Page 25 of The Wolf's Prince
“I’ll be back shortly,” he promised. “Try to rest.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“I’m going to try to get you your shifter,” Andrey said resolutely.
CHAPTER5
NIKOLAI
Nikolai’s dirty laundry being aired turned out to be not nearly as humiliating as he’d thought it would be. For one, he was in too much discomfort to care about embarrassment. It also helped that nobody seemed to find it remotely funny.
Nikolai had been assisted in bathing, barely able to stand being touched without twitching or crying. Then he was dressed in soft clothing before being taken to face his family.
He had to be helped into the sitting room where they were waiting for him.
The stricken looks on their faces made the severity of the situation weigh down on him even more than anything else.
His father had told him countless times that the way he so flippantly jumped into bed with boys would lead to trouble. Somehow, Nikolai didn't think he had meant this.
Even Vik didn’t crack a single joke.
They all stared at him with worry in their eyes.
“Leave us,” his father said to the two servants helping Nikolai walk.
He felt weak on his feet but made it to an armchair before collapsing.
“Andrey told us the full story,” his father informed him.
Somehow Nikolai doubted Andrey had told thefullstory. After all, he didn't know the details.
“So, you slept with a shifter,” the king carried on.
Nikolai nodded weakly.
“And now you are ill...”
His mother sniffled and Nikolai tried to ignore the guilt filling him.
“Andrey said that you feel like you’ve been doused with an aphrodisiac… How do you know that is not what happened? Perhaps you have been drugged since returning home?”
Nikolai shook his head. His gaze fell to his lap because it was too hard to meet any of their eyes when he next spoke.
“No, it was him. I’m sure because…”
Unable to bring himself to say it, Nikolai reached for the high collar of his shirt and pulled it aside, exposing the mark Soren had left him with.
Eyes trained on the floor, he heard their collective gasps.
“There's more,” he admitted, letting the fabric fall back into place. “He may have said that we were nowlife mates.”
“H—he didn't tell me that part!” Andrey said and Nikolai looked up to find his father fixing his older brother with an accusatory stare. “I would have told you at once had I known.”
“It's true,” Nikolai said, jumping to his defense. “I didn't want any trouble. I convinced Andrey to leave early but didn't tell him the true reason.”
He swallowed, looking at his father as tears filled his eyes.
“I feared the prospect. Now, it seems that being apart is even worse. Please, can you send word to the wolf shifters?”
