Page 2 of Craved By a Wolf

Hella really didn’t want to know the answer to that question, so she politely smiled and moved away, heading at speed for the lake and not slowing until she was sure she was alone again.

She dumped her empty drink in the nearest bin and surveyed the lake, losing herself in it as the water sparkled and its beauty hit her all over again. She was sure she would never grow tired of this view. The elegant buildings hugged the shore as far as the eye could see, ending only at the far side of the manmade lake where a slice of bright green replaced them. A dense forest rose up beyond the park, clinging to the rugged slope. Above the trees, the rocky roof of the cavern curled towards her.

Hella had helped with the spell that turned the ceiling of the cavern into a sky for the most part. Originally, it had channelled whatever weather was happening above the mountain they were under. The town hadn’t particularly been happy when they had discovered that weather included snow and rain too, so on days when it was inclement topside, the spell defaulted to a fake blue sky and sunshine.

Which had led to the town demanding they do a new spell that made the days always sunny and warm, and the nights always clear and moonlit and blanketed with stars.

She tipped her head back and bathed in the warmth of the sunlight, and was humming to herself before she realised what she was doing. What could she put on the menu tonight? Maybe she could find some eligible bachelor panthers and convince them to warm her bed. If she wandered south, into the network of alleyways that connected the broader avenues in the town, she would eventually end up in the area of the cavern where the townhouses and apartment buildings gave way to sprawling walled compounds. The shifters liked their space and had established themselves quickly in the town, grabbing a lot of the vacant land for themselves. One of the compounds belonged to panthers. The one next to it belonged to tigers.

The two breeds were always fighting like cats and… cats.

Still, if she couldn’t find a panther to sample, she could always bag herself a tiger. They were excellent lovers, incredibly acrobatic. She had learned a few things from the tigers she had bedded over the years.

She turned towards the next alley, feeling more positive about the evening ahead of her as she recalled her past exploits.

Her step slowed as she experienced a sudden sensation that something had shifted. Her mood? The air? She wasn’t sure.

Whatever it was, it felt off.

Wrong.

She slowly took in her surroundings, that feeling growing at an alarming rate. The promenade was busy, with a lot of groups hanging out in front of stores or beside the lake. Other groups were moving, chatting animatedly to each other, and there were some solo people like her too. Some of those males and females meandered as she was, enjoying the warm sunshine, while others moved with purpose through the crowd, heading somewhere. She scanned them all, seeking the source of the sensation building inside her, and her fingertips tingled as her magic rose to the fore.

Hella looked over her shoulder in the direction she had come.

And spotted them.

A dozen burly, drop-dead-gorgeous men heading her way.

Hella hitched her skirts with her left hand, aware this was going to come down to a chase, and possibly a fight.

Because apparently, nymph kings didn’t take no for an answer after all.

She summoned a protective spell and a speed spell in her mind, chanting the incantations as quickly as she could manage, and twisted back in the direction she had been heading.

And slammed straight into a broad, impressively cut bare chest.

Hella tilted her head back, her gaze roaming up the thick slabs of his pectorals to a strong but elegant neck, the spells forgotten as her stomach dropped.

The beautiful blond’s lips quirked into a satisfied half-smile, the pointed tips of his ears showing as the breeze caught his long hair and shifted it across his shoulders, and his blue eyes piercing her.

Hello, Legolas.

She might have purred if it wasn’t for one small fact.

He was a nymph.

His stunning eyes narrowed and his hand shot forwards, his grip bruising and unyielding as it closed around her arm, fingers pressing deep enough that pain shot up to her shoulder and down to her hand.

Life suddenly didn’t look as sweet.

Panic seized her as firmly as his large hand as she heard the other nymphs closing in and the air hummed with familiar power. He was preparing to teleport. She swiftly raised her left knee, aiming for the sweet spot between his green leather clad legs as she quickly worked through the incantations.

He released her and blocked her leg.

And slammed a cold metal cuff around her right wrist with the other.

The power that had been surging through her disappeared, the incantation in her head nothing but empty words as the bespelled shackles did their work, severing the connection between her and her magic.

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