. Not even you, my darling boy. Now, get out there and fight to earn the upgrades to the ship that’s being outfitted for you.”

He looked at her and remembered in that moment that she was also the head of a criminal organization that stretched far beyond her star system. She didn’t stay on top by being charitable.

“You will save her.”

She waved the doubt away. “Of course. I have the best medics in five systems, but they are pricey. I am sure that if she can spar with you, she will be fine.”

He blinked. “You are going to make her fight immediately?”

“Of course. Don’t you want to watch? Your ship won’t be ready for another week.” His grandmother chuckled.

Hazwell followed his grandmother as she stalked through her domain. He wanted to push past her, but he had no idea where she was going. This was her castle, and she ruled it.

When they arrived, his grandmother stopped him with a smack to the chest. “Back off. You are the one she is hunting. I will explain things to the little miss. She will play by my rules to be back in the black.”

He was blocked by two of the secretaries that had appeared from nowhere. They allowed his grandmother to pass while he was left in the hall.

* * * *

A woman was speaking, and Solari was getting prodded with a stick. “Oh, Miss Frosty. Wake up. You are wasting my money and your own.”

Solari woke and sat up. A fluid jack was in her arm, and she was naked. “Where am I?”

The older woman prodded her in her tether marking. “You are on my station. What’s this?”

Solari slapped the stick away. “It’s a tether marking. It locks my beast under my skin.”

“Ah, so you are one of them. No wonder you are one of the queen’s wolves.”

“Where is my uniform?”

“It has been removed.” The old woman balanced with her stick. “You can earn it back. You can also earn enough to lose that tether.”

Solari found her foggy thoughts coalescing into laser focus. “What?”

“The docs here. They can remove that tether for you, but it will cost you a hundred and fifty thousand credits.”

“You wouldn’t have told me if there wasn’t a way to make the money. Now, what can I do for you?”

The older woman looked surprised. “You are so different from what I remember, Little Wolf.”

“When the boobs moved in, there was no room for a sense of humour. Now, Grandma Nuan, what can I do to get this tether off?” She sat up, and her hair draped over the table next to her. Long hair was one of the queen’s favourite marks of ownership. All of her wolves had hair that would touch the ground if unrestrained. Solari hated dealing with everything beneath her hips. Sitting on her own hair was annoying.

She looked at the thick ridge of what appeared to be ink on her skin in the shape of a wolf. As far as she was aware, she was the only actual wolf in the group. They took turns brushing each other’s hair. It was a necessity. Some of them were more efficient than others.

“Who unbraided my hair?”

Grandma Nuan snorted. “They had to check you for weapons. Only items that are purchased on the station are allowed. If you want that thing off, you will wear what I give you, fight who I tell you, and eat regularly. You are too damned skinny.”

The old woman used the tip of her cane to lift Solari’s chin. The pressure was not light. “You... you are not the same little girl that followed my grandson around. You are heavier in the soul.”

“If you help me get the tether off, I will be a whole lot lighter.”

“Hah. I am not going to do anything but feed and clothe you then charge you for it.” Grandma Nuan chuckled and used her walking stick on her way out the door. “I mean it. It looks like your breasts ate all your body fat along with your sense of humour. You will eat what I send, and you will finish it all, or you will start to eat under observation. That will cost extra.”

Solari nodded. “I understand. When is my first fight?”

“As soon as I can get you properly clothed for the job. I am seeing something tight in black to make the subscribers go crazy at the contrast between you and the leather and silk.” Grandma Nuan chuckled and walked out of the med center. “I will give it some thought, but for now, do as you’re told.”

The medics came forward with a standard thin gown, and she was going to put it on, but the tubes got in the way.

“I’ve got that.” The physician removed the tubes and sealed the small punctures with a heavy wand.

She flexed her hand and twisted her forearm. Solari put on the gown and settled back.

The doctor smiled. “You are in incredible condition.”

“It is my job. Can you really remove the tether?”

He chuckled. “That is my job. I will be here when the funds have accumulated.”

She sat and started to braid her hair. It was going to take a while so might as well get the annoying part of her appearance out of the way. She would deal with the tether when Grandma Nuan had set her enough tasks to earn her way out. That old bitch was a woman of her word.

Chapter Three

A hulk of a man with grey and blue skin came into medical, and he nodded to her. “Miss. I have been ordered to escort you to one of the fighter apartments.”

Slippers appeared in one of the medic’s hands, and when she had something on her feet, she was helped off the bed she was on, and then, the large man was escorting her through the station.

She had no hairpins, nothing to hold her hair up, so she had simply knotted the end of it, and the damned knot was hitting her in the back of the knees.

The large man escorted her into a secure section of the station. Her biometrics were recorded, and then, they walked down two halls to a door that glowed when she was next to it. The door slid aside, and she stepped in. The large man followed her and gestured for her to sit. She sat.

“Madam is arranging your clothing for maximum marketability. You have no assets to sell right now, so keep to the easy fights until you build up an account. Once you have an account, you can issue challenges and set the forfeits and penalties. If you are challenged, the penalty for a loss with you being a female will usually be sex. You will still get paid the base performance fee for the match, but coupling with the winner will be the prize if it is a challenge. Based on the way Madam intends to dress you, expect a lot of challenges.”

Solari groaned. “Of course. Grandma Nuan always had a sense of slutty.”

He paused. “I have never heard her called that before.”

She grimaced. “I met her when I was twelve. I was in her daughter’s household. I was ordered to call her Grandma Nuan. So, that is her designation.”

“Ah. Interesting. So, you are fine with the challenges?”

“Why not? I am not going to lose for quite a while.” She shrugged.

“There will be exhibition matches for a few hundred credits. After you prove yourself, the matches will be based on challenge, level, or public demand. Oh, and each time you have an injury, it will come out of your account unless you get a patron.”

“And a patron will mean sex, right?”

He looked at her and inclined his head. “If they have eyes in their heads.”

“I don’t think the eyes will be an issue. What are the rules about injuring people outside the arena?”

“It is frowned on. If there is no profit to be had, Madam is not in favour of it. You have the right to defend yourself, but if you can do it in front of the vid recorders, it can help pay your way out of here.” He sighed. “I am sure that Madam was frank about it, but she is in this for a profit. Everything you use, eat, drink, wear, or step on is paid for by your actions. You are running a debt just by breathing here. Remember that. And if you want to return home, you will need to earn your passage back.”

“So, I am not only going to be fighting for my life but my liberty. And Grandma Nuan is going to make me eat what she chooses. That can’t possibly get me into trouble.”

The man sighed. “You are going to have a fight on your hands. What she chooses to keep, she keeps.”

“I know, but she let her daughter go, so that showed progress.”

He cocked his head. “I thought she lost her daughter in a card game.”

Solari looked at him, and his eyes widened.

“Ah. Got it. Well, you are acquainted with her nature. That is the most important thing to grasp.”

Solari nodded. “When can I expect the clothing so I can get started?”

“You were nearly dead this afternoon.”

She nodded. “I got better. Time to move on.”

He frowned. “Doesn’t your death frighten you?”

She looked at him and saw a genuine surprise in his gaze. “No. Dying doesn’t frighten me; it is living that is the agony. Freedom is the only hope.”

He didn’t know what to say to that. He bowed and said, “Your clothing and food are on the way. The master of ceremonies will brief you, and then, when you are ready, you will be assigned your first opponent.”

She nodded and knelt on the floor.

“What are you doing?”

She placed her hands on her thighs, palms up. “Waiting. I am very good at it. I have been doing it for a long time.”

His expression was quizzical. “You are not what I expected.”

“You were expecting me?”

He shrugged. “The queen was going to send someone to retrieve her son. The prince’s guards made it seem like you were all raving lunatics.”

“Oh, no.” She looked at him through her lashes. “I am not allowed to do that anymore.”

He looked as if she had hit him with an electric shock. He turned and left her quarters with an urgent expression on his face.

She waited. There was nothing else to do.

* * * *

Hazwell was in his grandmother’s office, helping her with the accounts when Morart entered the office.

“Where is Madam?”

“She’s yelling at one of the techs about the frame rate on broadcast module six. Why, what do you need?”

“The new girl. The frozen one. She’s an Other. A freaking Other. Did you know that?”

Hazwell nodded. “She’s only half Other.”

“Did you know she is suicidal?”

He was on his feet before he thought about it. “What? She said that?”

Morart paused. “Well, she said life didn’t matter. She can’t be put in the ring if she wants to die.”

“She will come alive in the fight. You will see.” Hazwell frowned. “I should talk to her.”

His grandmother came in and pounded her stick to the floor. “No, you should not. I am arranging a patron for her if her scores are any good.”

Hazwell’s guts churned. “A patron? A fat old bastard who will paw her for kicks?”

His grandmother shrugged. “Maybe. The lottery is never a sure thing. She might not gather any interest. Then, she would be stuck here forever.”

Hazwell growled. “You are playing a dangerous game, Grandmother.”

“And you are forgetting who you are speaking to. Get back to the books.”

He sat and continued to calculate his grandmother’s tremendous profits. His wrist band chimed, and he rose to his feet to head to the arena. His grandmother didn’t comment. Even he had to earn his way on her station.

Three opponents down and he was covered in sweat and still furious. His fists were bleeding, his muscles burned, and he wanted another opponent to beat into paste.

