Chapter 45


    Chapter 45 They were heard nearby


    Prince William stayed silent for hours, Doris didn’t bother to try and start another conversation. She was


    starting to get used to his mood swings and she didn’t want to feed into another one that might blow up


    into something more. He kept ncing out the small window every ten minutes to make sure all was in


    order, but something uneasy settled in Doris. It was too quiet. The air felt thick and normally she would


    be d of the silence-but for some reason it only felt off. Doris wondered if William had felt it too. He


    hadn’t tried to sleep once, instead he seemed more alert than ever. She couldn’t help but worry that he


    was running on little to no sleep for almost two days. How much longer could hest before exhaustion


    took him over? “William-“ Doris said hesitantly. He dropped the curtain and turned to face her. His eyes


    were a little red and his hair was an absolute mess in the way that she found looked handsome on him.


    She shook those thoughts away and cleared her throat.“ Perhaps it might be a good idea—“ The


    carriage came to a sudden halt that slid Doris out of her seat and right into his waiting arms. They both


    stilled as they strained to listen for any voices or movement, he silently seated her beside him and


    opened the curtain an inch to peer outside. Doris tried to calm her breath, afraid to make even the


    smallest sounds incase a rogue was nearby to hear it. A loud thud hit the side of the carriage and shook


    the inside. William opened the curtain wider to see a crazed man hanging off the side of the carriage,


    Doris gasped. Was this a rogue? He bared his teeth at William and let his bloodied fingers stain


    everything he touched. “I can smell you in there, prince. Come out to y.” The guards were quick to pull


    him off, she flinched when she heard one of them shriek. William forced the door open and closed it


    quickly behind him so she couldn’t follow. Doris quickly scooted over to open the curtain and see what


    was happening. The man stood in rags outside the carriage with his hands coated in blood up to his


    elbows. Everything about him blended in with the snow, if she hadn’t seen the blood, she might have


    missed him entirely. He had long, white hair and eyes almost as light as the ground beneath him. When


    he smiled, she saw his sharp teeth poke out of his gums as if he were about to rip apart everyone around


    him. William stood in front of the carriage door as if he was guarding it, though she knew it only looked


    that way from where she was seated. “You know I could smell your royal blood for miles, prince.” The


    man taunted and licked his teeth. The guards surrounded him as if he was in the center of a circle. “All


    alone out here, I see. Where’s your pack?” William lifted his chin. He refused to let his gaze leave the


    deranged man for even a second. A trail of blood dripped from the man though he didn’t look injured.


    Doris’s eyes followed it to see it led to a guard by the carriage-his headid several feet away from his


    body. She covered her mouth and closed the curtain a little more so the man wouldn’t see her. His eyes


    seemed to find her anyway. A smirk fell


    across his face when he saw the curtain move.” They’re near enough, don’t you worry.” He took a step


    closer with his eyes still fixed on the carriage. He inhaled deeply, “Who’s that in there? Do I smell a girl?”


    William took a step forward, she couldn’t see his face but his voice sounded deadly when he spoke


    “Take one more step and I’ll rip your eyes from your skull before I shatter your nose for even seeking her


    out.” “I seem to have hit a nerve.” The man grinned. “She must be something—“


    Doris blinked and Prince William was on him. He grabbed him by the throat just as the man raised his


    ws to strike him. William’s shirt came away at the top, she saw his blood drip in the snow from where


    he must have been scratched. Doris quickly closed the curtain when she saw William start to rip out the


    man’s throat. His screams died instantly and she didn’t think she would ever forget the horrible sound.


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    Doris sat with her knees to her chest in the corner of the carriage. She wasn’t sure how many minutes


    had passed until William had finallye back inside. The blood was cleaned from his hands and his


    coat covered any trace of a scar, but she knew there must have been one. He didn’t look at her once as


    the carriage started to move again. Only when they stopped a few hourster did he finally say


    something. “We’re going to stop to rest for the night. There’s a creak near the edge of camp if you need


    to clean up, but don’t stray too far.” He spoke with his eyes out the window as if he were already far from


    the carriage. Once he was done, he stepped out without another word and didn’t bother to look back to


    see


    if she would follow. The moon was bright in the sky above her, she held the cloak tighter around her as


    she gazed at the stars and stepped out of the carriage carefully. If her fear wasn’t trying to control her


    thoughts, she would have appreciated how beautiful the night was. Doris sighed and turned back to the


    clearing. Several tents had already been set up between the trees, there were so many she doubted it


    was possible for anyone to see their camp when it was this dark. They didn’t even dare to light a fire


    despite how freezing it was. It would be worse to wake up in a blood bath because a rogue pack had


    found them rather than simply suffer through the cold. Erik was the only guard she knew the name of, he


    busied himself with setting up a few chairs for other guards to rest. “Excuse me.” She spoke quietly as


    she crunched her boots in the snow to reach him. He turned and offered a tired smile. “Do you know


    where I am supposed to sleep for the night?” “Oh-” He nced over his shoulder to therger tent


    behind them. Clearly that one was meant for the prince. “William requested you stay with him.” Doris felt


    her cheeks immediately redden, she took a small step back. “Surely he was mistaken.” “No, I wasn’t.”


    His deep voice interrupted. He stood with the p of his tent wide opened and half of his shirt already


    unbuttoned as if he’d been in the middle of changing. His hair was a mess and a bit of dark scruff


    appeared on his jaw from not shaving. Her eyes lingered on the red mark across his chest before she


    quickly looked away, “You’ll be staying with me.” “I—are you sure? I don’t mind staying out here.”


    Doris nced at Erik but he was already gone. Prince William blew out a breath of frustration. “I need


    you to be in here tonight. I might need… tea or something. Just get in here.” He snapped, she could tell it


    was hard for him to keep his voice low. Doris reluctantly followed him inside. There was a makeshift bed


    on the floor and clothes scattered in the corner with bloodied rags but not much else besides a te of


    food. She turned to find himpletely shirtless and picking at the mark on his chest. Doris quickly


    stepped forward to grab his hand.” Don’t do that, you’ll make it worse.” She said with a blush. She hoped


    he would think it was due to the freezing weather. She picked through the pile of clothes and managed to


    find something that looked like a rag to clean his wound with water. He stilled as she neared him, his


    eyes watched her silently but he didn’t say a word as she carefully cleaned away the blood and dirt. It


    was closed for the most part, she assumed that was thanks to the wolf inside him but if he kept picking at


    it-it would open as new. “There.” Doris said softly as she looked over the scratch and tried not to let her


    gaze lower to take in the rest of him. “It shouldn’t bleed again if you leave it.” His blue eyes were calm


    when she looked up at him. There was no storm or anger beneath the sea in his eyes. Just a steady


    ocean. “Thank you.” He said, for a second she swore she imagined it. He moved to put on a thick


    sweater before heid in the bed. Doris dropped the rag in the pile and nervously slid her cloak off. “Do


    you need me to get you anything?” “No.” He grumbled with his eyes already closed.”


    Lay down.” Doris looked around for an area for her toy that wouldn’t be too close to him. His hand shot


    out and gripped her wrist to pull her onto the nkets next to him. “Oh-” “Shh.” He demanded. Dorisid


    still with her eyes wide opened. Why did he want her in here if he didn’t need anything? Her bones


    struggled to rx for eternity until she heard the soft sounds of his breath against her ear. Her body


    wanted to curl up against his warmth and fight the cold chill but she forced herself to make do with the


    nkets around them. She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep until William had roughly shook her


    awake the next morning. “Get up, quickly. My guards have spotted someone nearby.”


    Her Unwanted Mate On The Thr