“And the fighting prince wins again! Something has lit a fire under him. Perhaps tomorrow’s bout will lead to disaster!” The master of ceremonies delivered each sentence with a stinging enthusiasm.

The gate opened, and medics rushed in to tend to his opponent. Hazwell grimaced and made do with the ice bucket. He was not interested in lining his grandmother’s pocket via medical support.

He was cooling down in the ready room when he heard the announcement.

“And now for her debut fight, the Little Wolf!”

Hazwell whipped his gaze to a monitor, and there was Solari, looking as he had never seen her before. He took a gulp of water and swallowed. His throat was suddenly dry.

She stepped out of the shadows, and his blood went hot. The door back to the arena was locked, or he would go out there and put some clothing on her. He didn’t want her clothed in nothing but black leather, exposed skin, and her tattoo.

This was a fight he wanted to watch.

* * * *

Solari grimaced at the name and stepped forward into the light. The lights on the distant level that indicated the audience focusing began to light up. Apparently, Grandma Nuan’s fashion sense was spot on. The above-the-knee boots that buckled into the bodysuit were shockingly comfortable as well as made her feel more naked than clothed. She could have done without being held down by the groomers and shaved until her pubic hair was a narrow strip.

She stood in her pool of light and waited while her opponent was announced. The woman who emerged from the shadows had scars on her, a pair of dark eyes, and was wearing a breast band and shorts.

“My, my. The madam has gone all out with you.” The woman muttered it from between clenched teeth.

Solari fixed a slight smile on her face. “She wants her money back.”

The bell sounded, and the dance was on. The master of ceremonies was specific. She had to draw out the fight as long as possible until the viewership was at its peak, and then, she could finish it.

She danced with the woman, giving her light punches that sent her staggering back. Her opponent was getting angry. When the woman started lunging at her in rage, Solari stepped aside and gave her a punch to the jaw. The thud when she hit the floor was ominous, and then, the lights started going wild.

“Winner of this debut match, Little Wolf!”

She folded her hands in front of her and made a low bow to the primary lens. The lights went wild again.

The exit lit up, and she left.

She now had to return to her quarters to wait for the next fight. Her debut was going to last for three days or ten fights. She was hoping for the fights being close together since she wanted the tether off her thigh more than she had ever wanted anything else in the world. The queen had always said it was beyond her ability, but apparently, someone was able to do it. Solari was getting it off before Grandma Nuan changed her mind.

She didn’t know what she would do when the mark was off, but she knew that she would be free. She would finally be herself again.

Chapter Four

A meal was delivered to her quarters, and she waited for the call. She was midway through the stew when there was a chime.

A disembodied voice spoke. “Twelve minutes to next fight. Please return to the arena, Fighter Little Wolf.”

She finished her stew, slurped down her noodles, and headed back to the arena. She hoped she didn’t get gut-punched, or things were going to get messy.

She once again waited in her corner, waited for the call, and then, she stepped into the light. It was a theatrical effect that Grandma Nuan enjoyed.

This opponent was stronger, faster. She was still no match for Solari, but Solari made it last. When she struck the knockout blow, she paused, put her hands to her thighs, and made a bow to the camera.

The lights on the board flickered wildly as if shorting out. The exit door opened, and the medics surged in. She paused and asked one of them, “What is going on with the lights?”

“Applause. Someone on the other side is screaming and cheering.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

“Miss, your hands.”

She shrugged. “They will heal.”

She walked toward the exit, and when she was in the hall, a large man blocked her path.

“Come with me, Miss.”

She followed the man who had shown her to her quarters the first time, and he led her back to Grandma Nuan’s office.

The matriarch and station master was sitting back, her cane across her desk. “Well, child, you are really quite the sensation. Bids are coming in from all sorts of folks who want to be your patron. Several from within the station and many others at a distance.”

Solari waited for more information.

“Well, that outfit suits you even better than I thought. In light of your moniker, we may give you the stole from your original uniform. That bit of fur will sell the idea, I think.”

Solari waited.

“The reason you are here is that I need your authorization to upgrade your fights. Weapons are allowed, and it seems that you would pull a better grade of opponent if you had some weaponry. What would you prefer?”

“My telescoping batons, please. They are non-lethal and very effective.”

Grandma Nuan looked at her with narrowed blue eyes. “You would be comfortable against blades?”

“Yes.”

Grandma Nuan cocked her head. “Finding you a short-term patron will be risky, but they would be able to pay for your alteration.”

Solari cocked her head. “You mean the tether, correct? I would like to have my reproductive system remain intact.”

The old woman snorted. “Of course. Don’t be an idiot. Do you know what effect sterilizing you would have? Your marketability would drop by fifty percent.”

“Understood.”

“If you take on a patron, I might be willing to extend credit for the surgery.” Grandma Nuan tried to sweeten the pot.

“I have already agreed to take a patron, Grandma Nuan. It is unnecessary for me to continue to authorize it.”

The woman patted her blonde hair and sighed, “Right, well, do you have any questions?”

“Is my prey still on the station?”

Grandma Nuan laughed. “My grandson? Yes. Hazwell is still here. Why? Do you want to fight him?”

The smallest smile came to Solari’s lips. “Yes, Grandma Nuan, I want to fight him.”

“If I find a patron for you today, will you meet with him tomorrow?”

“Him?” She cocked her head.

“Them. Male, female, or other. I am of the old guard. It was always men trying to buy people.”

“Ah, that is why you rent them by the hour.”

The man who had escorted her in snorted with laughter. She didn’t understand what was funny.

“Speaking of renting by the hour. You do understand that your patron has the right to request the use of your body?”

“I do.”

“Good. That is all I had to discuss. Weapons will be provided at the arena. Your batons will be there, but avail yourself of anything else that captures your fancy. The force whips are especially popular for the subscribers.”

“I will keep that in mind, Grandma Nuan.”

“Oh, you are useless in this state. Morart, take her back to her quarters. Make sure she’s fed and ask wardrobe for a suitable introduction robe for her meeting.”

She flapped her hand, and they were dismissed. She followed the large man named Morart back to her quarters. She had some meditation to do, and she might be safe to take the clothing off and get some sleep. Tomorrow there might be more fights, a patron, and whatever happened next.

* * * *

Grandma Nuan called out, “You can come out now. Your mother has offered herself as patron for your little furry friend.”

Hazwell stepped out of the false wall behind his grandmother. “She seems so... numb.”

“That is what the tethers do, boy. They block neural pathways, numb senses, decrease strength, and stop her from activating the gland that sends the signals of transformation. It is a fucking cruel thing to do to anyone, let alone a child. What was your father thinking?”

He looked at his grandmother, and he shrugged. “She bit me. My father said that her beast attacked me. There are scars on my wrists and shoulders.”

“Did she say why?”

He shook his head. “She was tethered when I woke up.”

His grandmother leaned in. “What do you mean, woke up?”

“I had been drinking near Lake Armathon. That is all I remember until I woke up and the healers were checking on me. I found out about Solari a few days later. I didn’t even know she was there.”

“How old was she?” His grandmother had a look like she was understanding something.

“Fourteen.”

“Ah. You were with a young lady?”

“She was hardly a lady, but yes. She was with me and some friends up at the lake.”

His grandmother sat up. “Show me your wrists.”

Hazwell frowned but unbuckled the cuffs he was wearing.

His grandmother grabbed his wrist and pulled a magnifier out to look at his wrist. Then she examined the other. She snorted. “That idiot son-in-law of mine. What an ass.”

“I don’t understand.”

His grandmother used a few keys and brought up an image of a wolf savaging a deer. “This is an attack. It is forthright. Neck, belly, anus. They are ripped out, incapacitating the animal. Any spot of choice will do. Now, this...” She brought up another image. The small wolf had an adolescent puppy in its jaws, and it was pulling it along with short jerks using all fours to push backward, pulling the other wolf out of the sinking muck.

“You said your marks were on your shoulders. She grabbed you and pulled you away from something she considered dangerous. She has been loyal to you since she entered the household, hasn’t she?”

He touched his shoulder on one side and watched the young wolf haul his or her sibling out of the muck. He had punctures and long scratches. She had hooked her teeth around his collarbone and pulled until his flesh gave way. He had always wondered, but after her tethering, she was confined for three months, and then assigned to his mother’s guard. She was off-limits after that.

“You think she was trying to save me from something.”

His grandmother shrugged. “If she could. She does seem like a by-the-book kind of girl. Too skinny, though.”

He chuckled. “Mother says she doesn’t eat much.”

“Of course not, she isn’t shifting. It is like saying that she saves on calories by not breathing. I thought you were smarter than that. I have a twit for a grandson!” His grandmother leaned over and slapped his arm.

“When you next talk to your mother, ask her why. In the meantime, go and fight. If you are going to act as her patron, she can’t recognize you, or this ridiculous farce will come to an end.”

He frowned. “It isn’t a farce. Why is my mother acting as her patron?”

His grandmother growled at him. “So that I don’t have to give her over to someone who will take advantage of her obedient nature. Rules are rules. Her patronage is now settled. What you do with it is your business, but I would recommend a sensory screen. She is still fixated on bringing you home.”

He nodded. “I can get that in the marketplace?”

“You can. Go to Nardo’s stall. He will give you what you need. It will block her senses and hide your identity. I am fairly sure that if she found you out, she would knock you to the floor and drag you out.”

Hazwell laughed. “She tried. She can’t beat me now.”

“Really? You think that if her freedom was on the line, she wouldn’t smash you flat and return your groaning carcass to your mother?”

“She wouldn’t hurt me.” He was positive that it was true.

His grandmother cackled. “She would if she had a chance at true freedom.”

“What do you mean? Once the tether is off, she will be free.”

“Oh, my dear, well-educated, and deluded boy. She knows what freedom is, and if she knows what is good for her, she will seek it. However, her sense of duty is a pain in the arse. It will take a while to chip that out of her.”

Hazwell nodded. “Nardo. Right. I will get on that. Don’t chip at anything, Grandmother. I like her just the way she is.”

He turned and left his grandmother’s office, heading down to the market area of the station.

Nardo’s stall was in the tech center. The grey man with four arms stood as Hazwell entered. “Ah, the little prince. What can I do for you?”

“I am looking for a device to conceal my appearance and the details of my scent.”

He chuckled, and there was a strange clicking as he did so. “The madam called. I have it here.”

Hazwell sighed. “Of course, she did.”

“She is taking care of you. She is letting you rent the unit instead of buying it outright.”

“What is it costing me?”

“Three thousand credits per day.”

His eyes widened. “For a day?”

“They are two hundred thousand to purchase. Would you rather go that route?”

He blinked and shook his head. “No, the daily charge will be fine.”

“Right. We will just select an appearance for you, and you will be ready to go.” Nardo chuckled as if he thought something was funny.

Hazwell followed the shopkeeper to a mirror, and he frowned at the man. “Where do I attach it?”

“Oh, it goes under the skin. It wouldn’t do for it to be the only thing you were wearing when you disrobed.”

“How would it be retrievable if it goes under the skin?”

Nardo prepared an injector. “It isn’t. This version will cause irritation in a few weeks if the command order isn’t given to destroy them, so when you are done playing, destroy them and stop the charge to your account. The actual components are inexpensive, but what they do for the mechanism is invaluable. They will act on the senses and disguise your electromagnetic output. Now, pick a face.”

The thuds of the injector were at every major joint. He winced but remained still as the microdots were jammed through his skin, and he held still as they used his body heat to power on. The field was produced, and the image in the mirror changed to a grey blank. It was time to choose his disguise.

He flicked through and looked at the disguises on offer. He finally settled on a tiger pattern. It was his father’s logo, and he looked good as a bipedal tiger.

“It’s a popular pattern. But there is no one wearing it on the station this week. I will lock the pattern for you if you like.”

Hazwell looked at himself in the mirror and nodded. “How do I turn it on and off?”

The remote was handed over. “It has a range of sixty meters, so be careful with it.”

He nodded. “Right. Thank you. First day’s rental?”

“Has already been deducted from your account. Enjoy it, but remember, if you are using it to be someone else, you have to be someone else.”

Hazwell looked at his reflection and then flicked the control on and off. “And I just tell you when I am done with it?”

“If you don’t, it will destroy itself under your skin when you leave the station. Your account will still be charged every day.”

Hazwell nodded. “Fair enough. What if I damage one of the nodes?”

“I will give you a kit with some spares. Madam will see that I get them back when you are gone.”

Hazwell took in a deep breath and made sure that he was wearing his own likeness when he left.

Solari. He shivered as he walked through the station. Watching her fight, there was no part of her body that wasn’t on display. She must hate it. She had always been such a shy girl, keeping herself covered to the neck. Even his mother had redesigned the queen’s guard uniforms when she was brought on board to something more modest.

He hadn’t properly spoken to her in years. He wondered what had happened in the last decade to put that expression on her features.

Chapter Five

Solari finished her fights for the day. Four more down and she didn’t even have broken skin to show for it. Her batons were hers again. It was like seeing a friend she didn’t know she missed. Keeping the fights slow was hard with weapons, she got excited when she was allowed to attack and target.

She hummed to herself in her quarters when a chime rang. “Fighter Little Wolf, prepare to meet your patron. You have thirty minutes.”

Solari paused, inhaled, and exhale. “Right. The patron.”

She began the laborious process of removing the fight suit, and she took a sonic shower before slipping on the black robe that fell nearly to the floor. There was a wide sash, and she left her hair up and out of the way.

Small slippers would keep her feet off the metal flooring.

A guard would come and get her. She would have to pay for him as well, but she had gained thirty percent of her needed funds to remove the tether, so she wasn’t too upset. Progress was being made.

The chime at her door exposed a man wearing the uniform of the station. “Please come with me, Fighter Little Wolf.”

She followed him out of the female fighter quarters and to a secured area. She was scanned and then allowed through.

“This is the patron center. It allows them to discretely come and go while visiting their fighters.” The guard spoke softly. “The correct door is keyed to you, so it will light blue when you pass. Simply enter. Your patron will be billed for each hour of your time.”

She nodded. “So, once again, make it last even if I find it boring.”

He looked at her and gave her a small smile. “Exactly.”

She walked between barriers until a door glowed blue. She touched the barrier, and it swung up and out of the way, allowing her to pass. She stood in front of the door and then pressed her hand to the panel. The door slid aside, and she stepped in.

Solari looked around and was rather surprised. It looked similar to the queen’s guard quarters back home. There were low couches, a small kitchen area, and a large bed.

There was also a very tall creature waiting for her. She cocked her head, and her senses strained at the tether. Nothing. She couldn’t sense a thing.

“Ah, you are prompt.” He stood, and she took in the orange skin with black and white striping.

“I was collected.” She folded her hands in front of her and bowed. “Greetings, patron.”

He looked at her, and his head tilted. “Why do you do that? I have noted that you do it in all your battles.”

“After the battle, patron. Do you have a name?”

He chuckled, and the sound reverberated in the room. “Patron will do.”

She cocked her head. “Are you married, patron?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Engaged?”

“Possibly. Nothing has been finalized.”

She inclined her head.

He stepped up to her, and she had to crane her head back to keep looking in his eyes.

“Do you object to why you are here?”

She nearly smiled at the absurdity of it. “I have suffered far greater discomfort than what will occur here. I will not attempt to injure you if that is a concern.”

“Why will you simply allow me my will?” His finger teased at the sash holding her robe closed.

“Each contribution is getting me closer to my goal, and once that is achieved, I will be myself again.”

He paused. “What?”

“It is nothing. Shall we proceed?” She put her hand over his and gave the sash a sharp tug.

Her patron looked at her, and his surprise didn’t stop him from leaning in to kiss her. She was expecting to feel fur against her mouth, but instead, his lips were smooth and warm.

The kiss was slow, and as she opened her mouth, his tongue slipped inside to tease her. She was surprised. There was a curl of heat that was starting. It swirled up and out and became a soft sound.

He paused and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his body. He was only wearing trousers, so she was able to feel the slabs of muscle on him.

Beneath the tether, her beast stirred. This was an activity she was interested in. Her beast couldn’t get out of her skin, but it could invite him in.

She cautiously put her hands on his chest, and he paused until she slid them upward. His whole body shuddered.

Long minutes of eating kisses went on until he slid a hand into the opening of her robe. His body shivered again as he caressed her from breast to hip. His fingers had the callouses that she expected now that the taste of him had exposed him. She would let him have his moment.

He slid his hand between them, and she went up on her toes as his long fingers curled against her sex. He rubbed until the slick welcome invited his fingers inside.

The curl of heat from the point of contact with his hand was strangely fascinating. Solari stroked his chest and shoulders, feeling the texture that confirmed the identity that her tongue had confirmed.

He withdrew his fingers, lifted her in his arms, and carried her to the bed. She hadn’t been up in the air like this since she was wrestling with the Crimson Guard. They liked to get her off her feet so that she was at a disadvantage. The funny thing was, it had just created more methods of attack for her.

He put her on the bed and used the slick fabric of her robe to slide her to the center of the span before he stripped and was as naked as she was but wearing some kind of projected disguise. She didn’t care. Hazwell was with her.

Surprisingly, he moved on top of her and fitted himself to her. He thrust into her, and it wasn’t a good fit. She winced, and he tried again; this time, he slid in a few inches. She put her hand on his chest. “I am not going anywhere.”

He paused and kissed her slowly. His hands lifted her legs and bent them at the knee in turn, making more room for him between her thighs. She helped him by arching her back and tilting her hips.

He retreated and thrust into her with more success this time. She corrected her angle, and then, he started to move in earnest.

Her beast hummed happily at being with her mate, but she rose as far as she could sensation-wise before she got stuck.

He thrust into her, and she caressed his back and shoulders, but when he shuddered, she wasn’t with him. She sighed. Perhaps after she had removed the tether but before she hauled him home, they could try it again.

He slumped onto her, flattening her to the bed. His breath was sawing in and out of his chest and feathering against her ear. She held him until he recovered and braced himself on his elbows. He frowned. “You didn’t cum.”

She cocked her head. “Of course not.”

He looked shocked. “Don’t the Others feel pleasure?”

“Of course, they do. When they are free.”

He pulled out of her and thudded to her side. “Explain.” His voice was terse.

“My beast controls all of my animal instincts. Laughter, excitement, pleasure, pain. She has them all. Because of the tether, she is not able to make the connection between my animal instincts and my human ones.”

“Is that what it does? I thought it just stopped you from changing shapes.”

She snorted. “While I appreciate the effort you have gone through, I know you are Hazwell.”

He paused. “You know? How?”

She rolled toward him and tried to look past the projection. “I know how you taste. I mean, it was your flesh and blood that night, but it was still you. And the scars on your shoulders. They are almost completely repaired, but I know the mark of my teeth when I feel them.”

His expression was confused. “You knew, and you let me...”

She shrugged. “I have always felt affection for you, and my beast considers you hers, but that will have to wait until I can remove the tether.”

“Why did my father put it on? He would never tell me.”

She chuckled. “You don’t remember, which is proper. I was young and following you everywhere.”

“This was ten years ago?”

“Yes.”

He rubbed her arm through the robe. “What happened that night?”

“Do you remember Lady Crosal?”

He looked a little embarrassed. “I do.”

“Well, she tried to kill you. I couldn’t get you out of the water with my hands. She kept hitting me. So, I had to use my beast to pull you loose. First, I used your arms, but you were heavy, and the shoreline stuck to you. Then, I grabbed your shoulders and got you out of the water. That is when your guard found me. You were half-drowned and bloody. The king had me tethered the moment I shifted. It wasn’t until Lady Crosal confessed to killing you that he realized I wasn’t the problem.”

“I still don’t know what happened. What did she do?”

“When she finished giving you oral sex, she hit you in the head with a rock. After that, she tipped you over the low cliff, and that was when I appeared. I got you near the shore, but you are so damned heavy, you kept sinking.” She wanted to laugh, but it wasn’t in her.

“Wait. What did I do?” He looked at her with eyes that weren’t his.

“As best I can remember, you called her by my name while she had her mouth on you.”

He froze. “I can see how that would upset her.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yes. I can see that. You are lucky she didn’t use her teeth. I would have.”

“Why didn’t my father have your tether removed?”

“He was very apologetic, but once the substance has bonded to the tissue, it is locked. It goes right to the nervous system. They can remove it here, though. So, I am working toward that goal.”

He pulled her to him and held her. “What happens when you are free?”

“I can laugh, I can smile, and I can hunt you down and haul you home.”

He gave a strained chuckle. “I look forward to you trying.”

“So do I.” She curled up against him and breathed deeply. She smiled. She had his scent now. She would be able to track him anywhere in the station.

“Solari?”

“Yes.”

“Why did it take you so long to come after me?”

“Someone put a force net on the outside of the gate. It tore up the king’s shuttle pretty bad. I had to get creative on navigation.”

“Does my grandmother know about this?”

“Of course. She was the one who told me how I could pay off the debt for the medical bill. Which guards ran with you?” She changed the subject.

“Arton and Brenar. Why?”

“Are they performing in the arena as well?”

“You mean fighting.”

She waved that off. “Whatever.”

He chuckled. “They are. We are saving up for a long-range shuttle.”

“Ah. I will have to slow things down for you.” She nodded.

“You think you can?”

Solari sighed. “If I can get my beast back, I can do anything.”

The chime sounded. “Little Wolf will now be returned to her quarters.”

She got up and kissed him again. “If I get the tether off, I would like to try that again. It must be more fun if you can feel it.”

He looked surprised at that. “So, I can leave off the disguise?”

“Of course. It only fooled me from twelve feet away, in dim light.”

He grinned and watched as she tied the sash on her robe. He frowned. “You were willing to have sex with a stranger for benefit?”

She gave him a bland look. “I am doing what I can to be whole. I suggest you think about your mother’s selection for you. She is a woman of good taste with an understanding of her son. She will make sure that you have what you need. Thank you, though. I can now get rid of this ridiculous hair without worrying about breaking a rule.”

He stared at her as she left the room and met her handler.

* * * *

Well, there went that idea. He was simply trying to figure out how the girl he wanted had changed so rapidly, and now, he knew. His father’s punishment had happened before there had been any investigation. She was Other, so she had to be guilty.

He was heading to Nardo’s to deactivate the projection. He wanted her to be looking into his eyes the next time when he was inside her. There would be a next time and without her tether. He was going to turn all of his funds to her project.

It was the gentlemanly thing to do. She had saved his life, after all.

Chapter Six

Solari slowly lowered her batons and bowed to the camera.

“Match to Little Wolf.”

She handed over her batons and walked out of the arena, and Grandma Nuan’s secretary was waiting for her. He growled. “Come with me.”

He led her a different way than she had walked before. They were heading toward the outer ring of the station.

“Where are we going?”

“A bay has been set aside for your procedure. I have warned them about the issues with Others, and it was decided to sterilize an open space in case your release causes a side effect.”

“Um. Okay. How did I suddenly earn enough for the procedure?”

He grimaced. “Your patron paid for it. He stated he was tired of seeing you incomplete.”

“So, it is really happening?”

The secretary snorted. “Yes. The med team is waiting.”

“You are not enthusiastic about this.”

“Others are dangerous.”

“I am only half Other. That half has been cut off from my family and friends since I was tethered. I can’t even interact with those I love. I can’t even remember that I love them. Do you know how much that hurts?”

He paused. “What?”

“The Others. Their energy houses their emotions. Block the energy, block everything that makes life worth living. That is why the tethered Others fade. They literally have nothing to live for.”

He cocked his head. “Why were you tethered?”

“Saving a friend, but it was misconstrued as an attack because I drew blood. He was larger, and my beast was the only way I could get him to safety. My beast doesn’t have hands. By the time the truth was out, I was locked, and there was no way of letting me out again.”

“Until now.”

“Correct.”

He nodded and huffed. “I see. Well, your first shift will determine your danger level.”

She nodded. “Yes. It will.”

Their path took them to the shuttle area, and a medical space had been curtained off. The physician who had been there at her arrival grinned and came to get her. “First, we will disinfect you, and then, we will do the removal. I would recommend removing your fight gear and putting on a medical gown.”

He spoke as he walked her over to the space. “We will have to sedate you because we don’t want you to risk waking in this space, and your Other getting loose.”

“Of course.” She nodded. “I was sedated when it went on as well.”

She went to the changing area and took the scouring shower that worked to clear her skin of sweat and debris from the fight. She put on the medical gown and walked into the tent, through each lock, getting hit with sterilizing gas as she proceeded. The puffy foot guards she had on kept her feet from the cold metal of the floor, and the physician helped her get into position. Padded blocks were wedged into either side of her, and a medic inserted a line for sedation.

“Okay. So, if this works well, when you wake up, the tether should be gone.” The physician smiled.

“Just loosen it up, doctor. She will do the rest.” Solari smiled and slowly nodded off. She heard them talking to her, tapping her skin, and then nothing.

She smelled blood. A lot of blood. Her blood. Solari opened her eyes and looked around. It looked like a crimson fountain had exploded in the med tent. The medic and physician were talking quietly, but she could hear that they were unsure if she would wake up again.

“I am awake. Don’t worry. A little food and something to drink, and I am fine. She was just clearing our body out. That tether is pernicious.”

She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked down at her thigh. There was a lot of pressure bandage, but her skin felt like skin again. She smiled. They were back together.

“Can I go for a run?”

The physician looked at her vital signs on the display, and then, he stared again. “Um, yes, just let us unhook you.”

The medic approached her carefully, but they released the monitors and the tube in her hand.

They removed the blocks that had held her for the procedure. And she sat all the way up, moving her damaged leg to dangle it off the edge of the surgical bed. She kicked her feet, and a giggle welled up in her. There was a warm feeling inside her. She was whole, but she needed to let herself out, all the way.

She hopped off the bed and made her way through the layers of curtains until she was out in the open. She was thankful to the secretary for insisting on the large space. It helped her have enough room for the change.

A glow started in the center of her chest, and then, it turned into a flash that left her standing on all fours, and a lot taller than she had been at fourteen. She tapped her paws on the ground and hopped, listening to the clicking of her nails. She crouched and then bolted around and around in long loops, jumping, twisting in the air, and pinging off the walls.

She wasn’t strong enough to do it for long, but when she stopped in the middle of the space, she sat and lay down, shifting back to human and smiling. “Right. So, where is my bondage gear? I need to get back into the arena.”

The physician blinked. “You will need a day to recover.”

“I really won’t. A good meal and a few liters of water to replace what I have lost, and I will be fine.”

He frowned. “I don’t think...”

She wrapped herself in her Other aura, and she smiled at him. “I think it is a very good idea.”

He stepped back. “Right. A good idea.”

She chuckled and returned to her black gear, pulling it on and strapping in all the buckles as she went. It had a lot of buckles.

She stretched and wiggled her fingers, giggling at the feel of her emotions. She had missed them. Being sullen and depressed was only interesting for so long. It had gotten stale nine years ago.

The physician looked at her thigh, visibly startled. “You healed.”

“Yeah, that happens when you tear yourself down at the molecular level and then pull yourself back together again.” She wrinkled her nose. “I really want to punch something so want to get back into the arena sooner rather than later.”

“I see. I will order you suspended until tomorrow. Feel free to issue challenges to whomever you need to.”

She blinked. “I can issue challenges?”

“Certainly. You have enough funds to issue a challenge now. They don’t need to accept it, but you can offer either funds or your person as the challenge reward.”

She looked down. “So, how easy do you think it will be to use my body as bait? I am not a good judge of who will line up?”

She put her hands on her hips and grinned.

He looked her over and exhaled slowly. “I would definitely take that bait.”

She grinned. “Excellent. I hate parting with money.”

He blinked. “Ah. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

She tilted her head, felt the heavy weight of her braid, and she nodded. “Yes. Do you have a scalpel?”

“Um, yes. Why?”

She smiled. “I have a plan.”

The secretary walked over to her. “Miss, Madam has requested that you sever the braid during a battle, for effect.”

She paused. “It will get me more views?”

“It will get reruns. Folk love that sort of gesture. They watch it over and over.”

“Huh. And I get paid over and over?”

“A percentage is placed in your account.”

Solari grinned. “Fine. I will do what is necessary. I even have a few challenges in mind.”

She bowed formally to the physician. “Thank you, and thank your medic. I am sure I will be charged accordingly.”

He inclined his head. “I am sure you will.”

She sighed and looked at the secretary. “Shall we return me to my cage?”

He blinked and nodded slowly. “Please come this way, miss.”

She nodded.

The path back was now clear to her. She could track her own scent through the station. She breathed in and took in the scents of dozens of races and hundreds of bodies that had passed through space in the last few hours.

So, the crimson guards were here, huh? Now that her beast was free, she was going to take the opportunity to get revenge and money at the same time.

It was best to combine one’s passions in a single event, if possible. She had some plans.

Chapter Seven

Having to take a day off wasn’t a hardship. Solari checked into her balances and smiled. With a cheeky grin, she looked through the challenges that were being levied her way.

She was going to have to make the fights entertaining and long. That was fine. She would have to act, that was difficult. She was a very straightforward person.

A chime rang. “Fighter Little Wolf, please prepare to visit with your patron.”

Solari raised her brows, and then, she headed to the shower. A lot of undone buckles and a sonic shower, and she was ready to slide on her robe to wait for her patron’s courier.

She sat at her terminal and gathered information on Hazwell’s location, knowing that once she was close enough, it would be easy to find him. The only thing that would stop her was heavy security, and even that would not hold her for long.

She giggled. She had her beast back. Her beast was making happy circles in her mind.

The knock at the door got her attention, and she got to her feet, closing the terminal down. She was sure that Grandma Nuan was watching what she was looking at, but that wasn’t a secret. She had been direct with her reason for being there. She just needed to pay off the station, and she would be on her way, with her prize.

The queen would dismiss her. That much was certain. She was no longer a maiden, which took her out of qualification for the queen’s guard.

She opened her door to the station guard, and she followed him back to the patron quarters. She saw a fighter leaving the patron quarters, his head hanging in shame.

She passed by him, ignoring him and entering the pathway to the door that glowed for her.

She entered the room, and Hazwell emerged, looking at her in concern. “Grandmother said you had the tether removed.”

She nodded and pulled the robe aside to show him her thigh. “I did.”

He crouched, and she smiled that he hadn’t bothered with the concealment this time. His body and his scent were his. He ran his fingers over the site that had housed her tether.

“It is unmarked.”

“Well, it is now.” She smiled. “My beast is back.”

He looked up, and he seemed stunned. “You are smiling.”

She giggled. “I am. The feelings are back. I remember things now, remembered how they feel, how joy feels. It’s fun. Everything is bubbling inside me, trying to remind me all at once.”

He stood and held her face, kissing her softly. He whispered, “Didn’t it hurt?”

“It was agony, but even that had to end, and it did.” Solari smiled and nipped his lip. “Now, it is time to learn something else.”

He grinned. “What? No coaxing, no foreplay?”

She kissed him and wrapped her right leg around his left. “Is that enough for you?”

He gripped her butt and lifted her against him. “It will do.”

She laughed against his mouth.

He walked with her to the bed and untied her sash, opening her robe and sliding it off her shoulders.

She gave a hard tug and pulled him to the bed, flipping her leg over him to straddle him. She locked her lips with his, and then, she chuckled. “You are wearing too many clothes.”

He grinned. “You will have to take care of that for me. I appear to be pinned.”

Solari sighed. “I suppose I will.”

She bit gently at his neck and licked at the hollow at the base of his throat. She moved down his body inch by inch until she was at the waistband of his trousers. The closure opened remarkably easily, but there was tension from inside. When she parted the fabric, his erection emerged, and she licked the hot skin, tasting and taking in the different texture. His cock jerked as she dragged her tongue along the head, absorbing the salt in his precum.

“Oh, hells. You are killing me.”

She chuckled and yelped as he pulled her away, flipped her, and drew her up and on her knees. He slid two fingers into her, and Solari twisted her hips against his hand. He shuddered. “Oh, thank the gods.”

He pressed the blunt head of his cock into her and slid in with only a little bit of back and forth. Once he was inside her, he rested on her back for a minute before his hips began a slow advance and retreat.

She closed her eyes and focused on the feel of him moving inside her, only slightly distracted by the fingers that circled her clit. Her senses wanted to remember every moment, but her body had other ideas.

He rocked into her, and she pushed back as they slammed together. When she struck the edge of control, his fingers eased her over and into a rockslide of sensation.

She wanted to roar, but it came out as a whimper while her inner muscles tried to trap him inside.

He shuddered and pressed deep, holding his body tight to hers.

His hands struck the bedding next to hers, and he shook again. “Damn.”

Solari bore his weight as he collapsed on her.

Sweat coated them, and the fabric of his trousers pressed against her backside.

She debated how long to hold him up, grinned, and then, she let his weight take her into the bedding. She smiled at his grunt of surprise.

“You couldn’t hold me?”

“I got bored. It is one thing to be sweaty but quite another to be bored.” She turned her head. “And since you are paying by the hour for the pleasure of my company, I thought I would move things along.”

He slid out of her and rolled to one side, kicking free of his trousers. Hazwell didn’t say anything; he simply carried her to the shower and cleared the residue of sex from them.

When they were neat and tidy again, he wrapped her in her robe and opened the chiller. A platter of food was waiting, as was a canister of water.

“Your file was most specific. You need food and water today. It was supposed to be a day for you to rest, but then...”

She shrugged and went to get a handful of the food. “Then, I jumped you. Shocking, I know.”

He nodded. “I have recovered. I have some questions for you.”

“Ask.” She settled on the couch and smiled.

“What will you do if you return home?” He settled next to her, and she leaned against him.

“Resign my place as a royal guard, go to the mountains where the Others dwell, and see if I can find my father. Once I meet with him, I will have to decide if I want to accept any of the offers for my hand that have occurred in the past year. It is contingent on what happens here.”

“Offers for your hand?” He was suddenly a lot less affable. A layer of steel had crept in. His shoulder got tense.

“Sure. The threat of the tether didn’t even put them off. They are trying to make overtures to my father.”

“I thought you didn’t have contact with the Others.”

“I don’t. They found my tether incredibly sad. So, I corresponded with my father four or five times a year. I mean, the queen had to read the letters, but that was fine.” She shrugged. “I am not really invested in who I marry.”

“Why not?”

She snorted. “I gave up the idea of love and marriage a decade ago. My beast has simple needs, and as long as I find the occasional partner to fulfill them, things should be fine. You understand. Your mother says you have a bride, and you have to wed her when we get you home.”

“I am not going to my own wedding.”

She snorted. “Yes. You are. I have been charged to get you there.”

“My ship is almost ready. We could simply escape, and no one would be the wiser.”

Solari started to tick people off on her fingers. “Your mother, your bride, your grandmother, her staff, the station crew, the gate maintenance crew, you get the idea. You are a wanted man.”

He picked up her hand and kissed the palm. “But do you want me?”

“Yes, but after you are married, I will have to leave. It is best that I go with the Others. They will take care of me and help me through a broken heart, and then, I will start a new life with someone else.”

“You are really resigned to that.”

“Sure. I have had a lot of time to deal with it.”

He grunted. “And this just shows how little thought I have given to my own future. I can’t believe my mother just decided this without talking to me.”

“Um. She spoke to you on thirteen occasions over the last three years, mentioning your plans for a queen, your plan for your coronation in two years, your plans for anything.”

“How do you know that?”

“I was there.” Solari didn’t say that it was because the queen knew that her presence kept him calm, but that is what the queen had said to her.

“What?”

“Every meeting that you have had with your mother in the last eight years, I was there.”

He closed his eyes, and then, he looked down at her. She looked up. “You were there.”

She nodded. “My father wrote to me that it would not be a bad idea to be stuck in the royal palace until a means could be found to remove the tether. I could learn what I would need to lead my people.”

He sat back. “What?”

Solari rubbed her neck, and she sat straight. “Yeah. We don’t have kings. We have leaders. I am the leader’s daughter, so I have to learn how to help and deal with the conflicts of our people. More like the conflicts with your people and my people.”

He frowned. “Aren’t you half-human?”

“Sure, but it just gives me a body to start from. The Others have to select theirs.”

“You chose the wolf?”

She smiled. “My father told me that I met one when I was a child and wanted to play. So, that was my first shape.”

He was amused. “First?”

She smiled. “I can now access my others, but the palace only knew about the wolf.”

“Why did your father bring you to the palace?”

“My mother was dead, and he wanted me to learn the ways of her people, but as a leader, he had to put me somewhere safe. The royal household offered to take me in as a queen’s companion.”

“How old were you?”

“Four.”

He blinked. “I have known you since I was eight?” He shook his head. “I have been an idiot.”

She scowled. “Usually, but what in specific?”

“I have wasted a lot of time.”

“I would have to agree, but are you referring to specifics?”

He swung her onto his lap, so their gazes were nearly on par. “I am referring to my accepting my mother’s edict regarding you.”

“There was an edict?”

“You were off-limits. No flirting, no hugging, no mocking, and the only contact I had with you was the combat yard. It made me look forward to training.”

“You are a fairly good fighter.”

He snorted. “I rarely lost a match.”

She slid her hand through his hair and brought his head down to her. “That is when I was tethered. Things are different now. You might not like the free me.” She kissed him softly.

“I liked you before you were tethered, but thoughts of a future were inappropriate.”

She grimaced. “Because I am an Other?”

“Because you were a child. There are rules against that sort of thing.”

She smiled. “Those words made me happy.”

He smiled. “I am glad. Do you want to just go home?”

She shook her head. “I have to repay Grandma Nuan, and I have already accepted a few challenges. They should see me clear.”

“Challenges? Who?”

She snorted. “Two of the Crimson Guard and a fighter named Bal-ek.”

He froze. “You are taking on Bal-ek?”

“Certainly. I am confident in my abilities.” She smiled. “Now that I have them back.”

“Who has challenged you? Which of my men? I will beat them into next week.”

She patted his cheek. “Not until I beat them first. I will have the challenges tomorrow, so simply watch and understand what you are seeing.”

He nodded. “I will watch, but if you are in trouble, I am coming in.”

“Your grandma won’t like that.”

“Tough. I don’t care what her eyes and ears tell her, I am going to flip the tables and watch over you.”

The sweet feeling spreading through her with his protective comment was nearly overwhelming. She didn’t need his protection, but he still needed to figure that out. A few more kisses were left in the hour. After they finished cuddling, she would make her way back to her room and prepare for the following day. Tomorrow the blades would be out, and she was thrilled at the prospect.

Chapter Eight

Solari grabbed the two swords off the rack. The moment she had made her selection, the rack sank into the floor and closed.

She turned and faced Brenar as he selected a spear and net. Ah, so that was his game.

She twirled the blades, and the lights began to glow in rapid sequence on the board. She started a blade dance.

Brenar watched her, hypnotized. When she sliced lines up each of his arms, he jolted to attention. He kicked her, and she laughed.

It was the laugh that got his attention and triggered his temper. He always had issues with his attitude, but he had never beaten her before, and he wasn’t going to manage it today.

He jabbed her with the spear, and she took the hit. Her skin healed before two heartbeats had passed. The net flew over her head, and the swords made a hole for her, letting the bulk drop to her feet. She jumped up when he yanked at the rope in his hand, and it slid past her.

She tilted her head. “Would you like to choose a better weapon? I have time.”

She idly twirled her swords again.

He backed away.

She called out, “Administration, can he choose another weapon?”

There was a chime, and a voice said, “Weapon can be granted. Does he accept the penalty?”

Brenar stated. “I accept the penalty.”

The rack rose up, and he chose a sword and a dagger.

She grinned and waited for him to rejoin her in the center of the ring. When he stepped toward her, she paused. “Shall we?”

The boards were nearly full of spectators. She attacked him, and sparks shot from her blades as he stumbled back before he could attack.

He tripped on the net and fell, dropping his sword. She put her foot on the wrist with the knife and created a scissor on his neck. “Yield?”

He grabbed at her thigh and pulled. She didn’t move. She simply rocked, and the blades cut his neck. He stopped pulling, and she grinned. “Yield?”

“Bitch.”

“Yeah, and I have the tail to prove it. So, yield or you are going to have a helluva medical bill.”

She sawed gently at his neck.

“I yield!”

She stepped back and bowed. The rack rose, and she set the swords in the spot reserved for bloodied weapons.

She didn’t skip toward the exit, that would be tacky, but she made her bow to the camera and sauntered out.

For Arton, she was going to skip the weapons; they only sped up the fight. She had something planned for him.

Three hours later, she stood in the private light that showed her preparing to the patrons only. She calmly wrapped her hands and then slammed her fists together. She could see the watching lights begin to come on, and she hadn’t even been announced yet.

“Fighter Little Wolf. Member of the Queen’s Guard, fighter extraordinaire, undefeated at Nuan Station.”

She stepped out and stood in the center of the arena.

“Fighter Arton, member of the Crimson Guard, four wins, two losses.”

He stepped up, wearing tight trousers and a tight leather vest. She cocked her head. Good. Something to grab onto.

He had the knife and blade combo that the guard preferred. She smiled and brought her fists up. “Come on, Arton, you like to hit girls.”

He paled, and then, his face went red. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” He swung at her, and she dodged, going low and punching his knee. He staggered but didn’t go down.

She slid between his legs and popped up behind him, tapping him on the shoulder before punching him in the jaw. His head snapped to the side, and he staggered.

She whispered to him as she proceeded to beat him. “Asltua was fifteen when you attacked her and broke three of her bones. It wasn’t a fight; it was a hallway. She held to her oath, and you tried to kill her for it. Now, let’s see if you like how that feels.”

She smashed the weapons out of his hands, breaking both wrists, cracked his ribs, shattered his jaw, and it was only when one of the referees lifted her away from him that she stopped.

“Winner is Little Wolf.”

The referee hauled her to the door, and she was shoved past the medics as they rushed in.

She grinned and headed back to her quarters, walking past a hulk of a man who looked at her with amused respect. “Little Wolf?”

She recognized him. “Bal-ek. You are my six o’clock.”

“So, your beast is loose, but you aren’t using her. Interesting. Our fight will be something to watch, and I look forward to collecting your loss.”

He bowed and left her. She shrugged and started removing the wraps on her hands. She had a few hours to plan and hydrate. If he knew her beast was loose, he was probably Other, and she hadn’t gone up against one of her own kind in years. It was going to be quite the afternoon.

Back at her quarters, she flexed her hands and smiled. The wraps had done their job.

She washed her hands, took a shower, and put her clothing in the cleaner. When that was done, she ate nearly all the food on the cart delivered by the security officer. A suit that was similar to her own but split into two pieces was ordered for express delivery. If she got any taller, she would need the room to grow.

Checking her financial stats, she smiled. The subscription numbers for her next fight would put her in the black. She would be able to issue her challenge to Hazwell and haul him home.

From there, she would be free.

In the new costume, back in the arena, she waited. She wasn’t using any weapons. If he wanted to experience her in her Other form, she would bring it to him.

She waited for the announcement and stepped out of the shadows, her knuckles were wrapped, and she flexed her shoulders as she stepped to her spot. Bal-ek was announced, and she focused, watching the shadows circle her before he formed up across from her.

The lights around them were bright and flashing. She stood just out of arm’s reach, and she inclined her head. He inclined his, the bell rang, and their fight began.

He lunged forward, hands out, and she caught his wrists. They remained locked, and she was pushing at him with what she thought was an appropriate amount of force.

Bal-ek began to apply more force, and she countered it, never overbalancing. When he increased the force again, she collapsed and rolled to her back, sending him over her head. He turned to swirling vapour before he landed.

She rolled to her feet and swung around. Her braid came loose and struck the mist. He solidified immediately.

She grinned. They danced. Punches, kicks, strength moves, and him turning into mist. It went on and on. Neither could get ahead of the other. It wasn’t until he tried to hold her by the braid that she had her opening. She let her claws grow, showed her teeth as they elongated out of her mouth, and she whirled and slashed her hair. He stumbled back with the unraveling braid. She kicked him in the chest and took the coil of braid from him.

She jumped on his back and used the braid as a garrotte. He clawed at his neck, and she slowly bore him to the mat. He thudded to the ground, and she felt the moment when he surrendered. He raised his hand and gave a signal. The chime rang out.

She removed her braid from his neck and patted him on the back. “That was fun.”

She climbed off him and watched as he rose to his feet. “How did you do that?” He murmured it as they walked toward the exit.

“Composite braid. It latches on to Others and moves when they move.” She smiled. “It happens when an Other has a child with a solid being. How do you not know that?”

He shrugged. “I live alone. Crossbreeding has never come up before. I would like to ask you more about it.”

She snorted. “Not with me, sunshine, but we can grab tea before I leave the station.”

He grinned. “Point taken, and thank you. You have a mate in mind?”

She shrugged, “Yes.”

“Fortunate male. I am guessing male.”

“Yes. He was male the last time I checked.” She chuckled.

“You have some good moves.”

“Thank you. I did a lot of training. Being locked in a body has a benefit. You have to try really hard to keep your strength from breaking it.”

He nodded, and they paused at the separation from the male to female quarters. “It was an honour to battle Kre-mal’s child.”

She stared. “No one knows that name here.”

He winked and went on his way.

She frowned and tied her braid around her waist. No one was getting their hands on it.

The secretary met her just as she was about to enter her quarters. “Madam requests your presence.”

“Like this? All sweaty and stuff?”

“She did not specify your level of cleanliness, and she knows of your recent battle.” He nodded.

She shrugged. “Okay. Lead on.”

He led her through the station and toward the shuttle bay. She was a little surprised to find Grandma Nuan standing in front of a shuttle with the king’s markings.

She bowed to her elder. “Grandma Nuan. It is odd to see you here.”

The older woman snorted. “Of course, it is. Well, you have done it. The Other battle has blown out one of my servers and the repeats on order across the nearest three systems.”

“Repeats?”

“Requests for me to sell the encoded video. You are making this station a lot of money.”

“I am glad for you, Grandma Nuan, but I can’t leave until I have what I came for.”

The old boss looked at her and nodded. “I can get him here, but you have to secure him. Are you all right with that?”

“I had hoped to challenge him.”

“There are too many lucrative challenges flowing your way. The money is too tempting, but I know there is a time crunch for you. I have invited my grandson here, it is up to you to get him off the station.”

“What about the other guards?” Solari smiled.

“They still owe the station.” Grandma Nuan smiled grimly. “I will get what I need and then offer to send them home.”

“Okay. I will ambush him in the shuttle. Any advice?”

Grandma Nuan smiled and handed her a silvery cloak, similar to the one she was wearing. “Use this. It might confuse him long enough to get him locked in.”

Solari settled the cloak on her shoulders and pulled up the hood. “Thank you for your help, Grandma Nuan.”

She smiled and held out her arms. Solari hugged the older woman. “Thank you. I hope to visit again, with permission.”

“You can always come to visit, but next time, pick a better shuttle. This one is on loan to the royal household until you can send it back to me. But, use it until after Hazwell’s coronation. That follows the wedding if I am not mistaken.”

Solari shrugged. “Apparently. I haven’t been paying attention.”

“Sure you haven’t. Right, well, I have included his wedding presents from myself and the staff. All you have to do is trick him into getting into the shuttle.”

“I am not going to trick him; I am going to lure him. There is a difference. What pretense did you use to get him here?”

“Direct summons.”

“Excellent. You need to be gone before he arrives. I need to prepare.”

Grandma Nuan hugged her again and winked. “Give him hell.”

“To take a word from your vernacular. He will have to pay.”

She stepped toward the shuttle and opened the access steps. Then, when Grandma Nuan was gone, she took on her appearance.

Now, she just had to wait for the Red Prince.

Chapter Nine

Hazwell entered the shuttle bay, and he saw his grandmother trying to lift items into the shuttle. “Grandma, geez, what are you doing trying to lift that?”

A direct voice said, “Well, all of my reliable men are off elsewhere. This has to get loaded.”

He got closer, and there was something off about his grandmother. It ostensibly looked like her, but she moved too easily. She grabbed a box and shuffled into the shuttle then came out and grabbed another.

“My grandmother, what strength you have.” He took a few steps closer and picked up one of the boxes. It had to weigh fifty pounds.

“Oh, the better to kick your ass, my dear.”

“Hmm. You are picking the heaviest for yourself. What keen eyes you have.”

“The better to see my handsome twit of a grandson.”

Once he was inside the shuttle, he was grabbed and thrown to the floor. Solari was on top of him, and her fangs were showing.

“Why, grandmother, what large teeth you have.” He smirked.

“The better to pin you down with.” She grinned.

The ship hummed to life and slowly pivoted. It was sealed and heading for the locking shields that protected the station.

Hazwell looked at the woman who was holding him down. “You are really determined to haul me home for my wedding?”

She nodded. “It will be my last task for the royal house. After that is done, I am going to visit my people for a while.”

“So, the fangs are new. Wait... no, they are not. You would pop them whenever you didn’t like something.”

She sat up. “You remember that?” She looked pleased.

“It was adorable. A little canine overbite.”

They were out of the central lock of the station, and she was going to have to take the controls. “Are you going to behave?”

“Yes, Solari.” He waited for his moment, and when she had left him and settled behind the controls, he rushed forward, only to strike the force shield.

* * * *

She winced when she heard the impact on the shield. She programmed the shuttle for the gate, and the gate beacon made its own calculations. She slowed down before they entered the dimensional shortcut. When the gate gave authorization, she entered through the energy panel. She sat back as they glided out the other side, heading home. It took five minutes, and she smiled when they emerged.

“That wasn’t as tricky. At least there wasn’t a net waiting when we came out this time.”

His words were precise. “Solari. Let. Me. Out.”

She winced and deactivated the shield. “There you go.”

He dropped into the navigator station. “So, you are really taking me home.”

She nodded and set the course for his home. “I definitely am. I can’t fulfill my orders unless you are home.” She smiled at him. “As that will conclude my time as a queen’s wolf, you are free to escape again.”

Hazwell paused. “You wouldn’t pursue me?”

“Duty wouldn’t require it. Right now, I am running on an order from my time in service. The moment that we land, and your mother sees you, you are free, and I am free.”

He grinned. “You will let me go?”

“Sure. I will even help you escape, but I have to bring you home.”

Hazwell cocked his head. “It means that much to you?”

“Your mother asked me, so this is the last act that I will do for her. There is an entire world out there, and I want to see it.” She said softly, “I want to see my father again.”

The prince looked at the small speck of their world that was rapidly getting closer. “Why hasn’t your father been near the court?”

“Because looking at me hurt him.” She glanced over at him. “It was like looking at a doe with her leg in a trap.”

“I am sorry for that.”

“So was your father, but it is an excellent example of not listening to both sides before making a judgment. He was worried about you, so he attacked me. It was not a good decision.”

Hazwell nodded. “No, it was not. He regretted it until he died.”

“But there was no tech for removal, so his regret didn’t do any good. It just weighed on everyone; so, don’t do something you might regret until you are certain you can live with it.”

“I won’t. I have learned from his actions and his regret.”

She wrinkled her nose. “We all have. Well, I am going to get something to eat. We have a few hours to kill, and I am hungry. If there is a shower on this thing, I might disappear for a few minutes if you promise not to turn us around.”

He put his hands up. “I have surrendered. I will not renege.”

Solari nodded. “Thank you. Letting my Other loose in here is not a good idea. She’s bitey.”

“You didn’t bite Bal-ek.”

“No. It wouldn’t have done anything. He could have shifted around it.” She got out of the pilot’s seat and headed for the back of the shuttle. It was snug, but it did have a standing shower.

A few passes of a sonic band later, and she felt less like she had just gotten out of the arena and more like having something to eat.

Hazwell had a meal set out for her and was sitting to eat his own.

“Um, thank you.”

He smiled. “Don’t mention it. My grandmother has been going on about how you don’t eat properly.”

She snorted. “I think she was just trying to fatten me up for her own nefarious purposes.”

She sat and picked up the wide bowled fork. The food was hot, and it reminded her of the meals at the palace. “Grandma Nuan repurposed these meals from the king’s shuttle.”

“She does not waste anything. She managed to repurpose my mother from a station manager into a queen, after all.”

“Your father had stopped at the station?”

Hazwell nodded. “He and grandmother played a card game, and my grandmother used my mother as her stake. Shockingly enough, she lost. I suppose there is a first time for everything, but my mother went home with my father, and I showed up within the year. So, it was a bet worth winning, I suppose. Or, losing from my grandmother’s point of view.”

“I think she thinks it was worth the loss for the gain.” Solari picked through her food, and then, she rushed to finish.

“You consider me a gain?” His smile was smug.

She chuckled. “In a certain light. If I squint.”

“I haven’t ever thought to ask, did your father have other children?”

“Um, no. The Others don’t have a structure for mating outside of their bond. Once the bond is gone, they don’t have the requirement for companionship. I wish he was seeing someone, but that isn’t the case.”

“Is there anyone that he has in mind for you?” Hazwell asked it while he casually cleared the table.

“Another Other?”

“Yes.”

She laughed. “No. The tether made me an untouchable by Other society. Literally. They could catch the tether from me.”

“What is it?”

“What?”

“What is the tether?”

Solari cocked her head. “The ashes of a dead Other. Once under the skin, they lock you up. That is why they are tattoos. They mark the person as an Other and indicate that they have been rendered harmless. I am not a fan.”

He shuddered. “That is horrifying. Where do they get the ashes?”

“Oh, they kill one. I was tethered by a portion of my great, great, great grandmother. She died in the city, and the king at the time had her body cremated and said he sent the ashes home. He lied.”

“How do you know?”

“Do you think I wouldn’t recognize my own flesh and blood?” She chuckled. “I knew it was her the moment that the needle touched my skin.”

Hazwell stood next to her and offered her his hand. “May I hold you for a moment?”

Solari looked up at him, and she nodded. “Fine, but why?”

“Because I feel bad, and I want to hold you. Comfort passes from skin to skin.”

She stood slowly. “That is not what you passed me last time.”

He wrapped her in his arms, and she paused for a moment. This was different. There was attachment but not seduction. He was simply holding her, so she held him back. The thudding of her heartbeat slowed. She relaxed against him, and he rubbed the back of her neck. His hand trailed down her spine, and she pressed closer to him.

To her surprise, they stood together like that for nearly an hour, breathing together until their heartbeats synched and their arms relaxed.

He leaned down and kissed her softly. “Thank you. I have wanted to do that for years.”

She smiled. “You are welcome. It was... nice.”

“So, why are you wearing that chunk of your braid as a belt?”

She smiled. “If I left it on the station, it could be used to make a tether. I will dissipate it when we land.”

“Dissipate it?”

“Send it on the wind. It will return to the Others and become one with them. They will guard it until my death.”

“Wait, what do you normally do with your hair?”

She smiled. “It doesn’t grow when I shift. I reset myself to my standard appearance. The only time I will be locked again is if I am carrying.”

He blinked, and then it clicked. “Ah. Right.”

She chuckled. “Yeah. You can’t shift with another being under your skin.”

“Sensible.”

“I always thought so.” She looked toward the controls. “I need to pilot us in. I really hate space.”

Hazwell’s eyes widened. “Are you sure you want to do that? I can pilot us in.”

“I will be fine once we hit the atmosphere.” She disengaged from him and felt cold the moment that they parted. “Scared?”

“That sums it up.”

“Good. You should be.”

She settled into the pilot’s seat and strapped in. It was going to be a bit of a rough ride.

Solari called in for landing clearance and got the authorization she needed. There was no going back. Her duty was almost complete.

Chapter Ten

During the descent, they had worked it out. She would return him to his mother, shift, and he would jump on her back and run off with him. It seemed like a good plan.

Hazwell smiled. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

She settled the ship at the port, and the crowd visible from the sky had shown her it would not be easy.

She breathed in and put on the capelet of wolf fur that Grandma Nuan had been thoughtful enough to pack next to the food.

“Right. Shall we?”

He put on the red cloak of his guard, and he nodded. He took her hand, and they exited the shuttle.

The sunlight was bright as they walked out, and the two figures approaching them were familiar.

Her heart thudded as she saw her father, but she had to complete her duty. She stood next to Hazwell and bowed. “Your Highness, I have returned your son.”

The queen smiled. “And lost your braid. What will I do with you, Little Wolf?”

“Your Highness, I respectfully request release from your service. I am no longer qualified.”

The queen frowned. “Your hair? It will grow.”

“No, Your Highness.”

The queen’s face flashed a quick smile. “Ah. That. Now, Hazwell, do you know anything about her leaving my service?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The queen nodded. “Fine. Solari, you are released.”

Solari smiled, bowed low, kissed Hazwell on the cheek, and then, she ran to kneel in front of her father.

“Father Kre-mal. I have been made whole.”

“I can feel it, Solari. Stand up and give me a hug.”

She stood and flung her arms around him. This was the contact that she had wanted to pursue with Bal-ek. The touch of another Other was something that could not be substituted. It was the touch of skin that could become anything, but it chose to be someone you could hold.

Her own skin tingled, and she wanted to change forms.

Her father chuckled. “Your family is here. They wish to know you again.”

A group of folk wearing simple clothing with the slight halo of the Others came toward them. They held out their hands, and she touched them, and they touched her, and their shifting abilities recognized each other.

* * * *

Hazwell saw Solari disappear in the crowd of folk touching her, and he wanted to stop it.

“Don’t interfere. She is learning who she is again. This is important.”

He stiffened. “You know what is going on?”

“She had to go to the station. My mother has been waiting for her with that physician locked there for this purpose. Now, a whole bunch of people are free to move as they will, including Solari. Do you think she will accept?”

“She might. How long do you think this will take?”

Kre-mal walked toward them and said. “She has been away from us for ten years. Give her ten minutes, Prince Hazwell.”

Hazwell bowed and knelt. “Leader Kre-mal, may I take your daughter as my wife?”

Kre-mal chuckled. “You can ask her, but I have no objections. It would be the match your father and I had hoped for.”

Hazwell looked over at the peaceful expression on Solari’s face. “I don’t know if I can compete with that.”

“You don’t have to compete with it, Prince, you merely have to accept that this is part of her and she has missed it. Imagine not being able to see your mother for a decade because you are poisonous.”

He nodded. “I know. Intellectually I know, but to see others touching her...”

“Makes you nervous and irritated, and want to snatch her somewhere to keep her for yourself. That is fear of loss.” Kre-mal put his hand on Hazwell’s shoulder. “She has chosen you over and over, so know that. Even when she was tethered, she turned to you. That is a link that goes deeper than friendship, deeper than attraction. You two have vibrated together since you were children. The same frequency and different pitch. You are not complete without each other, and it is about time that things are formalized in the way of your people.”

“He is promised to another, Father.” Solari’s voice came from directly behind Kre-mal.

The queen smiled, and she shrugged. “That is not precisely accurate, Li—Solari.”

Hazwell watched Solari’s face but asked, “Could you clarify, Mother?”

“I said that his bride would be arriving, and Solari, here you are.”

Hazwell watched Solari’s pulse, the slight throb in her neck picked up the pace. “Me?”

Hazwell walked and knelt in front of her. “It has always been you.”

There was a minute of silence, and he waited. He was trying to practice what she had been drumming into him. Don’t act in haste. Wait.

He waited.

* * * *

Solari looked at her father, the queen, and then the bent head of Hazwell. She let a minute go by, and then, she ran her fingers through his hair. He looked up at her with hope in his eyes.

“I am thinking. Shush.”

She kept running her left hand through his hair until she reached her decision. She tapped him on his head. When he looked up, she kissed him softly and whispered, “If you are going to be spending that much time on your knees, I should be naked, no?”

He grinned. “That does sound like something appropriate.”

The queen clapped her hands and smiled. “Excellent. I have a dress ready, and we can get the marriage underway.”

Solari shook her head. “I need to go for a proper run. Hazwell, would you like to ride me?”

He grinned. “You have to ask?”

The leather and straps shredded as she changed to her wolf. She was considerably bigger than she had been the last time he saw her. She crouched, and he climbed onto her back, holding her ruff.

The queen looked startled. “When will you be back?”

Kre-mal laughed. “When she is tired. Anytime in the next three days. You might want to put the banquet on ice.”

Solari leaned her head back and howled. Hazwell laughed, and she launched herself into a full run. The feel of the tarmac turned to turf, and then, she was running with her prince into the woods.

She would wed him, he would wed her, and she would have her prince. He would have his significant Other, and all would be well.

* * * *

Two years later.

Solari watched the shuttle descend and held the prince’s hand.

The hatch opened, and the secretary arrived before Grandma Nuan stalked out with her cane rapping harshly as she walked.

Grandma Nuan smiled. “Ah, Solari. You are looking well.”

“Thank you, Grandma Nuan.” She grinned. “So, what brings this visit?”

“You know darned well. Hand him over.”

Grandma Nuan tossed the cane to her secretary, and Solari handed the infant over.

“What did you name him?”

“Prince Rheban.”

Nuan smiled. “It’s a good name.”

“I thought so. It was my great, great grandmother’s name. She was my tether. Now, he and his sibling are.”

Nuan’s eyes were wide. “Sibling?”

“About four months along.”

Grandma Nuan cooed at her great-grandson and smiled. “So, you are getting along with your husband, then?”

“You charged him to sleep with me the first time. You don’t think that it was chemistry all along?”

“My daughter paid the patron fee so that you and Hazwell could get a jump start.”

Solari chuckled. “I know. The queen told me during our first baby announcement. She felt a little guilty, given the timing of things. I have told her that I wasn’t pregnant during the return home. I couldn’t have been. I would never have been able to shift.”

She heard the arrival of Hazwell’s vehicle. She reached for her son, and Grandma Nuan reluctantly gave him up. “You can hold him at the palace. Thanks for coming, by the way.”

Hazwell came forward and greeted his grandmother. “Thank you for coming to the coronation. Have you met Rheban?”

“I have. Well done. He looks just like me.” Grandma Nuan chuckled.

Solari looked at her, and she shrugged. “I thought he takes after my father.”

Hazwell smiled. “Your father can take on any shape.”

“Within reason.” Solari carried her son to her vehicle. “Meet you back at the palace.”

Grandma Nuan ordered her secretary to go with her.

The standing glider was spacious enough, so she nodded and said. “Hold on. I drive like a maniac.”

“With your child on you?”

She chuckled and made sure Rheban was tucked into his sling. “He has to learn somewhere.”

She throttled up, and the glider shot forward. It was a short hop to the palace, but she made sure that the secretary got the full tour before she settled down.

The maids shooed her inside the moment they landed. She had to be dressed, and so did the little prince. The big prince was on his own.

Dressed in horribly formal clothing, Solari sat with the coronet on her head. Hazwell leaned over and kissed her hand. “Grumpy so soon, my queen?”

“In uncomfortable clothing, my king. My abdomen is tight, and Rheban is about to yell so that I ruin this dress.” Her breasts were nearing critical.

“I believe that a little break is in order.” He called out. “Twenty minutes and we will return.”

She collected her son from a maid and muttered, “If I could shift, I would have been out of here when the dress went on.”

She withdrew to the private room, and Hazwell smiled while she got everything situated. “Are you happy, Solari?”

She beckoned him closer, and she backhanded him in the abdomen. “Don’t be ridiculous. If I wasn’t happy with you, I wouldn’t put up with the court and the formalities. If you see me in a heavy gown, it means I love you. If I need someone else to tie it up for me, it means I love you a lot. If I wait until you are naked and jump you again, it means that another little heir is on the way... apparently.”

He laughed and sat with his arm over hers, protecting his little family. He could protect her from the left, she would protect him from the right, and no one was getting near her golden-eyed baby.

She was still a wolf willing to keep her own safe, and her husband liked it.

Author’s Note

There, Red Riding Hood is now behind me. Now, I wait to figure out which cover the artist shall craft from the finest pixels.

Thanks for Reading,

Viola Grace

About the Author

Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.

In real life, she is now engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Author’s Note

About the Author